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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3

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"The Siddhis said, 'Listen, O Devala of rigid vows, as we speak to thee
the truth. Jaigishavya hath gone to the eternal region of Brahman.'"

Vaishampayana continued, "Hearing these words of those Siddhas residing
in the regions of the Brahmasatris, Asita endeavoured to soar aloft but
he soon fell down. The Siddhas then, once more addressing Devala, said
unto him, 'Thou, O Devala, art not competent to proceed thither, to the
abode of Brahman, whither Jaigishavya hath gone!'"

Vaishampayana continued, "Hearing those words of the Siddhas, Devala came
down, descending from one region to another in due order. Indeed, he
repaired to his own sacred asylum very quickly, like a winged insect. As
soon as he entered his abode he beheld Jaigishavya seated there. Then
Devala, beholding the power derived through Yoga of Jaigishavya's
penances, reflected upon it with his righteous understanding and
approaching that great ascetic, O king, with humility, addressed the
high-souled Jaigishavya, saying, 'I desire, O adorable one, to adopt the
religion of Moksha (Emancipation)! Hearing these words of his,
Jaigishavya gave him lessons. And he also taught him the ordinances of
Yoga and the supreme and eternal duties and their reverse. The great
ascetic, seeing him firmly resolved, performed all the acts (for his
admission into that religion) according to the rites ordained for that
end. Then all creatures, with the Pitris, beholding Devala resolved to
adopt the religion of Moksha, began to weep, saying, 'Alas, who will
henceforth give us food!' Hearing these lamentations of all creatures
that resounded through the ten points, Devala set his heart upon
renouncing the religion of Moksha. Then all kinds of sacred fruits and
roots, O Bharata, and flowers and deciduous herbs, in thousands, began to
weep, saying, 'The wicked-hearted and mean Devala will, without doubt,
once more pluck and cut us! Alas, having once assured all creatures of
his perfect harmlessness, he sees not the wrong that he meditates to do!'
At this, that best of ascetics began to reflect with the aid of his
understanding, saying, 'Which amongst these two, the religion of Moksha
or that of Domesticity, will be the better for me? Reflecting upon this,
Devala, O best of kings, abandoned the religion of Domesticity and
adopted that of Moksha. Having indulged in those reflections, Devala, in
consequence of that resolve obtained the highest success, O Bharata, and
the highest Yoga. The celestials then, headed by Brihaspati, applauded
Jaigishavya and the penances of that ascetic. Then that foremost of
ascetics, Narada, addressing the gods, said, 'There is no ascetic penance
in Jaigishavya since he filled Asita with wonder!' The denizens of heaven
then, addressing Narada who said such frightful words, said, 'Do not say
so about the great ascetic Jaigishavya! There is no one superior or even
equal to this high-souled one in force of energy and penance and Yoga!'
Even such was the power of Jaigishavya as also of Asita. This is the
place of those two, and this the tirtha of those two high-souled persons.
Bathing there and giving away wealth unto the Brahmanas, the high-souled
wielder of the plough, of noble deeds, earned great merit and then
proceeded to the tirtha of Soma."



51

Vaishampayana said, "There, in that tirtha, O Bharata, where the Lord of
stars had in former days performed the rajasuya sacrifice, a great battle
was fought in which Taraka was the root of the evil. Bathing in that
tirtha and making many presents, the virtuous Bala of cleansed soul
proceeded to the tirtha of the muni named Sarasvata. There, during a
drought extending for twelve years, the sage Sarasvata, in former days,
taught the Vedas unto many foremost of brahmanas."

Janamejaya said, "Why did the sage Sarasvata, O thou of ascetic merit,
teach the Vedas unto the rishis during a twelve years' drought?"

Vaishampayana continued, "In days of yore, O monarch, there was an
intelligent sage of great ascetic merit. He was celebrated by the name of
Dadhica. Possessing a complete control over his senses, he led the life
of a brahmacari. In consequence of his excessive ascetic austerities
Shakra was afflicted with a great fear. The sage could not be turned
(away from his penance) by the offer of even diverse kinds of rewards. At
last the chastiser of Paka, for tempting the sage, despatched unto him
the exceedingly beautiful and celestial apsara, by name Alambusa. Thither
where on the banks of the Sarasvati the high-souled sage was engaged in
the act of gratifying the gods, the celestial damsel named above, O
monarch, made her appearance. Beholding that damsel of beautiful limbs,
the vital seed of that ascetic of cleansed soul came out. It fell into
the Sarasvati, and the latter held it with care. Indeed, O bull among
men, the River, beholding that seed, held it in her womb. In time the
seed developed into a foetus and the great river held it so that it might
be inspired with life as a child. When the time came, the foremost of
rivers brought forth that child and then went, O lord, taking it with
her, to that rishi.

Beholding that best of rishis in a conclave, Sarasvati, O monarch, while
making over the child, said these words, 'O regenerate rishi, this is thy
son whom I held through devotion for thee! That seed of thine which fell
at sight of the apsara Alambusa, had been held by me in my womb, O
regenerate rishi, through devotion for thee, well knowing that that
energy of thine would never suffer destruction! Given by me, accept this
faultless child of thy own!' Thus addressed by her, the rishi accepted
the child and felt great joy. Through affection, that foremost of
brahmanas then smelt the head of his son and held him in a close embrace,
O foremost one of Bharata's race, for some time. Gratified with the
River, the great ascetic Dadhica then gave a boon to her, saying, 'The
vishvadevas, the rishis, and all the tribes of the gandharvas and the
apsaras, will henceforth, O blessed one, derive great happiness when
oblations of thy water are presented unto them!'

Having said so unto that great river, the sage, gratified and filled with
joy, then praised her in these words. Listen to them duly, O king! 'Thou
hast taken thy rise, O highly blessed one, from the lake of Brahman in
days of old. All ascetics of rigid vows know thee, O foremost of rivers!
Always of agreeable features, thou hast done me great good! This thy
great child, O thou of the fairest complexion, will be known by the name
of Sarasvata! This thy son, capable of creating new worlds, will become
known after thy name! Indeed, that great ascetic will be known by the
name of Sarasvata! During a drought extending for twelve years, this
Sarasvata, O blessed one, will teach the Vedas unto many foremost of
brahmanas! O blessed Sarasvati, through my grace, thou shalt, O beautiful
one, always become the foremost of all sacred rivers!' Even thus was the
great River praised by the sage after the latter had granted her boons.
The River then, in great joy, went away, O bull of Bharata's race, taking
with her that child.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of a war between the gods and the danavas,
Shakra wandered through the three worlds in search of weapons. The great
god, however, failed to find such weapons as were fit to slay the foes of
the celestials. Shakra then said unto the gods. 'The great asuras are
incapable of being dealt with by me! Indeed, without the bones of
Dadhica, our foes could not be slain! Ye best of celestials, repair,
therefore, to that foremost of rishis and solicit him, saying, "Grant us,
O Dadhica, thy bones! With them we will slay our foes!"

Besought by them for his bones, that foremost of rishis, O chief of
Kuru's race, unhesitatingly gave up his life. Having done what was
agreeable to the gods, the sage obtained many regions of inexhaustible
merit. With his bones, meanwhile, Shakra joyfully caused to be made many
kinds of weapons, such as thunderbolts, discs, heavy maces, and many
kinds of clubs and bludgeons. Equal unto the Creator himself, Dadhica,
had been begotten by the great rishi Bhrigu, the son of the Lord of all
creatures, with the aid of his austere penances. Of stout limbs and
possessed of great energy, Dadhica had been made the strongest of
creatures in the world. The puissant Dadhica, celebrated for his glory,
became tall like the king of mountains. The chastiser of Paka had always
been anxious on account of his energy. With the thunderbolt born of
brahma energy, and inspired with mantras, O Bharata, Indra made a loud
noise when he hurled it, and slew nine and ninety heroes among the
daityas. After a long and dreadful time had elapsed since then, a
drought, O king, occurred that extended for twelve years. During that
drought extending for twelve years, the great rishis, for the sake of
sustenance, fled away, O monarch, on all sides.

Beholding them scattered in all directions, the sage Sarasvata also set
his heart on flight. The river Sarasvati then said unto him, 'Thou needst
not, O son, depart hence, for I will always supply thee with food even
here by giving thee large fishes! Stay thou, therefore, even here!' Thus
addressed (by the river), the sage continued to live there and offer
oblations of food unto the rishis and the gods. He got also his daily
food and thus continued to support both himself and the gods.

After that twelve year's drought had passed away, the great rishis
solicited one another for lectures on the Vedas. While wandering with
famished stomachs, the rishis had lost the knowledge of the Vedas. There
was, indeed, not one amongst them that could understand the scriptures.
It chanced that someone amongst them encountered Sarasvata, that foremost
of rishis, while the latter was reading the Vedas with concentrated
attention. Coming back to the conclave of rishis, he spoke to them of
Sarasvata of unrivalled splendour and god-like mien engaged in reading
the Vedas in a solitary forest. Then all the great rishis came to that
spot, and jointly spoke unto Sarasvata, that best of ascetics, these
words, 'Teach us, O sage!' Unto them the ascetic replied, saying, 'Become
ye my disciples duly!' The conclave of ascetics answered, 'O son, thou
art too young in years!' Thereupon he answered the ascetics, 'I must act
in such a way that my religious merit may not suffer a diminution! He
that teaches improperly, and he that learns improperly, are both lost in
no time and come to hate each other! It is not upon years, or
decrepitude, or wealth, or the number of kinsmen, that rishis found their
claim to merit! He amongst us is great who is capable of reading and
understanding the Vedas!'

Hearing these words of his, those munis duly became his disciples and
obtaining from him their Vedas, once more began to praise their rites.
60,000 munis became disciples of the regenerate rishi Sarasvata for the
sake of acquiring their Vedas from him. Owning obedience to that
agreeable rishi, though a boy, the munis each brought a handful of grass
and offered it to him for his seat. The mighty son of Rohini, and elder
brother of Keshava, having given away wealth in that tirtha, then
joyfully proceeded to another place where lived (in days of yore) an old
lady without having passed through the ceremony of marriage."



52

Janamejaya said, "Why, O regenerate one, did that maiden betake herself
to ascetic penances, in days of old? For what reason did she practise
penances, and what was her vow? Unrivalled and fraught with mystery is
the discourse that I have already heard from thee! Tell me (now) all the
particulars in detail regarding how that maid engaged herself in
penances."

Vaishampayana said, "There was a rishi of abundant energy and great fame,
named Kuni-Garga. That foremost of ascetics, having practised the
austerest of penances, O king, created a fair-browed daughter by a fiat
of his will. Beholding her, the celebrated ascetic Kuni-Garga became
filled with joy. He abandoned his body, O king, and then went to heaven.
That faultless and amiable and fair-browed maiden, meanwhile, of eyes
like lotus petals continued to practise severe and very rigid penances.
She worshipped the pitris and the gods with fasts. In the practice of
such severe penances a long period elapsed. Though her sire had been for
giving her away to a husband, she yet did not wish for marriage, for she
did not see a husband that could be worthy of her.

Continuing to emaciate her body with austere penances, she devoted
herself to the worship of the pitris and the gods in that solitary
forest. Although engaged in such toil, O monarch, and although she
emaciated herself by age and austerities, yet she regarded herself happy.
At last when she (became very old so that she) could no longer move even
a single step without being aided by somebody, she set her heart upon
departing for the other world.

Beholding her about to cast off her body, Narada said unto her, 'O
sinless one, thou hast no regions of blessedness to obtain in consequence
of thy not having cleansed thyself by rite of marriage! O thou of great
vows, we have heard this in heaven! Great hath been thy ascetic
austerities, but thou hast no claim to regions of blessedness!'

Hearing these words of Narada, the old lady went to a concourse of rishis
and said, 'I shall give him half my penances who will accept my hand in
marriage!' After she had said those words, Galava's son, a rishi, known
by the name of Sringavat, accepted her hand, having proposed this compact
to her, 'With this compact, O beautiful lady, I shall accept thy hand,
that thou shalt live with me for only one night!' Having agreed to that
compact, she gave him her hand.

Indeed, Galava's son, according to the ordinances laid down and having
duly poured libations on the fire, accepted her hand and married her. On
that night, she became a young lady of the fairest complexion, robed in
celestial attire and decked in celestial ornaments and garlands and
smeared with celestial unguents and perfumes. Beholding her blazing with
beauty, Galava's son became very happy and passed one night in her
company.

At morn she said unto him, 'The compact, O brahmana, I had made with
thee, hath been fulfilled, O foremost of ascetics! Blessed be thou, I
shall now leave thee!' After obtaining his permission, she once more
said, 'He that will, with rapt attention, pass one night in this tirtha
after having gratified the denizens of heaven with oblations of water,
shall obtain that merit which is his who observes the vow of brahmacarya
for eight and fifty years!' Having said these words, that chaste lady
departed for heaven.

The Rishi, her lord, became very cheerless, by dwelling upon the memory
of her beauty. In consequence of the compact he had made, he accepted
with difficulty half her penances. Casting off his body he soon followed
her, moved by sorrow, O chief of Bharata's race, and forced to it by her
beauty.

Even this is the glorious history of the old maid that I have told thee!
Even this is the account of her brahmacarya and her auspicious departure
for heaven. While there Baladeva heard of the slaughter of Shalya. Having
made presents unto the brahmanas there, he gave way to grief, O scorcher
of his foes, for Shalya who had been slain by the Pandavas in battle.
Then he of Madhu's race, having come out of the environs of
Samantapanchaka, enquired of the rishis about the results of the battle
at Kurukshetra. Asked by that lion of Yadu's race about the results of
the battle at Kurukshetra, those high-souled ones told him everything as
it had happened."



53

"The Rishis said, 'O Rama, this Samantapanchaka is said to be the eternal
northern altar of Brahman, the Lord of all creatures. There the denizens
of heaven, those givers of great boons, performed in days of yore a great
sacrifice. That foremost of royal sages, the high-souled Kuru, of great
intelligence and immeasurable energy, had cultivated this field for many
years. Hence it came to be Kurukshetra (the field of Kuru)!'

"Rama said, 'For what reason did the high-souled Kuru cultivate this
field? I desire to have this narrated by you, ye Rishis possessed of
wealth of penances!'

"The Rishis said, 'In days of yore, O Rama, Kuru was engaged in
perseveringly tilling the soil of this field. Shakra, coming down from
heaven, asked him the reason, saying, "Why O king, art thou employed (in
this task) with such perseverance? What is thy purpose, O royal sage, for
the accomplishment of which thou art tilling the soil?" Kuru thereupon
replied, saying, "O thou of a hundred sacrifices, they that will die upon
this plain shall proceed to regions of blessedness after being cleansed
of their sins!" The lord Shakra, ridiculing this, went back to heaven.
The royal sage Kuru, however, without being at all depressed, continued
to till the soil. Shakra repeatedly came to him and repeatedly receiving
the same reply went away ridiculing him. Kuru, however, did not, on that
account, feel depressed. Seeing the king till the soil with unflagging
perseverance. Shakra summoned the celestials and informed them of the
monarch's occupation. Hearing Indra's words, the celestials said unto
their chief of a 1,000 eyes, "Stop the royal sage, O Shakra by granting
him a boon, if thou canst! If men, by only dying there were to come to
heaven, without having performed sacrifices to us, our very existence
will be endangered!" Thus exhorted, Shakra then came back to that royal
sage and said, "Do not toil any more! Act according to my words! Those
men that will die here, having abstained from food with all their senses
awake, and those that will perish here in battle, shall, O king, come to
heaven! They, O thou of great soul, shall enjoy the blessings of heaven,
O monarch!" Thus addressed, king Kuru answered Shakra, saying, "So be
it!" Taking Kuru's leave, the slayer of Vala, Shakra, then, with a joyful
heart, quickly went back to heaven. Even thus, O foremost one of Yadu's
race, that royal sage had, in days of yore, tilled this plain and Shakra
had promised great merit unto those that would cast off their bodies
here. Indeed, it was sanctioned by all the foremost ones, headed by
Brahman, among the gods, and by the sacred Rishis, that on earth there
should be no more sacred spot than this! Those men that perform austere
penances here would all after casting off their bodies go to Brahman's
abode. Those meritorious men, again, that would give away their wealth
here would soon have their wealth doubled. They, again, that will, in
expectation of good, reside constantly here, will never have to visit the
region of Yama. Those kings that will perform great sacrifices here will
reside as long in heaven as Earth herself will last. The chief of the
celestials, Shakra, himself composed a verse here and sang it. Listen to
it, O Baladeva! "The very dust of Kurukshetra, borne away by the wind,
shall cleanse persons of wicked acts and bear them to heaven!" The
foremost ones amongst the gods, as also those amongst the Brahmanas, and
many foremost ones among the kings of the Earth such as Nriga and others,
having performed costly sacrifices here, after abandoning their bodies,
proceeded to heaven. The space between the Tarantuka and the Arantuka and
the lakes of Rama and Shamachakra, is known as Kurukshetra.
Samantapanchaka is called the northern (sacrificial) altar of Brahman,
the Lord of all creatures. Auspicious and highly sacred and much regarded
by the denizens of heaven is this spot that possesses all attributes. It
is for this that Kshatriyas slain in battle here obtain sacred regions of
eternal blessedness. Even this was said by Shakra himself about the high
blessedness of Kurukshetra. All that Shakra said was again approved and
sanctioned by Brahman, by Vishnu, and by Maheshvara.'"



54

Vaishampayana said, "Having visited Kurukshetra and given away wealth
there, he of the Satwata race then proceeded, O Janamejaya, to a large
and exceedingly beautiful hermitage. That hermitage was overgrown with
Madhuka and mango trees, and abounded with Plakshas and Nyagrodhas. And
it contained many Vilwas and many excellent jack and Arjuna trees.
Beholding that goodly asylum with many marks of sacredness, Baladeva
asked the Rishis as to whose it was. Those high-souled ones, O king, said
unto Baladeva, 'Listen in detail, O Rama, as to whose asylum this was in
days of yore! Here the god Vishnu in days of yore performed austere
penances. Here he performed duly all the eternal sacrifices. Here a
Brahmani maiden, leading from youth the vow of Brahmacharya, became
crowned with ascetic success. Ultimately, in the possession of Yoga
powers, that lady of ascetic penances proceeded to heaven. The
high-souled Sandilya, O king, got a beautiful daughter who was chaste,
wedded to severe vows, self-restrained, and observant of Brahmacharya.
Having performed the severest of penances such as are incapable of being
performed by women, the blessed lady at last went to heaven, worshipped
by the gods and Brahmanas!' Having heard these words of the Rishis,
Baladeva entered that asylum. Bidding farewell to the Rishis, Baladeva of
unfading glory went through the performance of all the rites and
ceremonies of the evening twilight on the side of Himavat and then began
his ascent of the mountain. The mighty Balarama having the device of the
palmyra on his banner had not proceeded far in his ascent when he beheld
a sacred and goodly tirtha and wondered at the sight. Beholding the glory
of the Sarasvati, as also the tirtha called Plakshaprasravana, Vala next
reached another excellent and foremost of tirthas called Karavapana. The
hero of the plough, of great strength, having made many presents there,
bathed in the cool, clear, sacred, and sin-cleansing water (of that
tirtha). Passing one night there with the ascetics and the Brahmanas,
Rama then proceeded to the sacred asylum of the Mitra-Varunas. From
Karavapana he proceeded to that spot on the Yamuna where in days of yore
Indra and Agni and Aryaman had obtained great happiness. Bathing there,
that bull of Yadu's race, of righteous soul, obtained great happiness.
The hero then sat himself down with the Rishis and the Siddhas there for
listening to their excellent talk. There where Rama sat in the midst of
that conclave, the adorable Rishi Narada came (in course of his
wandering). Covered with matted locks and attired in golden rays, he bore
in his hands, O king, a staff made of gold and a waterpot made of the
same precious metal. Accomplished in song and dance and adored by gods
and Brahmanas, he had with him a beautiful Vina of melodious notes, made
of the tortoise-shell. A provoker of quarrels and ever fond of quarrels,
the celestial Rishi came to that spot where the handsome Rama was
resting. Standing up and sufficiently honouring the celestial Rishi of
regulated vows, Rama asked him about all that had happened to the Kurus.
Conversant with every duty and usage, Narada then, O king, told him
everything, as it had happened, about the awful extermination of the
Kurus. The son of Rohini then, in sorrowful words, enquired of the Rishi,
saying, 'What is the state of the field? How are those kings now that had
assembled there? I have heard everything before, O thou that art
possessed of the wealth of penances, but my curiosity is great for
hearing it in detail!'

"Narada said, 'Already Bhishma and Drona and the lord of the Sindhus have
fallen! Vikartana's son Karna also hath fallen, with his sons, those
great car-warriors! Bhurishrava too, O son of Rohini, and the valiant
chief of the Madras have fallen! Those and many other mighty heroes that
had assembled there, ready to lay down their lives for the victory of
Duryodhana, those kings and princes unreturning from battle, have all
fallen! Listen now to me, O Madhava, about those that are yet alive! In
the army of Dhritarashtra's son, only three grinders of hosts are yet
alive! They are Kripa and Kritavarma and the valiant son of Drona! These
also, O Rama, have from fear fled away to the ten points of the compass!
After Shalya's fall and the flight of Kripa and the others, Duryodhana,
in great grief, had entered the depths of the Dvaipayana lake. While
lying stretched for rest at the bottom of the lake after stupefying its
waters, Duryodhana was approached by the Pandavas with Krishna and
pierced by them with their cruel words. Pierced with wordy darts, O Rama,
from every side, the mighty and heroic Duryodhana hath risen from the
lake armed with his heavy mace. He hath come forward for fighting Bhima
for the present. Their terrible encounter, O Rama, will take place today!
If thou feelest any curiosity, then hasten, O Madhava, without tarrying
here! Go, if thou wishest, and witness that terrible battle between thy
two disciples!'"

Vaishampayana continued, "Hearing these words of Narada, Rama bade a
respectful farewell to those foremost of Brahmanas and dismissed all
those that had accompanied him (in his pilgrimage). Indeed, he ordered
his attendants, saying, 'Return ye to Dwaraka!' He then descended from
that prince of mountains and that fair hermitage called
Plakshaprasravana. Having listened to the discourse of the sages about
the great merits of tirthas, Rama of unfading glory sang this verse in
the midst of the Brahmanas, 'Where else is such happiness as that in a
residence by the Sarasvati? Where also such merits as those in a
residence by the Sarasvati? Men have departed for heaven, having
approached the Sarasvati! All should ever remember the Sarasvati!
Sarasvati is the most sacred of rivers! Sarasvati always bestows the
greatest happiness on men! Men, after approaching the Sarasvati, will not
have to grieve for their sins either here or hereafter!' Repeatedly
casting his eyes with joy on the Sarasvati, that scorcher of foes then
ascended an excellent car unto which were yoked goodly steeds. Journeying
then on that car of great fleetness, Baladeva, that bull of Yadu's race,
desirous of beholding the approaching encounter of his two disciples
arrived on the field."

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Fidel and Che: a revolutionary friendship

After last week's fairly open theme, I thought I'd go with something a bit more structured this time. As I type this, I'm listening to Steeleye Span and thinking about the great ballad traditions of Britain and Ireland. What is a ballad? I suppose the most inclusive definition would be that it's a singable narrative poem: that covers a multitude but will do for the moment.

Ballads in English stretch back to the middle ages, with fine examples to be found among the Scottish border ballads and the English Robin Hood poems. These early ballads are among the best-known poems and stories in the language, and form part of the common heritage of English speakers everywhere. They gave rise to a tradition of ballad-making that endures down to the present day.

In fact, most poets since have tried their hand at the ballad at one time or another, and the result has been to deny any definition more specific than the one I ventured in my first paragraph. If you look around the internet, you'll come up with a wide selection of poems that are called ballads but have little in common formally. Stanza length varies from two to 10 or more lines, and all sorts of metrical and rhyming patterns are used. A good number will be singable in only the loosest possible sense, and at times the narrative tends to get lost in a mesh of more-or-less successful verbal embroidery.

So, what should a ballad be? Well, "proper" ballad stanzas are quatrains in which the first and third lines have four stresses and the second and third have three. The lines will rhyme A-B-C-B or A-B-A-B. It's as simple, and as difficult, as that. Here's an example, from Robert Burns's extremely singable Comin Thro' the Rye:

Gin a body meet a body
          Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body –
          Need a body cry.

Burns wrote a good number of ballads, and his lead was followed by many 19th-century poets. Two examples that I particularly like are Robert Browning's Confessions and Christina Rossetti's Up-Hill, but you can find ballads by just about any Romantic or Victorian poet if you look for them.

There is a long, strong tradition of ballads and ballad singers in Ireland, too. It is hardly surprising, then, that the great appropriator of tradition, WB Yeats, tried his hand at the form. At least four of his poems have the word "ballad" in the title; the pick of the bunch, for my money, is The Ballad of Father Gilligan, which may have benefited from having been written with a specific tune in mind.

Ballads continued to be written in the 20th century; perhaps the most unexpected exponents were Ezra Pound, with his Ballad of the Goodly Fere, and WH Auden. In fact, the ballad The Quarry is probably my favourite Auden poem.

And so, this week I invite a chorus of balladeering. You may choose to go the whole hog and write in ballad stanzas or you might prefer to take a more liberal view of the formal requirements. Either way, sing up and – as they say at all the best Irish sessions when calling for a bit of hush for the singer – one voice please.

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