Ballad
Barbara Allen
Group 5 Report
Angela, Cathy, Clytie, Chris, Lynn, Tracy, Yuffie
Let’s talk about love……
similarity
Men: Unwilling
to face the fact
Barbara: Regret
for her lover’s
death
“He turned his pale face to the
wall” (CV&V1)
The coming of death…….
“I wish I have been more kinder
to him. the time of his life when
he was near me” (CV)
Differences~
Young man
(CV)
William
(V1)
Johnny
(V2)
Tender
Poetic
Arrogant
Direct
Consider
ate
Deep
infatuation
Passiona
te
(compared to
P&P)
Barbara
Allen
SelfKinder
conflict
Honest
Regretful
Hesitant
Selfcontradicto
ry
Child’s 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 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 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 :
Not brave enough to face love !!
＊Common conflict＊
Commit suicide for frustrated love
＊Typical tragedy＊
So… …
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
dialogue
Version 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 1
4. "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 year
the 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 time
That 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 time
That 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/sou
nds/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 Death
Barbara 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
Mystery happened before
their deaths
There grew a red rose and a
The coffin of the dead young
briar, out of their graves, twisted man opened itself and the girl
jumped into it, similar to 梁祝
into a knot.
Barbara Allen vs. Porphyria’s Lover
Death for Love
Barbara Allen
The two protagonists do not
get to love each other while
alive
Violence – commit suicide
Porphyria’s Lover
On the Contrary, they love each
other while alive
Violence – unexpected murder
~ Barbara Allen willingly dies to pay
~ Porphyria reluctantly to be killed
for love
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.