Ballad and Ballad stanza – Literary Terms

Ballad, Ballad stanza, Literary Terms

Ballad and Ballad stanza – Literary Terms

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Ballad

A FORM of NARRATIVE POETRY that presents a single dramatic EPISODE, which is often tragic or violent. Ballads typically tell stories of unhappy love affairs; domestic tragedies, especially family feuds or murders; popular outlaws and rebels, such as Jesse James or Robin Hood; historical events like battles; shipwrecks, and mine disasters; and occupational heroes, such as John Henry and Casey Jones.

Ballad stanza:  

The STANZA form of the BALLAD, usually four lines rhyming abcb. The first and third lines typically contain four accented syllables; the second and fourth lines, three accented syllables. The number of unaccented syllables varies widely. A REFRAIN, usually at the end of the stanza, is common. A representative example is this stanza from "The Douglas Tragedy," a FOLK BALLAD:

He's mounted her on a milk-white stéed a And himself on a dápple grey, o With a búglet horn hung down by his side, And lightly they róde away.

See also:

BALLAD,

METER,

REFRAIN,

RHYME SCHEME,

STANZA.