'The Ballad Of The Brand' by Robert Service
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'Twas up in a land long famed for gold, where women were far and rare,
Tellus, the smith, had taken to wife a maiden amazingly fair;
Tellus, the brawny worker in iron, hairy and heavy of hand,
Saw her and loved her and bore her away from the tribe of a Southern land;
Deeming her worthy to queen his home and mother him little ones,
That the name of Tellus, the master smith, might live in his stalwart sons.
Now there was little of law in the land, and evil doings were rife,
And every man who joyed in his home guarded the fame of his wife;
For there were those of the silver tongue and the honeyed art to beguile,
Who would cozen the heart from a woman's breast and damn her soul with a smile.
And there were women too quick to heed a look or a whispered word,
And once in a while a man was slain, and the ire of the King was stirred;
So far and wide he proclaimed his wrath, and this was the law he willed:
"That whosoever killeth a man, even shall he be killed."
Now Tellus, the smith, he trusted his wife; his heart was empty of fear.
High on the hill was the gleam of their hearth, a beacon of love and cheer.
High on the hill they builded their bower, where the broom and the bracken meet;
Under a grave of oaks it was, hushed and drowsily sweet.
Here he enshrined her, his dearest saint, his idol, the light of his eye;
Her kisses rested upon his lips as brushes a butterfly.
The weight of her arms around his neck was light as the thistle down;
And sweetly she studied to win his smile, and gently she mocked his frown.
And when at the close of the dusty day his clangorous toil was done,
She hastened to meet him down the way all lit by the amber sun.
Their dove-cot gleamed in the golden light, a temple of stainless love;
Like the hanging cup of a big blue flower was the topaz sky above.
The roses and lilies yearned to her, as swift through their throng she pressed;
A little white, fragile, fluttering thing that lay like a child on his breast.
Then the heart of Tellus, the smith, was proud, and sang for the joy of life,
And there in the bronzing summertide he thanked the gods for his wife.
Now there was one called Philo, a scribe, a man of exquisite grace,
Carved like the god Apollo in limb, fair as Adonis in face;
Eager and winning in manner, full of such radiant charm,
Womenkind fought for his favor and loved to their uttermost harm.
Such was his craft and his knowledge, such was his skill at the game,
Never was woman could flout him, so be he plotted her shame.
And so he drank deep of pleasure, and then it fell on a day
He gazed on the wife of Tellus and marked her out for his prey.
Tellus, the smith, was merry, and the time of the year it was June,
So he said to his stalwart helpers: "Shut down the forge at noon.
Go ye and joy in the sunshine, rest in the coolth of the grove,
Drift on the dreamy river, every man with his love."
Then to himself: "Oh, Beloved, sweet will be your surprise;
To-day will we sport like children, laugh in each other's eyes;
Weave gay garlands of poppies, crown each other with flowers,
Pull plump carp from the lilies, rifle the ferny bowers.
To-day with feasting and gladness the wine of Cyprus will flow;
To-day is the day we were wedded only a twelvemonth ago."
The larks trilled high in the heavens; his heart was lyric with joy;
He plucked a posy of lilies; he sped like a love-sick boy.
He stole up the velvety pathway--his cottage was sunsteeped and still;
Vines honeysuckled the window; softly he peeped o'er the sill.
The lilies dropped from his fingers; devils were choking his breath;
Rigid with horror, he stiffened; ghastly his face was as death.
Like a nun whose faith in the Virgin is met with a prurient jibe,
He shrank--'twas the wife of his bosom in the arms of Philo, the scribe.
Tellus went back to his smithy; he reeled like a drunken man;
His heart was riven with anguish; his brain was brooding a plan.
Straight to his anvil he hurried; started his furnace aglow;
Heated his iron and shaped it with savage and masterful blow.
Sparks showered over and round him; swiftly under his hand
There at last it was finished--a hideous and infamous Brand.
That night the wife of his bosom, the light of joy in her eyes,
Kissed him with words of rapture; but he knew that her words were lies.
Never was she so beguiling, never so merry of speech
(For passion ripens a woman as the sunshine ripens a peach).
He clenched his teeth into silence; he yielded up to her lure,
Though he knew that her breasts were heaving from the fire of her paramour.
"To-morrow," he said, "to-morrow"--he wove her hair in a strand,
Twisted it round his fingers and smiled as he thought of the Brand.
The morrow was come, and Tellus swiftly stole up the hill.
Butterflies drowsed in the noon-heat; coverts were sunsteeped and still.
Softly he padded the pathway unto the porch, and within
Heard he the low laugh of dalliance, heard he the rapture of sin.
Knew he her eyes were mystic with light that no man should see,
No man kindle and joy in, no man on earth save he.
And never for him would it kindle. The bloodlust surged in his brain;
Through the senseless stone could he see them, wanton and warily fain.
Horrible! Heaven he sought for, gained it and gloried and fell--
Oh, it was sudden--headlong into the nethermost hell. . . .
Was this he, Tellus, this marble? Tellus . . . not dreaming a dream?
Ah! sharp-edged as a javelin, was that a woman's scream?
Was it a door that shattered, shell-like, under his blow?
Was it his saint, that strumpet, dishevelled and cowering low?
Was it her lover, that wild thing, that twisted and gouged and tore?
Was it a man he was crushing, whose head he beat on the floor?
Laughing the while at its weakness, till sudden he stayed his hand--
Through the red ring of his madness flamed the thought of the Brand.
Then bound he the naked Philo with thongs that cut in the flesh,
And the wife of his bosom, fear-frantic, he gagged with a silken mesh,
Choking her screams into silence; bound her down by the hair;
Dragged her lover unto her under her frenzied stare.
In the heat of the hearth-fire embers he heated the hideous Brand;
Twisting her fingers open, he forced its haft in her hand.
He pressed it downward and downward; she felt the living flesh sear;
She saw the throe of her lover; she heard the scream of his fear.
Once, twice and thrice he forced her, heedless of prayer and shriek--
Once on the forehead of Philo, twice in the soft of his cheek.
Then (for the thing was finished) he said to the woman: "See
How you have branded your lover! Now will I let him go free."
He severed the thongs that bound him, laughing: "Revenge is sweet",
And Philo, sobbing in anguish, feebly rose to his feet.
The man who was fair as Apollo, god-like in woman's sight,
Hideous now as a satyr, fled to the pity of night.
Then came they before the Judgment Seat, and thus spoke the Lord of the Land:
"He who seeketh his neighbor's wife shall suffer the doom of the Brand.
Brutish and bold on his brow be it stamped, deep in his cheek let it sear,
That every man may look on his shame, and shudder and sicken and fear.
He shall hear their mock in the market-place, their fleering jibe at the feast;
He shall seek the caves and the shroud of night, and the fellowship of the beast.
Outcast forever from homes of men, far and far shall he roam.
Such be the doom, sadder than death, of him who shameth a home."
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Ballad Of The Brand: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation
As I sit down to write about Robert Service's classic poem, The Ballad of The Brand, I cannot help but feel excited. The poem is a testament to Service's mastery of language, his ability to weave together a tale of adventure, love, and loss, and his keen understanding of the human condition. It is a poem that speaks to us on many levels, one that can be read and reread, and still reveal new depths of meaning with each reading.
At its core, The Ballad of The Brand is a story of a young cowboy who falls in love with a woman he meets while riding the range. The cowboy is smitten with the woman, and he works hard to win her affections. However, he soon discovers that the woman is engaged to another man, a man who is not his equal in terms of strength or character. The cowboy is consumed by jealousy and anger, and he sets out to prove his love for the woman by branding his initials onto a wild horse, a feat that only the most skilled cowboys can accomplish.
The poem is written in the form of a ballad, a traditional storytelling form that dates back centuries. The ballad is a narrative poem that tells a story in simple, straightforward language, often with a strong rhyming pattern. Service's use of the ballad form is perfect for this tale of the Wild West, giving the poem a sense of timelessness and universality that makes it accessible to readers of all ages and backgrounds.
One of the most striking features of The Ballad of The Brand is its use of imagery. Service's descriptions of the landscape, the animals, and the people are vivid and evocative. For example, when the cowboy first sees the woman he loves, he describes her as "a queen of the sage," a phrase that captures both her beauty and her strength. Later, when he sets out to brand the wild horse, he describes the animal as "a devil in leather," a description that perfectly captures the horse's wildness and unpredictability.
Service's use of imagery is not limited to the natural world, however. He also uses imagery to convey the emotional turmoil that the cowboy experiences. For example, when the cowboy sees the woman he loves with her fiancé, he describes his feelings as "a flame in his brain," a powerful metaphor that conveys the intensity of his jealousy and anger.
Another aspect of The Ballad of The Brand that is worth exploring is its use of symbolism. Throughout the poem, Service uses a variety of symbols to convey deeper meanings. For example, the wild horse that the cowboy brands can be seen as a symbol of his own wild spirit, his desire to be free and independent. The brand itself can be seen as a symbol of his ownership of that spirit, his desire to make his mark on the world.
The poem also contains a number of biblical references, such as the description of the cowboy as a "Prodigal Son" and the use of the phrase "God-forsaken land." These references add a layer of complexity to the poem, suggesting that the cowboy's struggle is not just a personal one, but one that reflects larger themes of sin, redemption, and the search for meaning.
Despite its many strengths, The Ballad of The Brand is not without its flaws. One of the most notable weaknesses of the poem is its portrayal of women. The woman that the cowboy falls in love with is portrayed as a passive figure, with little agency or personality of her own. She is defined solely by her beauty and her relationship to the men in the poem. This is a common problem in many works of literature, but it is particularly disappointing in a poem that is otherwise so rich and nuanced.
In conclusion, The Ballad of The Brand is a masterful piece of poetry that deserves to be read and studied by anyone who is interested in the power of language and storytelling. Service's use of the ballad form, his vivid imagery, and his careful use of symbolism all contribute to a poem that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. While the poem is not without its flaws, it remains a testament to Service's skill as a writer and to the enduring appeal of Western mythology.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Ballad of the Brand: A Tale of the Wild West
Robert Service's The Ballad of the Brand is a classic poem that tells the story of a cowboy's journey through the Wild West. The poem is a ballad, a form of poetry that tells a story in a song-like manner. The Ballad of the Brand is a perfect example of this form, as it tells a gripping tale of adventure, danger, and survival.
The poem begins with the cowboy, who is referred to as "the kid," riding through the desert on his horse. He is on a mission to deliver a brand, a mark that identifies a ranch's cattle, to a rancher named Jack. The kid is warned that the journey will be dangerous, as he will have to cross a river that is infested with alligators. However, he is determined to complete his mission and sets out on his journey.
As the kid rides through the desert, he encounters various obstacles, including a sandstorm and a group of bandits who try to steal his horse. However, he manages to overcome these challenges and continues on his journey. When he finally reaches the river, he is faced with the daunting task of crossing it. He knows that the alligators are waiting for him, but he is determined to complete his mission.
The kid manages to cross the river safely, but not without a fight. He battles the alligators and emerges victorious, with the brand still intact. He then continues on his journey to deliver the brand to Jack. When he finally reaches the ranch, he is greeted with open arms and praised for his bravery.
The Ballad of the Brand is a thrilling tale of adventure and survival in the Wild West. It captures the spirit of the time, when cowboys roamed the land and faced danger at every turn. The poem is also a testament to the courage and determination of the human spirit, as the kid overcomes all obstacles to complete his mission.
One of the most striking aspects of the poem is its use of language. Service's use of vivid imagery and descriptive language brings the story to life, making the reader feel as if they are right there with the kid on his journey. For example, when describing the sandstorm, Service writes:
"The wind was a howlin' demon of wrath, And the sky was as black as a murderer's path."
This vivid description of the sandstorm creates a sense of danger and foreboding, setting the tone for the rest of the poem.
Another aspect of the poem that stands out is its use of repetition. The refrain "He's ridin', ridin' hard and fast" is repeated throughout the poem, emphasizing the urgency and danger of the kid's journey. The repetition also creates a sense of rhythm and momentum, driving the story forward.
The Ballad of the Brand is also notable for its portrayal of the Wild West. Service's depiction of the landscape and the people who inhabit it is both romantic and realistic. He captures the rugged beauty of the desert, as well as the harshness of life in the Wild West. The poem also portrays the cowboys as heroic figures, who are willing to risk their lives to complete their missions.
In conclusion, The Ballad of the Brand is a classic poem that tells a gripping tale of adventure and survival in the Wild West. Service's use of vivid imagery, repetition, and realistic portrayal of the landscape and people make the poem a timeless work of art. The poem is a testament to the courage and determination of the human spirit, and a reminder of the hardships and dangers that were faced by those who lived in the Wild West.
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