The Language of Poetry - LanguageArts-NHS

Lord Randall
Anonymous
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“Oh where ha’e ye 1 been, Lord Randall my son?
O where ha’e ye been, my handsome young man?”
“I ha’e been to the wild wood: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ 2 hunting, and fain 3 wald 4 lie down.” a
“Where gat ye 5 your dinner, Lord Randall my son?
Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?”
“I dined wi’ my true love: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting, and fain wald lie down.”
“What gat ye to your dinner, Lord Randall my son?
What gat ye to your dinner, my handsome young man?”
“I gat eels boiled in broo: 6 mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and fain wald lie down.”
“What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randall my son?
What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?”
“O they swelled and they died: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and fain wald lie down.”
“O I fear ye are poisoned, Lord Randall my son!
O I fear ye are poisoned, my handsome young man!”
“Oh yes, I am poisoned: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wald lie down.” b
1. ha’e ye (hAP yCP): have you.
2. wi’ (wG): with.
3. fain (fAn): gladly, eagerly.
4. wald (wBld): would.
5. gat ye (gBt yC): did you get.
6. broo (brL): brew, broth.
736 unit 7: the language of poetry
ANALYZE VISUALS
Which character in “Lord
Randall” might this image
represent? Cite details
that support your answer.
a DIALECT
Reread the first stanza.
What words capture
the qualities of spoken
language?
b BALLAD
How does the ballad’s
pattern of repetition
change in this stanza?
The Vitriol Thrower (1894), Eugene
Grasset. Color lithograph. Cecil
Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford,
Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.
Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.