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"Lord Randall" (Roud 10, Child 12) is a traditional ballad consisting of dialogue.[1] It is generally viewed as a British ballad, though versions and derivations of it exist across the continent of Europe. The different versions follow the same general lines, the primary character (in this case Randall, but varying by location) is poisoned, usually by his sweetheart; this is revealed through a conversation where he reports on the events and the poisoner.[2]
Variants of this ballads are found in German, Swedish, Magyar, Danish, Wendish[3].
There are also different Italian versions. They are usually titled "L'avvelenato" ('The Poisoned Man') or "Il testamento dell'avvelenato" ('The Poisoned Man's Will'). One of them was published for the first time in 1629 by Camillo il Bianchino, in Verona.[4]
Cultural uses
The American fiction writer Dorothy Sayers used a phrase from some variants for the title Strong Poison, a murder mystery about a man apparently murdered by his lover. In the early 1960's Bob Dylan borrowed its structure for "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall".
References
- ^ Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, "Lord Randall"
- ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 153, Dover Publications, New York 1965
- ^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 153-5, Dover Publications, New York 1965
- ^ Alessandro D'Ancona, La poesia popolare italiana, Livorno, 1878, Cf. "L'avvelenato"
External links
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