This weeks poems are Ballads. A ballad is a lively storytelling form of poetry. The most basic ballad stanza consists of alternating 4-beat and 3-beat lines, with the second line rhyming with the fourth.
In Scarlet Town, where I was born,
There was a fair maid dwellin'
Made every lad cry wellaway,
And her name was Barbara Allen.
The traditional ballad stanza has four lines, alternating between four iambic beats (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM), and three beats (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM) per line. The second and fourth lines rhyme. (In older English, "Allen" was pronounced "Ellen," so the second and fourth lines of the first example would have rhymed for the original singers.
Many poets utilize variations of this format. The Fall Play (this Thursday, Friday and Saturday) makes use of several ballads:
The actors will be are singing "Barbara Allen," "Omie Wise," and "Smoky Mountain Gal," as well as several old favorite hymns from the American tradition.
"Barbara Allen": http://www.harveyreid.com/lyrics/barbaraallen.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Allen_(song)
"Omie Wise": http://www.lyricsfreak.com/g/greg+graffin/omie+wise_20537968.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omie_Wise
Think of current events to write historical ballads or consider real-life drama to write a "tabloid ballad."Please post your poem by Friday.
