Ballad Explore the glossary of poetic terms. History of the Ballad Form Centuries-old in practice, the composition of ballads began in the European folk tradition, in many cases accompanied by musical instruments.
It begins: It is an ancient mariner And he stoppeth one of three. Academy of American Poets Educator Newsletter. Teach This Poem. Follow Us. Find Poets. Poetry Near You. Jobs for Poets. Read Stanza. Privacy Policy. Press Center. Coleridge incorporates many aspects of traditional folk ballad, including a dramatic story of the journey of an old sailor. Coleridge also implants a Romantic writing influence in his ballad as well, by emphasizing the supernatural and utilizing elevated sound devices.
The form of ballads, their meaning, and subject matter have changed over time. Ultimately, as a form of narrative verse, most ballads are associated with some aspect of telling a story. Here are some common examples of subject matter found in ballad:. Most people are familiar with ballad in the form of songs, especially slow and mournful songs about love.
Musical ballads typically feature slow rhythm and emotionally evocative lyrics. However, when it comes to popular music, this form appears in nearly every genre including rock, soul, country, and heavy metal. Here are some examples of ballad in popular music:. Though ballads began in folk-song form, many Romantic and Victorian poets adopted this literary device in the 18th and 19th centuries.
These literary ballads became crossroads between the oral tradition of folk ballads and modern narrative poems in ballad form. Here are some famous examples of ballads in poetry:. Most ballads are structured in short stanzas. In general, the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme, although occasionally the first and third lines rhyme. Some ballads feature two lines rather than four, which from rhymed couplets of seven-stress lines.
When you have decided on your topic, write down the main points you want to talk about, without worrying about rhyme or meter yet. For example, a melancholy ballad will obviously use darker, more brooding words, whereas a lighthearted one will use more fun descriptions. Note that there can also be a shift in mood within a single ballad, which can be part of your storytelling.
At this point, look at your bullet points and rephrase them to fit into the original structure. Remove any lines that seem unnecessary, and merge lines when you can. Although you might feel stifled with the recommended structure for ballads, consider it a way to be as creative as you can. After all, you will need to choose words that fit the accent-unaccented pair. The good news is that the structure only requires a minimum of two words that rhyme, but you can also opt to have your first and third lines rhyme for an added challenge.
Write your story in stanzas made up of four lines, without worrying about the rhyme first. Your goal in this step is to write down the main thoughts of your story. One way to do this is to talk about one theme in every stanza, with the first line introducing the theme.
Or, you might want to write about one theme every two lines. An important tip to remember when telling your story is to focus on using verbs, or action words, as these make the characters come alive for your audience. Before you worry about rhyming, tighten up your story by removing unnecessary details or adding details you might have forgotten. Remember that the strength of the ballad is in the story it tells. As you edit, start to arrange the first and third lines in iambic meter, which is ten syllables of alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
Choose either the ABCB or ABAB rhyme scheme, and edit the first four lines to have the first and third lines rhyme, and the second or fourth lines rhyme. If you have trouble thinking of words that rhyme, check out our post on how to rhyme. A rhyming dictionary or a rhyming website can also help you.
Examples include RhymeZone and Rhymer.
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