Analysis of Sir Hugh; Or The Jew's Daughter

Andrew Lang 1844 (Selkirk, Scottish Borders) – 1912 (Banchory)



Four-and-twenty bonny boys
Were playing at the ba,
And by it came him sweet Sir Hugh,
And he playd o'er them a'.

He kickd the ba with his right foot
And catchd it wi his knee,
And throuch-and-thro the Jew's window
He gard the bonny ba flee.

He's doen him to the Jew's castell
And walkd it round about;
And there he saw the Jew's daughter,
At the window looking out.

'Throw down the ba, ye Jew's daughter,
Throw down the ba to me!'
'Never a bit,' says the Jew's daughter,
'Till up to me come ye.'

'How will I come up? How can I come up?
How can I come to thee?
For as ye did to my auld father,
The same ye'll do to me.'

She's gane till her father's garden,
And pu'd an apple red and green;
'Twas a' to wyle him sweet Sir Hugh,
And to entice him in.

She's led him in through ae dark door,
And sae has she thro nine;
She's laid him on a dressing-table,
And stickit him like a swine.

And first came out the thick, thick blood,
And syne came out the thin;
And syne came out the bonny heart's blood;
There was nae mair within.

She's rowd him in a cake o lead,
Bade him lie still and sleep;
She's thrown him in Our Lady's draw-well,
Was fifty fathom deep.

When bells were rung, and mass was sung,
And a' the bairns came hame,
When every lady gat hame her son,
The Lady Maisry gat nane.

She's taen her mantle her about,
Her coffer by the hand,
And she's gane out to seek her son,
And wandered o'er the land.

She's doen her to the Jew's castell,
Where a' were fast asleep:
'Gin ye be there, my sweet Sir Hugh,
I pray you to me speak.'

'Gae hame, gae hame, my mither dear,
Prepare my winding-sheet,
And at the back o merry Lincoln
The morn I will you meet.'

Now Lady Maisry is gane hame,
Make him a winding-sheet,
And at the back o merry Lincoln,
The dead corpse did her meet.

And a the bells o merry Lincoln
Without men's hands were rung,
And a' the books o merry Lincoln
Were read without man's tongue,
And neer was such a burial
Sin Adam's days begun.


Scheme xxax xbxb cded ebeb xbeb fxag xhch igig xjxj klfb dmfm cjax xnFn lnFn fkfkcf
Poetic Form
Metre 1010101 010101 01111111 0111010 11011111 011111 01010110 1101011 11110110 011101 01110110 1010101 11011110 110111 100110110 111111 1111111111 111111 111111110 011111 11101010 01110101 10111111 010110 11101111 011111 111101010 011101 01110111 011101 011101011 111101 11100111 111101 1110101011 110101 11010111 000111 1100101101 010111 11010001 010101 01111101 0101001 11010110 100101 11111111 111111 1111111 011101 010111010 011111 1101111 110101 010111010 011101 000111010 011101 000111010 010111 01110100 110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,891
Words 395
Sentences 20
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6
Lines Amount 62
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 96
Words per stanza (avg) 26
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

2:04 min read
59

Andrew Lang

Andrew Richard Lang FRS CBE was a British scientist and crystallographer. more…

All Andrew Lang poems | Andrew Lang Books

0 fans

Discuss this Andrew Lang poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sir Hugh; Or The Jew's Daughter" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2816/sir-hugh%3B-or-the-jew%27s-daughter>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    20
    hours
    13
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Dreams"?
    A Gerard Manley Hopkins
    B Langston Hughes
    C Thomas Hardy
    D John Donne