#english ballad

[meayefet]

A few illustrations for a from a 2m long vertical accordion book about The Two Magicians, an English ballad slightly altered for the 21st century (because I wanted specifically the Young Tradition's version but it was horrible)

Linocut print and digital composition.

(Also sent these to the only living YT member and she replied to my email saying she liked them!!)

[myfavouritelyrics]

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

Remember me to one who lives there

She once was a true love of mine

[illustratus]

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

[atomic-chronoscaph]

art by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1910s)

[thefugitivesaint]

John Gilbert (1817-1897), 'The Demon Lover’, ''The Book of British Ballads'' by Samuel Carter Hall, 1842 Source

[fictionadventurer]

I don't think we talk often enough about how amazing a poet J.R.R. Tolkien was.

I just read The Lay of Arthur and it was amazing. I got to the battle scene and was so caught up in the excitement and the sound that I just had to read it aloud. It was its own kind of adrenaline rush. I haven't been caught up in poetry like that in a long time.

[pennyserenade]

i have thought in great detail about coriolanus and sejanus, and whether or not coriolanus ever really liked sejanus. i think that the novel/movie are purposefully constructed to make this ambiguous, but i prefer to veer on the side of "yes, he did."

coriolanus' way of loving people was...lacking, to say the least. even with tigris, he thought awful, mean things about her, but it was evident he cared very much for her. the problem with coriolanus was not that he couldn't love -- it was that he could not love without first being assured that his investment would yield positive results for him. at least, he could not readily admit to himself that he was loving until he knew it was going to work out for him.

his character is very succinctly summed up by sejanus, when he tells him, "I remember that from school, watching you watch other people. Pretending you weren't. And choosing the moments you weighed in so carefully" (397). without fully knowing the totality of it, sejanus got it all too right: coriolanus took people in, measured them out, decided what they meant to him, and weighed in when he thought it'd benefit him. coriolanus was calculated in all things, most of all in love—a thing he knew made you vulnerable.

but that's not to say what coriolanus said to himself was the exact same thing as what he felt. if it was, i do not believe he would've done half the things he had done for sejanus--even given the prospect of reward in the end. this is part of what makes coriolanus descent into evil so heartbreaking: a part of him was good. he did want for connection and comfort, even if he had a real fucked up way of going about getting it. coriolanus was a dog that bit without fully knowing why; it was a protective instinct he used, because so much of his life had been filled with loss already.

in the book, after coriolanus snuck his father's handkerchief with lucy gray's scent into the tank of snakes, he went to sejanus' house. this is an incredible detail that so many people tend to overlook when they talk about coriolanus and sejanus' friendship. the beginning of the chapter reads:

"What had he done? What on earth had he done? His heart raced as he blindly turned down one street and then another, trying to make sense of his actions. He couldn't think clearly but had the dreadful feeling he'd crossed some line that could not be uncrossed" (287).

we start this chapter with a frenzied, rattled coriolanus, one terribly afraid of what he had just done and the consequences this action might have later. he was scared and isolated, and he didn't know what to do. a little further on, collins writes: "His feet had carried him far from home, but he realized the Plinth apartment was just a few minutes away. Why not pop in?" (288).i find this construction of words to be fascinating, especially in relation to coriolanus--a character we have come to known as calculated and precise, even in moments when he has to think on his feet. one could argue that during this part of the book, and in this state, it makes sense that coriolanus might wander that far from his home absent-mindedly. it shows how out of touch with himself he had become, and just how much the act he had just committed disorientated him. but i think it was more than that. i think coriolanus wanted to go to the plinth's house, that he was seeking comfort after he had done something incredibly dangerous (something, arguably, that sejanus might have done), and he could not admit it to himself. and his original intention had been to see sejanus, but sejanus was asleep.

the fact that collins wrote "his feet had carried him" and "he realized" is so brilliant. i’ve got lots of opinions about why she chose to write the book in a third person point of view. one of the reasons i think she did it has to do with the fact that coriolanus was distancing himself from himself--shedding culpability through phrases such as these, especially in moments like this. coriolanus did love sejanus, but he simply could not admit it to himself because sejanus was not a safe or wise investment to make. coriolanus refused to give credence to his need for him, and it ended up killing the boy in the long run.

[lepetitdragonvert]

A Book of Old English Ballads by George Wharton Edwards

1910

Artist : Hamilton Wright Mable

Phillida and Corydon

[thedelicatearcher]

thedelicatearcher's masterlist

my requests are always open!! if you have any thg character request (blurb, headcanons, one shot, etc), thought or just want to talk about them, my asks are open!!

i looove talking about anything, so pleease don't be afraid to interact with me, i would love to be mutuals :)

rules for my requests!!

the hunger games

𓇼everlark masterlist

𓇼finnick odair masterlist

𓇼katniss everdeen masterlist

𓇼peeta mellark masterlist

𓇼johanna mason masterlist

𓇼haymitch abernathy masterlist

𓇼lucy gray masterlist

𓇼general headcanons and blurbs masterlist

more to come!

[freisende]

Qiang Jin Jiu (The Ballad of Sword and Wine) Truly Mesmerizing!

Qiang Jin Jiu (The Ballad of Sword and Wine) by Tang Jiu Qing, has officially been taken and published by Seven Seas Publishing.

将进酒 Qiāng jìn jiǔ, which literally means 'let's drink wine', is translated as "The Ballad of Sword and Wine" in the official English translation. I've been rolling myself on the bed for the few days I first read this because of how aesthetic and tantalizing the title translation is. I love it so much.😤❤

Ever since the 1st volume came out, it has stirred big fuss over the fandom because of Xiao Chiye's expression and sexy body lmao.🤭

Not mentioning Shen Zechuan is as beautiful as ever..😏✨

And it has again been made a big fuss because the 2nd volume cover is revealed today--

A truly, different vibe and color palette used compared to the 1st volume! ✨✨

For me personally I really love the way Xiao Chiye's eyes is overlapped with Meng (Xiao Chiye's bird pet) which makes Chiye's vision even more sharpened and overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Shen Zechuan's eyes just practically seems ready to draw out your fear-- if we readers really read and take adventure in this 2nd volume. Truly menacing, but I love it!!!❤❤

It looks like Zechuan will kill us if we dare snatch a glance at Chiye omg 🤣🤣

Moreover, Zechuan wears the red robe as his position keeps pushing up. Oh geez, he's truly suitable with white and red! ❤✨

Read the first sentence of the synopsis🫣😳❤️

And Chiye's hand that wants to hug Zechuan's waist 🙈💖

The arts were done so beautifully by St.✨✨

Now look at the comparison of both of our protagonists, because it's really amazing!!!😔💖

If the first volume is the introduction of the angst and drama in Qiang Jin Jiu, it's as if the 2nd volume practically welcomes readers to indulge and take part in the story.🤭

Look at the symbols on the side of the books! ❤

Vol. 1: His sword, yes very beautiful

Vol. 2: Flowers, of course!!

Please read Qiang Jin Jiu if you haven't because you will feel how the dynasty's political stuffs going on; merge yourself with the imagination of Chinese history and the adventures of Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye in achieving their goals!!🤭💕

P.S. also prepare your mental because it's really going crazy especially in this second volume book mwehehe🤧✨

Let's support the authors too by buying the official books if you can.

[peaceinthestorm]

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1872-1945, British) ~ The Book of Old English Songs and Ballads - 08 : "Pride and Ambition here Only in far-fetch metaphors appear", 1915

[illustratus]

The Little Foot Page by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale

[animatejournal]

Lucky Luke: Ballad of the Daltons (La Ballade des Dalton) Directors: René Goscinny, Morris, & Henri Gruel | France, 1978

[uwmspeccoll]

Publishers' Binding Thursday

It's an Arts and Crafts Publishers' Binding Thursday this week, with A Book of Old English Ballads featuring illustrations by American painter, illustrator, and author George Wharton Edwards. Published in New York by the Macmillan Company, the book includes an introduction by American essayist, critic, and editor Hamilton W. Mabie. The illustrations and cover are done in the Arts and Crafts style, which flourished between 1880 and 1920. This book was published in 1896 at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The cover has the same rather ornate design as the title page, which features a harpist playing under a lit lamp. The illustrations are detailed and the decorations equally so. The spine features the title, illustrator, and introducer in ornate fonts.

View more Publishers' Binding Thursdays here.

-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Been sitting on this AU for a while and a discord conversation brought it back to my attention (thanks @felixravinstills) so here I am, typing it out on my one free day instead of writing like I should be doing.

The Capitol speaks in Panem's version of "standard" English, while the districts all have dialects that are so different from standard that they may as well be different languages entirely. Now, the districts can understand one another's dialect due to similarities and influences left over from the rebellion days, as well as due to inter-district trading and stories passed down through generations. However, the Capitol views these dialects and the accents they cause when a district citizen speaks standard English as a sign of being "lesser" so they stay as far away from it as possible, so they don't understand a word of it.

Come the 10th games where the mentors are forced to interact with the tributes, this seemingly random factoid about Panem turns into the thing that stops the games for good and brings Gaul's life to ruination. At first, the mentors are very snooty and classist about the tributes' accents, but when they start to care about their tributes it becomes an endearing thing to them. Slightly infantilizing but it's better than dehumanizing so the tributes that notice decide to take it. Now, I could go the depressing route and tell you the mentors try to learn their respective tribute's dialect post-games because it's the only thing they have of their tribute that isn't stained by the games. The stories they shared are nothing but memories, any item they have is sent back to their families. Anything they may have made for them was created with stuff from the zoo where the tributes were forced to stay and humiliated daily in the leadup to their brutal death. But their dialects? That's something the mentors can learn, and it's the only concrete thing they can have of the child that died on their watch that's from before they were forced into these horrifying circumstances. However, I'm gonna make this a fix-it instead :)

Now, this whole situation happens because none of the mentors die during the bombing, which means the Capitol is far less up in a tizzy about rebel activity. It doesn't mean much, but it leaves them just the tiniest bit more open to hearing positive things about the districts. While in the zoo, the tributes talk to each other in dialect because they can understand one another and it feels more like being at home that way. They won't let the Capitol force them into speaking standard when they don't have to and nobody cares if those Capitol pricks can't understand what they're saying. It's a positive, if anything. Some mentors are visiting and when one (probably Arachne because I'm ignoring the stabbing bit) gets prickly about them not speaking "proper" English with a comment about it being "a sign of lesser beings," Brandy responds by snippily asking her which one of them can understand the other either way. "If only one of us can speak both, who's the stupid one again?" Arachne is affronted (though her ego gets out of the way the next day and she realizes Brandy has a point, causing her to try to start over with her tribute by being a little nicer) but the other people present stop immediately to think about that. Especially those who know a lot about language. That whole dialect thing means the tributes know more vocabulary, more grammar than the Capitol citizens. And they have to seperate them too so they're not mixing languages! Clearly they're not that stupid then, so even if they are still lesser beings... Maybe it's worth being a little more nuanced?

Of course it never stays at just a little, in fact it starts spiralling quite uncontrollably. If the district kids are smart enough to essentially speak two languages... What else are they smart enough for? And with the extra scrutiny on the tributes their individual personalities and interests, and even more so their interpersonal dynamics and relationships, become utterly unavoidable. Coral's care for Mizzen despite how game-faced she is in every other facet of the games, Reaper's concern for Dill despite appearing to be the most dangerous amongst the tributes, Bobbin's anger that only seems to be gone entirely when it comes to Wovey, Treech and Lamina's complicated road of trying to figure out where they stand with each other when they clearly both know they'll have to leave one another eventually and the way it so obviously eats at them both, Marcus and Sejanus and whatever it is that's going on between the two of them. As all of this starts gaining traction in the Capitol, it becomes harder and harder for Gaul to keep up her narrative of "undressing humanity" and the districts deserving this. Especially when her biggest supporter, the president himself, ends up paying a visit to the zoo at Felix's insistence and sees first-hand the way these kids interact with one another as well as the visitors in the zoo. Their obvious disdain for their situation and those who came to oggle at them while they're literally being treated like animals, but also their small soft spots for the kids who don't know any better. The way they can't quite bring themselves to be mean to small children, even when those children see them as dumb animals put there for their entertainment.

President Maximinius Ravinstill is not a kind man. Nor is he a gentle, merciful one. He's cold and he's vicious. President Maximinius Ravinstill is a cruel man. But at the end of the day, he's just that. A man. One who has a son himself, though he's not been the best father he could have been. And while at first he'd thought he'd stay for five minutes to satisfy Felix and go back to his life again unaffected... Maximinius stays for hours, noticed only by those from the Capitol. Entirely unnoticed by the kids, though they watch him with curiosity at first due to the reactions of everyone outside the cage upon his initial arrival. Most of them don't even know who he is, and not a single one of them cares. That's how little they've been allowed to know of the outside world, and that's how little they care for the Capitol. All any of them are to these kids is the cause of their misery, and President Ravinstill may be a cold dictator, but Maximinius is a father who can only see his young son, hurt and bleeding and starving, in the faces of these young children. Especially in young Mizzen, whose face lacks the youthful chub it should have due to lack of nutrition the same way his son's had all those years ago. In Otto and Treech, who are of similar age and share just enough features with Felix to be discomforting, despite the district characteristics that had let Maximinius and everybody else in the Capitol write them off as "other" for a decade now. Long before that too, if he's honest with himself.

And President Ravinstill shouldn't care, but Maximinius can't help himself. For so long he's allowed differing physical appearances and a lack of education he himself reinforced to let him believe these kids were somehow lesser, but now that he's seen the parallels and the similarities he can't unsee them. And Maximinius is just a man, with the emotions of one and a heart that beats no matter how cold he's allowed it to become over the years. Part of him wants to go back to delusion, to ignorance and cruelty, but his heart won't let him. It aches and screams for him to do something because he knows he can. If anyone can it's him, and he'll never go back to the way he used to be before this realization. Since he already knows what Gaul will tell him, he talks to Dean Highbottom, the creator of the games, in hopes of solving this dilemma. It becomes the final straw that pushes him to accept the truth: he'll never truly live again if he allows this to continue, so he doesn't. He puts a stop to Gaul's machinations and ends the games right them and there.

Naturally, the situation in the districts also improves due to this shift in perspective, though it's a far slower and less sudden change. The tributes are finally given medical care, which saves Otto, Ginnee, Panlo and Sheaf from death. They all have to stay in hospital or under close supervision for about a month due to the drastic impact staying in a zoo enclosure, with no protection from nature while not being properly fed, has had on their health. When they're let out of hospital but deemed too unstable to travel they get to stay with their mentors. Of course, once they're finally deemed healthy enough to go home they're positively ecstatic but sad enough about leaving their mentors that they find ways to stay in contact and offer to show them around their home district at some point in the future, which the mentors of course happily agree to.