BalladBarbara Allen

Group 5 Report Angela, Cathy, Clytie, Chris, Lynn,

Tracy, Yuffie

Let’s talk about love……Let’s talk about love……

similaritysimilarity

Men: Unwilling to face the fact

“ He turned his pale face to the wall” (CV&V1)The coming of death…….

Barbara: Regret for her lover’s death

“ I wish I have been more kinder to him. the time of his life when he was near me” (CV)

DifferencesDifferences~Young man (CV)

William(V1)

Johnny(V2)

TenderPoetic

ArrogantDirectConsiderate(compared to P&P)

Deep infatuationPassionate

Barbara Allen

Self-conflictRegretful

KinderHonest

HesitantSelf-contradictory

Child’Child’s Version Version“ If you be Barbara Allen, My dear, said

he ’Come pity me’ ”“If your name be Barbara Allen”

(repetition )

“And she spy’d the corps a coming……that I may look upon him”

“A hard-hearted creature that I was, to slight one that loved me so dearly……”

Version Version 1“ I toasted all the ladies there, and

slighted Barbara Allen?” ( ＊ gave my love to Barbara Allen)

“Adieu, Adieu, my kind friends all, Be kind to Barbara Allen”

“Sweet William died for me today, I’ll die for him tomorrow”

Version Version 2“ Bloody sheets and bloody shirts I

sweat them for you , Allen ”“My gold watch and my gold chain I

bestow them to you, Allen ”

“She lifted up the lid off the corpse, and bursted out with laughing”

“For the death-bell did ring for my true love today It will ring for me tomorrow ”

Barbara Allen :Barbara Allen :Not brave enough to face love !!＊ Common conflict

＊

Commit suicide for frustrated love

＊ Typical tragedy＊

So… …

That is… …That is… …

Don’t let the true love slip away from you when you meet it !!!!!

Comparison between the three versions

I. Setting:

A. Version 1: W’s place fields B.A.’s place church yard

B. Version 2: B.A.’s place W’s place her way home her mother’s place grave

C. Child Version: W’s B.A.’s W’s

II. Plot

A. Version 1: B.A. went to W’s bed and had

conversation with him. In the end, she died

for him and her mother also died for their

love.

B. Version 2: B.A.’s parents asked her to see

W. She was being curl and indifferent to W.

Later on, she died for him.

C. Child Version: W sent his servant to ask B.A. to

see him, being curl to him and felt regret in the

end.

1. Why Barbara Allen refuses to be kind to

the young man:

*Version 1: “O yes, I remember the other

day, when were in the Tavern, I toasted

all the ladies there and slighted B.A.”

*Version 2: “Oh, mother dear, do ye not

mind the time that you told me how to

slight him; Oh father dear, do ye not

mind the time that you told me how to

shun him.”

2. The young man’s response to Barbara

Allen’s kindness

* Version 1 and Child Version : He turned

his pale face to the wall.

* Version 2: “Bloody sheets and bloody

shirts, I sweat them for you. Allen; my

gold watch and gold chain, I bestow

them to you. Allen.”

3.The others’ responses toward Barbara

1. cold & slighting

2. “hard- hearted Barbara Allen”

3. ” unworthy Barbara Allen”

4. The church bell

1. As Barbara went away from the dying William, the death bell rang

2. the tolls of the death bell seem to blame Barbara

3. the death bell awakes Barbara Allen

5.Barabra’s final response

1. feel extremely grieved and regretful— she should not denied William’s love

2. Barbara died for William— commit suicide for this frustrated love

Symbols

narrow bed─ coffin

death bell─ compunction; summoning of the conscience

rose─ love

briar─ cruelty

dialogueVersion 2 from Child’s Ballads─ shows B Allen’s aloofness; can’t do anything for him for he’s dying“If you be Barbara Allen, come pitty me, as on my death-bed I am lying.”“If on your death-bed you be lying, what is that to Barbara Allen? I cannot keep you from [your] death; so farewell.”

Version 1─ reveal a little background info. about why B Allen didn't originally accept him“Young man, I think you’re dying.”“O yes, I’m sick and very low, and death is on me dwellin’, no better shall I ever be if I don’t get Barbara Allen.”“Don’t you remember the other day when you were in the tavern, I toasted all the ladies there and slighted Barbara Allen?”“O yes, I remember the other day when we were in the tavern, I toasted all the ladies there, gave my love to Barbara Allen.”

Version 2─ shows B Allen’s cruelty and the man’s pleading and fervent love to B Allen“You’re lying low, young man, and almost near a-dying.”“One word from you will bring me to, if you be Barbara Allen.”“One word from me you never will get, nor any young man breathin’, for the better of me you never will be, though your heart’s blood was a-spillin.’“Look down, look down, at my bed foot, it’s there you will find them lyin’ bloody sheets and bloody shirts I sweat them for you, Allen. Look up, look up to my bed head, and there you’ll find them hangin’ my gold watch and my gold chain I bestow them to you, Allen.”

Barbara Allen version 14. "Don't you remember the other day When you were in the tavern, I toasted all the ladies there And slighted Barbara Allen?"  5. "O yes, I remember the other day

When we were in the Tavern, I toasted all the ladies there, Gave my love to Barbara Allen."  11. They buried Willie in the old church yard, And Barbara there anigh him, And out of his grave grew a red, red rose, And out of hers, a briar.  12. They grew and grew in the old churchyard, Till they couldn't grow no higher, They lapped and tied in a true love's knot. The rose ran around the briar. 

4,5: repetition

11: symbol

12: Question:Did the man still love Barbara more than she like him?

Barbara Allen version 2(1) It being late, all in the yearthe green leaves they were fallin‘when young Johnny rose from his own country,fell in love with Barbara Allen.(2) Get up, get up, her mother says,Get up and go and see him,Oh, mother dear, do ye not mind the timeThat you told me how to slight him.(3) Get up, get up, her father says,Get up and go and see him,Oh, father dear, do ye not mind the timeThat you told me how to shun him.

(1) symbol, 雙關 : the man is going to die

(2) parallel

Here is the version Leza sings:

T'was in the town, where I was born.When greenbuds all were swellin'.Sweet William on his death bed lay,For the love of Barbra Allen. He sent his servant to the town, To the place where she was dwellin'.My master bid ye come to him, If yer name be Barbra Allen.And slowly, slowly, she got up. And death was in him swellin' And the only words to him did say Is "young man, I think yer dyin'."He turned his fact unto the wall And death was in him swellin', Good bye, good bye, to my friends all.  Be good to Barbra Allen.

http://www.chivalry.com/cantaria/sounds/Barbara_Allen_clip_low.mp3

When he lay dead and in his grave, She heard the death bells nellin'; And every stroke to her did say: Hard-hearted Barbra Allen.Oh mother, oh mother, go dig my grave.  Dig it both long and narrow.  Sweet William died for love for me And I will die of sorrow.Oh father, oh father, go dig my grave,

Make it both long and narrow.  Sweet William died of love for me, And I will die tomorrow.Barbra Allen was buried in the olde church yard.  Sweet William buried beside her.  Out of Sweet William's heart grew a red, red rose.  Out of Barbry Allen's, a briar.They grew and grew in the olde church yard, Till they could grow no higher.  At the end they formed a true lovers' knot.  And the Rose grew 'round the Briar.

Ballad Songs

1.Very many versions

2.Repeat again and again

3.The way it expresses love: very frank

4.Strong emotions are showed

Barbara Allen vs. 南朝樂府民歌《華山畿》

《古今樂錄》曰：“《華山畿》者，宋少帝時懊惱一曲，亦變曲也。少帝時，南徐一士子，從華山畿往雲陽。見客舍有女子年十八九，悅之無因，遂感心疾。母問其故，具以啟母。母為至華山尋訪，見女具說聞感之因。脫蔽膝令母密置其席下臥之，當已。少日果差。忽舉席見蔽膝而抱持，遂吞食而死。氣欲絕，謂母曰：‘葬時車載，從華山度。’母從其意。比至女門，牛不肯前，打拍不動。女曰：‘且待須臾。’妝點沐浴，既而出。歌曰：‘華山畿，君既為儂死，獨活為誰施盬歡若見憐時，棺木為儂開。’棺應聲開，女透入棺，家人叩打，無如之何，乃合葬，呼曰神女塚。”

Love and DeathBarbara Allen 華山畿

Similarities

Have a sudden crush

Sick with love and then die

Death for Love

Being buried together

Distinction

Mystery happened after their deaths

There grew a red rose and a briar, out of their graves, twisted into a knot.

Mystery happened before their deaths

The coffin of the dead young man opened itself and the girl jumped into it, similar to 梁祝

Barbara Allen vs. Porphyria’s Lover Death for Love

Barbara Allen Porphyria’s LoverThe two protagonists do not get to love each other while alive

On the Contrary, they love each other while alive

Violence – commit suicide~ Barbara Allen willingly dies to pay for love

Violence – unexpected murder~ Porphyria reluctantly to be killed

Purely love which exists in the ballad

Overt Sexuality – P embraces her lover and offers him her bare shoulder

Mystery happened after the two’s deaths

God has not punished Porphyria’s lover

Conclusion

We can learn something through the story between Barbara and William that we must cherish other people’s love toward us when they were still alive. Otherwise after their death, there would be only regret and sadness left.