Ballad Poem Definition and Meaning

Table of Contents

How to define Ballad?

What is a ballad? Ballad is a small-sized composition of folk origin with a legendary or historical theme in its plot. It usually tells about something extraordinary, exceptional, heroic; the real is often combined with the fantastic.

Characteristics of a Ballad

• Oral distribution

• The real is often combined with the fantastic

• A small number of characters

• Emphasized generalization

• Lack of detail

• Briefness in the presentation of the material

• “Magic musicality”

• Composition consists of introduction, main part, conclusion

Ballad Poem Example in Literature

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling

From glen to glen, and down the mountain side

The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying

‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.