Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | ||||||||
In the poem, Anna Grace, a young maiden, is lured away from her home by three other young women to dance around a fairy thorn. In Irish folklore, fairy thorns (hawthorn trees) are often seen as sacred to the fairies, and it's considered bad luck to damage or interfere with them. As the women dance and sing around the hawthorn, they are suddenly overcome by a strange enchantment. They feel Anna Grace being drawn away, but they're unable to move or speak to stop it. The next morning, when the enchantment is lifted, the three women rush home to tell what happened, but it's too late. Anna Grace is never seen again, and the three other women, traumatized by the event, "pined away and died within the year and day." Ferguson's ballad is evocative and atmospheric, capturing the mysterious and sometimes dangerous allure of the fairy world in Irish folklore. It provides an example of how traditional beliefs and stories can be incorporated into literary works to powerful effect. Copyright (c) 2024 PoetryExplorer | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...INVITATION TO A PAINTER: 3 by WILLIAM ALLINGHAM THE FAERY FOREST by SARA TEASDALE THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS THE FAIRIES by WILLIAM ALLINGHAM THE FAIRY CHILD by JOHN ANSTER THE FORSAKEN MERMAN by MATTHEW ARNOLD THE LITTLE ELF-MAN by JOHN KENDRICK BANGS TAM O' SHANTER by ROBERT BURNS A BOOK OF AIRS: SONG 19. THE FAIRY QUEEN PROSERPINA by THOMAS CAMPION A PROPER NEW BALLAD [ENTITLED THE FAIRIES' FAREWELL] by RICHARD CORBET |
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