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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






SECTION XXXVIII

"Yudhishthira said, 'O holy and great ascetic, I desire to hear in detail
what the duties of kings are and what the duties, in full, of all the
four orders. I desire also to hear, O foremost of Brahmanas, what
behaviour should be adopted in seasons of distress, and how I may
subjugate the world by treading along the path of morality. This
discourse on expiation, treating (at the same time) of fasts and capable
of exciting great curiosity, fills me with joy. The practice of virtue
and the discharge of kingly duties are always inconsistent with each
other. For always thinking of how one may reconcile the two, my mind is
constantly stupefied.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Vyasa, O monarch, that foremost of all
persons conversant with the Vedas, casting his eyes upon that ancient and
all-knowing person, viz., Narada, said, If, O king, thou wishest to hear
of duties and morality in full, then ask Bhishma, O mighty-armed one,
that old grandsire of the Kurus. Conversant with all duties and possessed
of universal knowledge, that son of Bhagirathi will remove all the doubts
in thy heart on the difficult subject of duties. That goddess, viz., the
genius of the celestial river of three courses brought him forth. He saw
with his physical eyes all the gods with Indra at their head. Having
gratified with his dutiful services the celestial Rishis having
Vrihaspati at their head, he acquired a knowledge of the duties of kings.
That foremost one among the Kurus obtained a knowledge also of that
science, with its interpretations, with Usanas and that regenerate one
who is the preceptor of the celestials know. Having practised rigid vows,
that mighty-armed one acquired a knowledge of all the Vedas and their
branches, from Vasishtha and from Chyavana of Bhrigu's race. In olden
days he studied under the eldest-born son of the Grandsire himself, viz.,
Sanatkumara of blazing splendour, well conversant with the truths of
mental and spiritual science. He learnt the duties in full of the Yatis
from the lips of Markandeya. The bull among men obtained all weapons from
Rama and Sakra. Although born among human beings, his death itself is
still under his own control. Although childless, yet he has many regions
of bliss hereafter as heard by us. Regenerate Rishis of great merit were
always his courtiers. There is nothing among objects that should be known
that is unknown to him. Conversant with all duties and acquainted with
all the subtle truths of morality, even he will discourse to thee upon
duty and morality. Go unto him before he abandons his life breath. Thus
addressed by him, the high-souled son of Kunti, of great wisdom, said the
following words unto Satyavati's son Vyasa, that first of eloquent men.'

"Yudhishthira said, 'Having caused a great and horrid slaughter of
kinsmen, I have become an offender against all and a destroyer of the
earth. Having caused that Bhishma himself, that warrior who always fought
fairly, to be slain by the aid of deceit, how shall I approach him for
asking him (about duties and morality)?'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Moved by the desire of benefiting all the four
orders, the mighty armed and high-souled chief of Yadu's race once more
addressed that foremost of kings (in the following words).'

"Vasudeva said, 'It behoveth thee not to show such pertinacity in grief.
Do that, O best of kings, which the holy Vyasa has said. The Brahmanas, O
mighty-armed one, and these thy brothers of great energy, stand before
thee beseechingly like persons beseeching the deity of the clouds at the
close of summer. The unslain remnant of the assembled kings, and the
people belonging to all the four orders of thy kingdom of Kurujangala, O
king, are here. For the sake of doing what is agreeable to these
high-souled Brahmanas, in obedience also to the command of thy revered
senior Vyasa of immeasurable energy, and at the request of out-selves
that are thy well-wishers, and of Draupadi, O scorcher of foes, do what
is agreeable to us, O slayer of foes, and what is beneficial to the
world.'

"Vaisampayana continued. 'Thus addressed by Krishna, the high-souled king
(Yudhishthira) of eyes like lotus petals, rose from his seat for the good
of the whole world. The tiger among men, viz., Yudhishthira of great
fame, besought by Krishna himself, by the Island-born (Vyasa), by
Devasthana, by Jishnu, by these and many others, cast off his grief and
anxiety. Fully conversant with the declarations of the Srutis, with the
science that treats of the interpretation of those declarations, and with
all that men usually hear and all that deserve to be heard, the son of
Pandu obtained peace of mind and resolved upon that he should next do.
Surrounded by all of them like the moon by the stars, the king, placing
Dhritarashtra at the head of the train, set out for entering the city.
Desirous of entering the city, Kunti's son Yudhishthira, conversant with
every duty, offered worship unto the gods and thousands of Brahmanas. He
then ascended a new and white car covered with blankets and deerskins,
and unto which were yoked sixteen white bullocks possessed of auspicious
marks, and which had been sanctified with Vedic mantras. Adored by
panegyrists and bards, the king mounted upon that car like Soma riding
upon his own ambrosial vehicle. His brother Bhima of terrible prowess
took the reins. Arjuna held over his head a white umbrella of great
effulgence. That white umbrella held upon the car looked beautiful like a
star-decked white cloud in the firmament. The two heroic sons of Madri,
viz., Nakula and Sahadeva, took up two yak-tails white as the rays of the
moon and adorned with gems for fanning the king. The five brothers decked
with ornaments, having ascended the car, O king, looked like the five
elements (that enter into the composition of everybody). Riding upon
another white car unto which were yoked steeds fleet as thought, Yuyutsu,
O king, followed the eldest son of Pandu behind. Upon his own brilliant
car of gold unto which were yoked Saivya and Sugriva, Krishna, with
Satyaki, followed the Kurus. The eldest uncle of Pritha's son, O Bharata,
accompanied by Gandhari, proceeded at the head of the train, upon a
vehicle borne on the shoulders of men. The other ladies of the Kuru
household, as also Kunti and Krishna, all proceeded on excellent
vehicles, headed by Vidura. Behind followed a large number of cars and
elephants decked with ornaments, and foot-soldiers and steeds. His
praises chanted by sweet-voiced panegyrists and bards, the king proceeded
towards the city called after the elephant. The progress, O mighty-armed
one, of king Yudhishthira, became so beautiful that its like had never
been on earth. Teeming with healthy and cheerful men, thy busy hum of
innumerable voices was heard there. During the progress of Pritha's son,
the city and its streets were adorned with gay citizens (all of whom had
come out for honouring the king). The spot through which the king passed
had been decked with festoons of flowers and innumerable banners. The
streets of the city were perfumed with incense. The place was overlaid
with powdered perfumes and flowers and fragrant plants, and hung over
with garlands and wreaths. New metallic jars, full of water to the brim,
were kept at the door of every house, and bevies of beautiful maidens of
the fairest complexion stood at the particular spots. Accompanied by his
friends, the son of Pandu, adored with sweet speeches, entered the city
through its well-adorned gate.'"



SECTION XXXIX

"Vaisampayana said, 'At the time the Parthas entered the city, thousands
upon thousands of the citizens came out to behold the sight. The
well-adorned squares and streets, with crowd swelling at each moment
looked beautiful like the ocean swelling at the rise of the moon. The
large mansions that stood on the street-sides, decked with every ornament
and full of ladies, seemed to shake, O Bharata, with their weight. With
soft and modest voices they uttered the praises of Yudhishthira, of Bhima
and Arjuna, and of the two sons of Madri. And they said, 'Worthy of all
praise art thou. O blessed princess of Panchala, that waitest by the side
of those foremost of men even like Gautami by the side of the (seven)
Rishis. Thy acts and vows have borne their fruits, O lady!' In this
strain, O monarch, the ladies praised the princess Krishna. In
consequence of those praises, O Bharata, and their speeches with one
another, and the shouts of joy (uttered by the men' ), the city became
filled with a loud uproar. Having passed through the streets with such
behaviour as befitted him, Yudhishthira then entered the beautiful palace
(of the Kurus) adorned with every ornament. The people belonging to the
city and the provinces, approaching the palace, uttered speeches that
were agreeable to his ears, 'By good luck, O foremost of kings, thou hast
vanquished thy enemies, O slayer of foes! By good luck, thou hast
recovered thy kingdom through virtue and prowess. Be, O foremost of
kings, our monarch for a hundred years, and protect thy subjects
virtuously like Indra protecting the denizens of heaven.' Thus adored at
the palace-gate with blessed speeches, and accepting the benedictions
uttered by the Brahmanas from every side, the king, graced with victory
and the blessings of the people, entered the palace that resembled the
mansion of Indra himself, and then descended from his car. Entering the
apartments, blessed Yudhishthira approached the household gods and
worshipped them with gems and scents and floral wreaths. Possessed of
great fame and prosperity, the king came out once more and beheld a
number of Brahmanas waiting with auspicious articles in their hands (for
pronouncing benedictions on him). Surrounded by those Brahmanas desirous
of uttering benedictions on him, the king looked beautiful like the
spotless moon in the midst of the stars. Accompanied by his priest
Dhaumya and his eldest uncle, the son of Kunti cheerfully worshipped,
with due rites, those Brahmanas with (gift of) sweets, gems, and gold in
profusion, and kine and robes, O monarch, and with diverse other articles
that each desired. Then loud shouts of 'This is a blessed day' arose,
filling the entire welkin, O Bharata. Sweet to the ear, that sacred sound
was highly gratifying to the friends and well-wishers (of the Pandavas).
The king heard that sound uttered by those learned Brahmanas and that was
as loud and clear as the sound of a flock of swans. He listened also to
the speeches, fraught with melodious words and grave import, of those
persons well conversant with the Vedas. Then, O king, the peal of drums
and the delightful blare of conchs, indicative of triumph, arose. A
little while after when the Brahmanas had become silent, a Rakshasa of
the name of Charvaka, who had disguised himself as a Brahmana, addressed
the king. He was a friend of Duryodhana and stood therein the garb of a
religious mendicant. With a rosary, with a tuft of hair on his head, and
with the triple staff in his hand, he stood proudly and fearlessly in the
midst of all those Brahmanas that had come there for pronouncing
benedictions (upon the king), numbering by thousands, O king, and all of
whom were devoted to penances and vows. That wicked wight, desirous of
evil unto the high-souled Pandavas and without having consulted those
Brahmanas, said these words unto the king.'

"Charvaka said, 'All these Brahmanas, making me their spokesman, are
saying, 'Fie on thee! Thou art a wicked king. Thou art a slayer of
kinsmen. What shalt thou gain, O son of Kunti, by having thus
exterminated thy race? Having slain also thy superiors and preceptor, it
is proper for thee to cast away thy life.' Hearing these words of that
wicked Rakshasa the Brahmanas there became deeply agitated. Stung by that
speech, they made a loud uproar. And all of them, with king Yudhishthira.
O monarch, became speechless from anxiety and shame.'

"Yudhishthira said, 'I bow down to you and beseech you humbly, be
gratified with me. It doth not behove you to cry fie on me. I shall soon
lay down my life.'[122]

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then all those Brahmanas, O king, loudly said,
'These are not our words. Prosperity to thee, O monarch!' Those
high-souled persons, conversant with the Vedas, with understanding
rendered clear by penances, then penetrated the disguise of the speaker
by means of their spiritual sight.' And they said, 'This is the Rakshasa
Charvaka, the friend of Duryodhana. Having put on the garb of a religious
mendicant, he seeks the good of his friend Duryodhana. We have not, O
thou of righteous soul, said anything of the kind. Let this anxiety of
thine be dispelled. Let prosperity attend upon thee with thy brothers.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'These Brahmanas then, insensate with rage,
uttered the sound Hun. Cleansed of all sins, they censured the sinful
Rakshasa and slew him there (with that very sound). Consumed by the
energy of those utterers of Brahma, Charvaka fell down dead, like a tree
with all its sprouts blasted by the thunder of Indra. Duly worshipped,
the Brahmanas went away, having gladdened the king with their
benedictions. The royal son of Pandu also, with all his friends, felt
great happiness.



SECTION XL

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Devaki's son Janardana of universal knowledge
addressed king Yudhishthira who stood there with his brothers, saying,
'In this world, O sire, Brahmanas are always the objects of worship with
me. They are gods on earth having poison in their speech, and are
exceedingly easy to gratify. Formerly, in the Krita age, O king, a
Rakshasa of the name of Charvaka, O mighty-armed one, performed austere
penances for many years in Vadari. Brahman repeatedly solicited him to
ask for boons. At last the Rakshasa solicited the boon, O Bharata, of
immunity from fear at the hand of every being in the universe. The Lord
of the universe gave that high boon of immunity from fear at the hands of
all creatures, subject to the only limitation that he should be careful
of how he offended the Brahmanas. Having obtained that boon, the sinful
and mighty Rakshasa of fierce deeds and great prowess began to give pain
to the gods. The gods, persecuted by the might of the Rakshasa,
assembling together, approached Brahman, for compassing their foe's
destruction. The eternal and unchangeable god answered them, O Bharata,
saying, 'I have already arranged the means by which the death of this
Rakshasa may soon be brought about. There will be a king of the name of
Duryodhana. Among men, he will be the friend of this wight. Bound by
affection towards him, the Rakshasa will insult the Brahmanas. Stung by
the wrong he will inflict upon them, the Brahmanas, whose might consists
in speech, will in wrath censure him at which he will meet with
destruction. Even that Rakshasa Charvaka, O foremost of kings, slain by
the curse of the Brahmanas, lies there deprived of life. Do not, O bull
of Bharata's race, give way to grief. The kinsmen, O king, have all
perished in the observance of Kshatriya duties. Those butts among
Kshatriyas, those high-souled heroes, have all gone to heaven. Do thou
attend to thy duties now. O thou of unfading glory, let no grief be
thine. Stay thy foes, protect thy subjects, and worship the Brahmanas.'"



SECTION XLI

"Vaisampayana said, 'The royal son of Kunti, freed from grief and the
fever of his heart, took his seat, with face eastwards, on excellent seat
made of gold. On another seat, beautiful and blazing and made of gold,
sat with face directed towards him, those two chastisers of foes, viz.,
Satyaki and Vasudeva. Placing the king in their midst, on his two sides
sat Bhima and Arjuna upon two beautiful seats adorned with gems. Upon a
white throne of ivory, decked with gold, sat Pritha with Sahadeva and
Nakula. Sudharman,[123] and Vidura, and Dhaumya, and the Kuru king
Dhritarashtra, each sat separately on separate seats that blazed with the
effulgence of fire. Yuyutsu and Sanjaya and Gandhari of great fame, all
sat down where king Dhritarashtra had taken his seat. The
righteous-souled king, seated there, touched the beautiful white flowers,
Swastikas, vessels full of diverse articles, earth, gold, silver, and
gems, (that were placed before him). Then all the subjects, headed by the
priest, came to see king Yudhishthira, bringing with them diverse kinds
of auspicious articles. Then earth, and gold, and many kinds of gems, and
all the things in profusion that were necessary for the performance of
the coronation rite, were brought there. There were golden jars full to
the brim (with water), and those made of copper and silver and earth, and
flowers, and fried paddy, and Kusa grass, and cow's milk, and
(sacrificial) fuel consisting of the wood of Sami, Pippala, and Palasa,
and honey and clarified butter and (sacrificial) ladles made of Udumvara,
and conches adorned with gold.[124] Then the priest Dhaumya, at the
request of Krishna, constructed, according to rule, an altar gradually
inclining towards the cast and the north. Causing the high-souled
Yudhishthira then, with Krishna the daughter of Drupada, to be seated
upon a handsome seat, called Sarvatobhadra, with firm feet and covered
with tiger-skin and blazing with effulgence, began to pour libations of
clarified butter (upon the sacrificial fire) with proper mantras. Then he
of Dasaratha's race, rising from his seat, took up the sanctified conch,
poured the water it contained upon the head of that lord of earth, viz.,
Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti. The royal sage Dhritarashtra and all the
subjects also did the same at the request of Krishna. The son of Pandu
then, with his brothers, thus bathed with the sanctified water of the
conch, looked exceedingly beautiful. Then Panavas and Anakas and drums
were beaten. King Yudhishthira the just duly accepted the gifts made unto
him by the subjects. Always giving away presents in profusion in all his
sacrifices, the king honoured his subjects in return. He gave a thousand
nishkas unto the Brahmanas that uttered (especial) benedictions on him.
All of them had studied the Vedas and were endued with wisdom and good
behaviour. Gratified (with gifts), the Brahmanas, O king, wished him
prosperity and victory, and with voice melodious like that of swans,
uttered his praises, saying, 'O Yudhishthira of mighty arms, by good
luck, O son of Pandu, victory has been thine. By good luck, O thou of
great splendour, thou hast recovered thy position through prowess. By
good luck, the wielder of Gandiva, and Bhimasena, and thyself, O king,
and the two sons of Madri, are all well, having slain your foes and
escaped with life from the battle, so destructive of heroes. Do thou, O
Bharata, attend without delay to those acts that should next be done.'
Thus adored by those pious men, king Yudhishthira the just, with his
friends, became installed on the throne of a large kingdom, O Bharata!'"



SECTION XLII

"Vaisampayana said, 'Having heard those words, suitable to time and
place, of his subjects, king Yudhishthira answered them in the following
words, 'Great must be the sons of Pandu, in sooth, whose merits, true or
false, are thus recited by such foremost of Brahmanas assembled together.
Without doubt, we are all objects of favour with you since you so freely
describe us to be possessed of such attributes. King Dhritarashtra,
however, is our father and god. If ye desire to do what is agreeable to
me, always render your obedience to him and what is agreeable to him.
Having slaughtered all my kinsmen, I live for him alone. My great duty is
to always serve him in every respect with watchfulness. If ye, as also my
friends, think that I should be an object of favour with you and them,
let me then request you all to show the same behaviour towards
Dhritarashtra as ye used to show before. He is the lord of the world, of
yourselves, and of myself. The whole world, with the Pandavas, belongs to
him. Ye should always bear these words of mine in your minds.' The king
then told them to go whithersoever they liked. Having dismissed the
citizens and the people of the provinces, the delighter of the Kurus
appointed his brother Bhimasena as Yuvaraja. And he cheerfully appointed
Vidura of great intelligence for assisting him with his deliberations and
for overlooking the sixfold requirements of the state.[125] And he
appointed Sanjaya of mature years and possessed of every accomplishment,
as general director and supervisor of the finances. And the king
appointed Nakula for keeping the register of the forces, for giving them
food and pay and for supervising other affairs of the army. And king
Yudhishthira appointed Phalguna for resisting hostile forces and
chastising the wicked. And he appointed Dhaumya, the foremost of priests,
to attend daily to the Brahmanas and all rites in honour of the gods and
other acts of a religious kind. And he appointed Sahadeva to always
remain by his side, for the king thought, O monarch, that he should under
all circumstances be protected by that brother of his. And the king
cheerfully employed others in other acts according as he deemed them fit.
That slayer of hostile heroes, viz., the righteous-souled king
Yudhishthira, ever devoted to virtue, commanded Vidura and the
high-souled Yuyutsu, saying, 'You should always with alacrity and
attention do everything that my royal father Dhritarashthra wishes.
Whatever also should be done in respect of the citizens and the residents
of the provinces should be accomplished by you in your respective
departments, after taking the king's permission.'"



SECTION XLIII

"Vaisampayana said, 'After this king Yudhishthira of magnanimous soul
caused the Sraddha rites to be performed of every one of his kinsmen
slain in battle. King Dhritarashtra also of great fame, gave away, for
the good of his sons in the other world, excellent food, and kine, and
much wealth, and many beautiful and costly gems (unto the Brahmanas).
Yudhishthira accompanied by Draupadi, gave much wealth for the sake of
Drona and the high-souled Karna, of Dhrishtadyumna and Abhimanyu, of the
Rakshasa Ghatotkacha, the son of Hidimva, and of Virata, and his other
well-wishers that had served him loyally, and of Drupada and the five
sons of Draupadi. For the sake of each of these, the king gratified
thousands of Brahmanas with gifts of wealth and gems, and kine and
clothes. The king performed the Sraddha rite for the good in the next
world, of every one of those kings also who had fallen in the battle
without leaving kinsmen or friends behind. And the king also, for the
good of the souls of all his friends, caused houses to be founded for the
distribution of food, and places for the distribution of water, and tanks
to be excavated in their names. Thus paying off the debt he owed to them
and avoiding the chance of censure in the world,[126] the king became
happy and continued to protect his subjects religiously. He showed due
honour, as before, unto Dhritarashtra, and Gandhari, and Vidura, and unto
all the superior Kauravas and unto all the officers. Full of kindness,
the Kuru king honoured and protected all those ladies also who had, in
consequence of the battle, been deprived of their heroic husbands and
sons. The puissant king, with great compassion, extended his favours to
the destitute and the blind and the helpless by giving them food, clothes
and shelter. Freed from foes and having conquered the whole Earth, king
Yudhishthira began to enjoy great happiness.'"



SECTION XLIV

"Vaisampayana said, 'Having got back the kingdom, king Yudhishthira of
great wisdom and purity, after the ceremony of installation had been
over, joining his hands together, addressed the lotus-eyed Krishna of
Dasarha's race, saying, 'Through thy grace, O Krishna, through thy policy
and might and intelligence and prowess, O tiger among the Yadus, I have
got back this ancestral kingdom of mine. O thou of eyes like lotus
leaves, I repeatedly bow to thee, O chastiser of foes! Thou hast been
called the One only Being. Thou hast been said to be the refuge of all
worshippers. The regenerate ones adore thee under innumerable names.[127]
Salutations to thee, O Creator of the Universe! Thou art the soul of the
Universe and the Universe hath sprung from thee. Thou art Vishnu, thou
art Jishnu, thou art Hari, thou art Krishna, thou art Vaikuntha, and thou
art the foremost of all beings. Thou hast, as said in the Puranas, taken
thy birth seven times in the womb of Aditi. It was thou that tookest
birth in the womb of Prishni.[128] The learned say that thou art the
three Yugas.[129] All thy achievements are sacred. Thou art the lord of
our senses. Thou art the great Lord worshipped in sacrifices. Thou art
called the great swan. Thou art three-eyed Sambhu. Thou art One, though
known as Vibhu and Damodara. Thou art the great Boar, thou art Fire, thou
art the Sun, thou hast the bull for the device on thy banner, and thou
hast Garuda also as thy device. Thou art the grinder of hostile hosts,
thou art the Being that pervadest every form in the universe and thou art
of irresistible prowess. Thou art the foremost of all things, thou art
fierce, thou art the generalissimo in battle, thou art the Truth, thou
art the giver of food, and thou art Guha (the celestial generalissimo);
Thyself unfading, thou causest thy foes to fade and waste. Thou art the
Brahmana of pure blood, and thou art those that have sprung from
intermixture. Thou art great. Thou walkest on high, thou art the
mountains, and thou art called Vrishadarbha and Vrishakapi. Thou art the
Ocean, thou art without attributes, thou hast three humps, thou hast
three abodes, and thou takest human forms on earth, descending from
heaven. Thou art Emperor, thou art Virat, and thou art Swarat.[130] Thou
art the Chief of the celestials, and thou art the cause whence the
Universe has sprung. Thou art Almighty, thou art existence in every form,
thou art without form, thou art Krishna, and thou art fire. Thou art the
Creator, thou art the sire of the celestial physicians, thou art (the
sage) Kapila, and thou art the Dwarf.[131] Thou art Sacrifice embodied,
thou art Dhruva,[132] thou art Garuda, and thou art called Yajnasena.
Thou art Sikhandin, thou art Nahusha, and thou art Vabhru. Thou art the
constellation Punarvasu extended in the firmament, Thou art exceedingly
tawny in hue, thou art the sacrifice known by the name of Uktha, thou art
Sushena, thou art the drum (that sends forth its sound on every side).
The track of thy car-wheels is light. Thou art the lotus of Prosperity,
thou art the cloud called Pushkara, and thou art decked with floral
wreaths. Thou art affluent, thou art puissant, thou art the most subtle,
and it is thou whom the Vedas describe. Thou art the great receptacle of
waters, thou art Brahman, thou art the sacred refuge, and thou knowest
the abodes of all. Thou art called Hiranyagarbha, thou art the sacred
mantras swadha and swaha, thou art Kesava. Thou art the cause whence all
this hath sprung, and thou art its dissolution. In the beginning it is
thou that createst the universe. This universe is under thy control, O
Creator of the universe! Salutations to thee, O wielder of Sarnga, discus
and sword!' Thus hymned by king Yudhishthira the just in the midst of the
court, the lotus-eyed Krishna became pleased. That foremost one of the
Yadavas then began to gladden the eldest son of Pandu with many agreeable
speeches."

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Poster poems: Ballads
Articles published by guardian.co.uk Books

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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