Ballad Poems

The word ‘poem’ comes from the word ‘poetry’, as the form of literature that includes them is called. The latter originates from the Greek word ‘poiesis’, which means ‘making’ or ‘creating’. The nomenclature itself is proof that this form of literature has been awarded the highest position in terms of creativity and ingenuity. The best part about poems is that they are not bound by any kind of rules and regulations. There is no particular way of writing poetry. It could be narrative, dramatic, lyrical, or satirical in nature. Poems could be bound in a carefully designed, metered rhyme scheme, or could be set as a free verse, too.

The content of the poems is also given immense amount of freedom; whatever the structure. Poems can be written in any language, and by anyone. A wonderful form of traditional poetry is ballad poems. Ballad poems are usually ones set to a tune, like a story told in a song, hence making them narrative in nature. If the ballad poem is based on a religious or political theme, it is called a hymn. Ballad poems are generally short and set in quatrains, with a particular rhyme scheme and rhythmic beat. The most common example of a ballad poem is-

Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

Ballad poems usually revolve around concepts such as loyalty, fantasy, and the supernatural, woven with threads of unparalleled comedy. They use a wide variety of poetic diction, from rhetorical devices, such as similes and metaphors, to tones of voice, such as irony, to alliteration, assonance and consonance, and the strongest device of all, imagery. Poems have the wondrous ability to create vivid images, possible and impossible, in the mind, and, quite astonishingly, making us believes that they are true.

Whatever the theme, whatever the structure, and whatever the point of view, ballad poems are a really wonderful and interesting way to express. If you can think, you can write, for thoughts are the basic foundation for any kind of poetry! So plunge yourself deep into this ocean of musical and poetic creations, where every droplet is a tear – of sorrow or of joy, and every ripple is a movement – of the mind and heart. Feel the emotions wash over you, and cleanse you completely, so that when you emerge, you do so as a rejuvenated, enlightened, and knowledgeable being.