Example of BALLAD

THE BALLAD OF FATHER GILLIGAN

(William Butler Yeats)

THE old priest Peter Gilligan

Was weary night and day;

For half his flock were in their beds,

Or under green sods lay.

Once, while he nodded on a chair,

At the moth-hour of eve,

Another poor man sent for him,

And he began to grieve.

‘I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,

For people die and die’;

And after cried he, ‘God forgive!

My body spake, not I!’

He knelt, and leaning on the chair

He prayed and fell asleep;

And the moth-hour went from the fields,

And stars began to peep.

They slowly into millions grew,

And leaves shook in the wind;

And God covered the world with shade,

And whispered to mankind.

Upon the time of sparrow-chirp

When the moths came once more.

The old priest Peter Gilligan

Stood upright on the floor.

‘Mavrone, mavrone! the man has died

While I slept on the chair’;

He roused his horse out of its sleep,

And rode with little care.

He rode now as he never rode,

By rocky lane and fen;

The sick man’s wife opened the door:

‘Father! you come again!’

‘And is the poor man dead?’ he cried.

‘He died an hour ago.’

The old priest Peter Gilligan

In grief swayed to and fro.

INFERENCE

This poetry is tells about an old priest, his name is Peter Gilligan. He always sad and full of grievance about his life everyday as a priest. He very tired because always accept the flocks night and day.

Until one night, another poor man sent to Father Gilligan, and then Peter more and more complain to the God and he knelt next prayed until sleep on the chair. When the morning come, and the sparrow-chirp, the old priest Peter find the poor man was died, when he sleep on the chair.

The old priest Peter Gilligan in grief swayed to and fro. And he strews the grief news to many people. He always complains about lose his time to get rest, but he never know that sometimes human can lose the time to life, like the poor man.