ballad

Ballad is a form of verse or song that tells a story in a direct, dramatic manner. Rooted in the medieval European oral tradition, ballads circulated among singers before being written down. They cover themes such as love, tragedy, betrayal, murder, and the supernatural, and often move with a strong narrative drive.

Traditional ballads are often arranged in four-line stanzas with a characteristic rhyme scheme (ABCB) and a rhythm that alternates between lines of longer and shorter length. The first and third lines typically use iambic tetrameter, while the second and fourth use iambic trimeter. Refrains and incremental repetition can appear, helping to fix the tale in memory and to heighten drama.

Ballads come in several varieties. Folk ballads survive in oral tradition and can be anonymous; broadside ballads were printed on single sheets for popular consumption. In the 18th and 19th centuries, poets wrote literary or artistic ballads that emulated the form. Well-known examples of traditional ballads include Barbara Allen, Sir Patrick Spens, and Banks of the Ohio.

In contemporary usage, the word ballad also denotes a slow, emotive song that tells a story, especially in popular music. While modern ballads may retain narrative focus, they do not necessarily follow the historical stanza conventions.