  Poetry
This week: Edited by: Becky Simpson  
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This month’s newsletter is going to take a look at one of the traditional forms of poetry. Yep poetry has traditions; or maybe it has a history. You may ask why I feel it necessary to even look at these various forms of poetry. It’s a fair question, think of it as learning your ABC’s or maybe your times table (whichever was easier for you). . I sure hope I don’t add when I should multiply. Looking at traditional forms will limit us to some twenty different forms of poetry. I have chosen one of the oldest forms – ballads to be our subject. As we look at ballads, I will make a few offerings from the choicest Writing.Com poets to be found, and provide you with this week’s list of favorite poets. A few classic beauties will round out our lesson, and in closing I will answer the feedback from the last edition, listing the winners of the gift points. Becky Simpson
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No one really knows how the ballad got its start though there are many opinions. Since by definition a ballad is a poem meant to be sung it is a relatively recent form of poetry. It seems to be a natural extension of heroic verse, though the subject in ballads does not necessarily have to be adventure, it also includes love.
Okay so let’s have a look at a short introduction to ballads. What you will find following in blue is an excerpt, giving us a definition and a bit of background to ballads:
From A Handbook to Literature by C. Hugh Holman, published by The Odyssey Press.
Ballad: a form of verse to be sung or recited and characterized by its presentation of a dramatic or exciting "episode" in simple narrative form. F.B. Gummere describes the ballad as "a poem meant for singing, quite impersonal in material, probably connected in its origins with the communal dance, but submitted to a process of oral tradition among people who are free from literary influences and fairly homogeneous in character."
I hope you noted that this poetry was meant to be sung. This helps support my earlier stance that poetry and music are closely related. Now how about an excerpt from an early ballad, the author is unknown.
Eppie Morrie
Four-and-twenty Highland men
Came a' from Carrie side,
To steal awa Eppie Morrie
'Cause she would not be a bride.
Out it's came her mother,
It was a moonlight night,
She could not see her daughter,
Their swords they shin'd so bright.
Haud far awa frae me, mother,
Haud far awa frae me;
There's not a man in a' Strathdon
Shall wedded be with me.
Though the ballad is a form still much written the so-called "popular ballad" in most literatures belongs to the early periods before written literature was highly developed. They still appear, however, in isolated sections and among illiterate and semi-literate peoples. In America, the folk of the southern Appalachian Mountains have maintained a ballad tradition, as have the cowboys of the western plains, and people associated with labor movements, particularly when marked by violence. In Australia, the "bush" ballad is still vigorous and popular. In the West Indies, the "Calypso" singers produce something close to the ballad with their impromptu songs.
Let’s look at something a bit newer.
The Challenge of Thor
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I AM the God Thor,
I am the War God,
I am the Thunderer!
Here in my Northland,
My fastness and fortress,
Reign I forever!
Here amid icebergs
Rule I the nations;
This is my hammer,
Miölner the mighty;
Giants and sorcerers
Cannot withstand it!
Debate still rages as to whether the ballad originates with an individual composer or as a group or communal activity. Whatever the origin, the folk ballad is, in almost every country, one of the earliest forms of literature. Certain common characteristics of these early ballads should be noted: the supernatural is likely to play an important part in events, physical courage and live are frequent themes, the incidents are usually such as happen to common people (as opposed to the nobility), and often have to do with domestic episodes; slight attention is paid to characterization or description, transitions are abrupt, action is largely developed through dialogue, tragic situations are presented with the utmost simplicity, incremental repetition is common, imagination though not so common as in the art ballad nevertheless appears in brief flashes, a single episode of a highly dramatic nature is presented, and often the ballad is brought to a close with some sort of summary stanza.
Moving through time we see the ballad continue to evolve and cross the boundaries of nationalities, languages, and societies. Ballads are popular. In France one of the most beautiful love songs of the 18th century was penned: "Plaisir D'Amour." The languid melody is a simple arc of sorrow while the lyrics echo the great ballads of the 1600's with their bitter-sweet attachment to an unfaithful love. Written in 1775, it quickly became the 1700's equivalent of a Top Ten hit in France.
Charlotte Church -- Plaisir d'Amour
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment,
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.
J'ai tout quitté pour l'ingrate Sylvie,
Elle me quitte et prend un autre amant .
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment,
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.
"Tant que cette eau coulera doucement
Vers ce ruisseau qui borde la prairie,
Je t'aimerai", me répétait Sylvie.
L'eau coule encor, elle a changé pourtant.
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment,
Chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.
And the English translation:
The joys of love are but a moment long,
The heartache of love lasts for life.
I have left everything for ungrateful Sylvia,
But she left me and took another lover.
The joys of love are but a moment long,
The heartache of love lasts for life.
"As long as the water flows gently
To the stream that borders the meadow,
I will love you", repeated Sylvia to me.
The water still flows, yet she has changed.
The joys of love are but a moment long,
The heartache of love lasts for life.
Sound familar? It should, The King Of Rock and Roll remade "Plaisir D'Amour." as "I Can;t Help Falling in Love With You." Elvis sung it in the movie "Blue Hawaii" with new lyrics written by George Weiss. For extra points see if you can match the melody with the french lyrics.
Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling In Love
Wise men say only fools rush in
but I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
some things are meant to be
take my hand, take my whole life too
for I can't help falling in love with you
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
some things are meant to be
take my hand, take my whole life too
for I can't help falling in love with you
for I can't help falling in love with you
The greatest impetus to the study of ballad literature was given by the publication in 1765 of Bishop Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. The standard modern collection still is The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, edited by Francis James Child. The tradition of composing story-songs about current events and personages has been common for a long time. Hardly an event of national interest escapes being made the subject of a so-called ballad. Casey Jones, the railroad engineer; Floyd Collins, the cave explorer; the astronauts -- all have been the subjects of ballads. Ballad Stanza: The stanzaic form of the folk or popular ballad consists of four lines, rhyming abcb, with the first and third lines carrying four accented syllables and the second and fourth carrying three.
Now that we have looked at ballads from the "Very,Very Old" to the "My-Mom-And-Dad-Old", let’s have a look at how some of our Writing.Com writers handle the new stuff.
lightmyfire71
"Invalid Item"
Is love supposed to hurt, does it have to let you cry?
I don't want to feel this, I just want to get through it.
Should love make you sad, Does it have to be this bad?
I just wait for an answer, but will I ever get it?
Just help me, oh help me, move on...
Did it feel good to you, when you had to let me down?
I didn't deserve it, I just wanted it perfect.
Did you even care, did you think once of me?
I just wanted to be with you, but you didn't feel the same.
Just go away, oh go away, and I'll move on...
Do you even know how much you hurt me?
I bet it's never even crossed your mind
All I really wanted was for someone to adore me
But I couldn't even have that, no I won't ever get that.
Should I just give up, should I play on your best friend?
I don't want to do that, I'll just wait for you....
Just help me, oh help me, move on...
-Kim King
2/1/05
Congrats Kim what a nicely written ballad. Let’s look at one more then I will list a few in my suggested readings.
Cynaemon 
"The Ballad of the Dangerous Moll"
Dang’rous moll in cape of red
Your eyes have pierced my soul,
To capture you was my only goal,
You’ve stolen my heart instead.
Oh, Princess in cape of red,
Your kiss is my delight,
Our love will blossom, Valentine,
Fair vision, you’re in my head.
Fair maid in cape of red
Pink roses to romance has led,
I’ll save you from life’s dark dread
E’en though it means my death.
Based on the legend of Prince Buddee and Princess Hemangi
Rambley-Bambley Hatshepsut Milliken
Catuary By The Sea
Ballads take many forms and one of the closely related types of poetry is called a storoem. Our own Harry from Writing.Com specializes in this particular form of poetry. I don’t think a review of ballads could be complete without a quick look at Harry’s work.
Harry 
"Guarded By Lions"
From Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, comes this report
of a twelve-year-old girl abducted by seven men.
One man wanted to wed her, but she refused to court.
The men stole her away, determined to beat her then.
For there, young girls are often severely battered
and raped to make them accept an unwanted marriage.
This girl was repeatedly beaten, left blood-splattered
and whimpering in pain…of justice, a true miscarriage.
After a week an unlikely trio of saviors happened by.
Three male lions, their thick, black manes resplendent
in the African sun, chased away the men, who didn’t try
to save the girl but abandoned her to her fate attendant.
She lay before the lions -- a defenseless, easy meal.
But, and many call it a miracle, the lions did her no harm.
Instead they stood guard over her, a happening surreal.
Half a day the lions watched and waited, ready to disarm
any danger that approached her. True guardians they were!
When rescuers arrived, the lions turned and walked away
with no look back. These unlikely saviors became but a blur
as they disappeared, leaving behind wonderment this day.
Authorities explained the girl’s whimpering had possibly
sounded like the mewing of a lion cub, keeping her safe.
Male lions kill cubs they did not sire; her scent would ably
make her human -- all logical explanations merely chafe…
…maybe miracles truly do occur due to the hand of Fate.
With that I will leave behind the subject of ballads. I hope that you enjoyed the examples and will experiment with the ballad form.
Today’s tip of the day concerns a common offense of new poets, INVERSIONS. What are they? Look at this poem to find out:
"Avoid Inversions in Your Verse":
Avoid inversions in your verse;
Of novice poets they’re the curse.
For rhymes their souls they would exchange,
Word order freely rearrange
Their rhyming to accommodate
Like early English poets great.
They’ll gladly place (to grammar blind)
An adjective its noun behind,
Or (pity patient Listener)
A verb till sentence end defer
Like Latin scholars full of scit.
But that’s for muse museums. It
Diminishes the poet’s art
To place before the horse the cart.
Bob McKenty
I am always at your service.
Becky L Simpson
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The following members of Writing.Com are some of my favorite poets on Writing.Com. They exhibit and understanding and skill that, simply put, amaze me. I hope those I have forgotten will forgive me, but as time goes on and my memory prods, me this list will change.
Vivian 
reblackwell
Stormy Lady 
Theday
Tornado Day
wittyvixen
daycare
SUGGESTED READINGS:
I call these poets and poems works of the week. Some will be by cases of all colors, as skill is not determined by your case color. Just five or six poems I think you might enjoy.
| |  | Rejected (E)
*Bad to the Bone* bad poetry contest. Whiny parody of 1950s love ballad. Please rate as 1.
#919746 by Spheric |
CONTESTS:
In this edition I wish to highlight two poetry contests. The first is our own newsletter contest. The first twenty answers this month will be awarded 1,000 gift points. You will also find within this section winners listed from previous newsletters.
The challenge for this edition is: Simply write me a ballad, send the link to me and remember there are 1,000 points for the first twenty readers to respond.
The second is sponsored by zwisis | |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#972683 by Not Available. |
Last Editions Winners:
lakecat
Each of these wonderful readers will receive 1000 gift points for their efforts.
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https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Questions and comments from last week, my thanks to those who wrote in:
Submitted By: BabyFace-18
Submitted Comment:
Thank you so much for writing this newsletter. I too was a bit confused by Iambic Pentameter- not anymore :) Could you please use "Synecdoche" in an example? The definition makes sense, but I would like to see it in a poem.
The quickest example I can give you for Synedoche is from Shakespeare's "Julius Caeasar", when Marc Anthony, in his famous soliloquy, begs the crowd to “Lend me your ears” - Becky
Submitted By: Mothermouse--come visit me
Submitted Comment:
Sorry Becky, but for some of us folks who can just take in so much at a time, this was just too much information at once. I not only got lost, I got tired trying to understand so much at once. Your article is interesting and has a lot of helpful information and I did print it out for future reference, but I doubt I will try to wade through it again. I think it would have been better if you had broken it up into 2 or 3 topics for a series and given some examples of the terms as you went along. We aren't all still able to process so much information as we would like or should be able to.
Sorrowfully, when an article this big and detailed comes along, it's almost intimidating and makes me feel as if I shouldn't write because I know too little and takes the fun out of writing.
Mothermouse,
You are one of the first people I ever had visit my port. You were a dedicated poet and made comments to me that I needed to hear. I have stated in both this issue and the last that the main thing to remember about poetry is to have fun. My ramblings are not meant to intimidate anybody. They are things I discover in my own journey of learning. I am very sorry if my newsletter has put you off. I must admit that writing a newsletter is new to me and apparently I have a lot to learn. Thanks for the comments. – hugs Becky
Submitted By: hdelphyne
Submitted Comment:
Hello Becky,
This is a great newsletter. I found the information informative and the illustrations helpful. I particularly appreciated the visual of foot, meter and measure, as well as the definitions. It is also packed with great poetry. Thanks. Thea
I do try to pack a lot into some of these newsletters. Thank you for your very kind estimation of the newsletter. All of the editors work hard to make them readable and informative. – hugs Becky
Submitted By: Mark
Submitted Comment:
Becky,
WOW!! ... and thank you. With so many differering opinions received in reviews, with so little of my own knowledge of poetry - I sometimes feel lost. The information and how you've conveyed it in this newsleter is absolutely priceless and inspiring.
Fantastic work, thank you for your time and effort, I know I truly appreciate what you do.
Mark R
iammark301
Mark, comments such as yours are truly welcomed. Poetry is not a subject tackled overnight, nor in a newsletter or a hundred such newsletters. It is a life’s pursuit and a labor of love. You are one of the ones who cares about his work. Thank you for the compliment. – Hugs Becky
Submitted By: Tomas O' Carthaigh
Submitted Comment:
I think that poetry has too much theory, which is gaily abandoned by not using rhyme.
A poem should tell a story: point blank.
Rhyem is the only rule.
The poetic gospel according to St Tomas O' Carthaigh!
I am glad you prefaced your comments with “I think”. A poem indeed can tell a story or express an emotion, or simply celebrate some part of life. As for your gospel belief I refer you to the tip of the day and wish you every good thing in your endeavors.
To the rest of you kind readers who made comments about May’s newsletter; thank you. If it were not for your kind words I would be inclined to find another way to spend the time I spend here.
If you have a question, comment or just an observation concerning this edition of the Poetry Newsletter please feel free to send it to me. I would also like our poetry newsletter readers to send me their favorite poem. Please include the poet’s name. I prefer poets from Writing.Com.
Next weeks editor:Stormy Lady
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Poetry: July 13, 2005 Issue [#494]
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