Ballad
A ballad is a narrative poem consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain. Ballads have
their origin in the folk tradition and are meant to be sung.
The prominent features of a ballad are the following:
narrative ( tells a story)
folksy (simple and pertaining to the oral folk tradition)
musical
dramatic (full of dialogues and action)
usually has a sudden and unexpected beginning
Structure
The poem The Ballad of Father Gilligan by William Butler Yeats is a ballad.
The poem stanzaic in structure with twelve stanzas of four lines each (quatrain). In each stanza, the
first and the third lines do not rhyme but the second line rhymes with the fourth line.
Theme
God is mercy, pity and love. The poem is an affirmation of a loving, kind God Who showers his
beneficence to all his creations.
Summary
The Ballad of Father Gilligan is a touching narrative that illustrates God’s everlasting benevolence
and how He intervenes in the life of an earnest priest at a time of immense need. Father Peter
Gilligan was extremely concurred in the redemption of the souls of his destitute parishioners
Father Gilligan was fagged out in carrying out his priestly obligations day and night during an
epidemic in the Irish countryside. He had to not only give the last communion to his poor folks who
were dying in large numbers but also conduct funeral services for them.
One evening, completely exhausted by the strain of extensive duties, Father Gilligan had dozed.
Suddenly he was jolted from his sleep by the urging call of another dying parishioner. In despair,
Father Gilligan started to grumble and complaint that his life was without rest, joyless and always
troubled.
For a man religious vocation, the outburst was tantamount to a grievous sin and a questioning of
God. Realising his mistake, Father Gilligan sought God's forgiveness for his irresponsible utterance
and knelt down by the side of his chair and began to pray:
He tries to justify his words by saying that it was his exhausted body not his spirit that complained
of the state of his life.
While he was praying, the wearied priest fell asleep by the side of his chair. Next morning, at dawn
he woke up and realised his mistake. Shocked at his failure to perform his duty, he rode recklessly
to the house of the dying man. He was received by the dead man's widow.
The widow was surprised to see the priest again and asked him why he had come again. When the
priest asked her whether the sick man was dead, she told him that the sick man died happily after
the priest’s departure.
The priest was humbled at this and knelt and prayed. He realised that God the Divine had
compassionately sent an angel to minister the last ritual to the dying man so that both the sick man
as well as the priest were saved from damnation.
The priest wondered at the benevolence of The omniscient omnipotent omnipresent God who had
the whole universe as His Parish yet extended His Helping Hand to the humble priest in his hour of
need.
Questions and Answers
Extract I
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Was weary night and day;
For half his flock were in their beds,
Or under green sods lay.
1. How does the poem begin?
The poem begins abruptly without any prelude which is typical of a ballad.
2. Why was the priest weary throughout?
Father Gilligan was thoroughly exhausted by performing his priestly obligations day and night,
probably during an epidemic in the Irish countryside. He had to not only give the last communion to
his poor folks who were dying in large numbers but also conduct funeral services for them.
3. Explain:
1. Flocks= A church congregation guided by a Priest. Here, the parishioners of Father
Gilligan.
2. green sods: Graves covered over by green grass. The graves of the Parishioners who have
succumbed to the calamitous epidemic.
4. Why were his flocks either in bed or lying under green sod?
The parishioners of Father Gilligan were either afflicted with the fatal epidemic or they have
already become the victims of the deadly disease.
Extract II
Once, while he nodded on a chair,
At the moth-hour of eve,
Another poor man sent for him,
And he began to grieve.
'I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,
For people die and die';
And after cried he, 'God forgive!
My body spake, not I!'
1. What is referred to as moth- hour of eve?
Moth hour = the time when moths come in swarms; this happens usually in the evening and also in
the morning.
Moth-hour of eve here refers to the evening time when the moths congregate in large numbers.
2. Why did another man send for father Gilligan? Why is the man referred to as ‘poor’?
The man was sick and was expecting death any time. He had sent for the priest so that he can
receive the last communion before he passes away. It was imperative for a Catholic to receive the
rites the rites of extreme unction meaning in the Catholic -tradition that the man died in a state of
grace- so that his soul is salvaged and therefore, he can go to heaven.
The man was said to be ‘poor’ because of his poverty and also because he deserved sympathy as he
was about to die.
3. Why did Father Gilligan lament? What did he complain of?
Overburdened by his religious duties, the old Father Gilligan was extremely weary and exhausted.
He lamented that his life was joyless and troubled and he had no rest at all.
4. Why did father Gilligan ask forgiveness from God? What justification does he give to God
for his errant words?
Father Gilligan was a priest in charge of the parishioners in the parish. It was his God given duty to
look after them and perform their religious services. Therefore, Father Gilligan’s desperate outburst
was tantamount to a grave sin and a challenging of God. Understanding his fault, Father Gilligan
prayed for God's forgiveness for his reckless words.
Father Gilligan endeavours to rationalize his errant words by saying that it was his exhausted body
not his spirit that complained of the state of his life.
Extract III
They slowly into millions grew,
And leaves shook in the wind;
And God covered the world with shade,
And whispered to mankind.
1. Elaborate:
They slowly into millions grew,
And leaves shook in the wind;
Here the poet describes the gradual descend of the night. The stars appeared one by one (peep out)
and gradually grew into a large number and the leaves of the trees throbbed in the evening breeze.
2. What was the priest doing at this time? Why?
While the evening slowly turned into night, the worn out Father Gilligan who had knelt to pray to
God for forgiveness for his errant words, leaned on a chair and slept. He slept blissfully neither
aware of the passage of time nor conscious of the responsibility of the religious service he had to
perform to the dying man.
3. What nature of God is brought up here?
And God covered the world with shade, / And whispered to mankind?
Here God is compared to a tender loving mother putting her child to sleep, covering the child with
blanket and singing soft lullaby to it. Similarly, the Loving God brings relief to the toiling humanity
by covering the earth with the comforting darkness of night and blessing the troubled souls with
balm of soothing sleep.
4. What is the figure of speech used in the extract?
The figure of speech used to compare God to the tender loving mother is a metaphor.
Extract IV
Upon the time of sparrow-chirp
When the moths came once more.
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Stood upright on the floor.
'Mavrone, mavrone! the man has died
While I slept on the chair';
He roused his horse out of its sleep,
And rode with little care.
1. What is meant by Upon the time of sparrow-chirp?
Sparrow chirp refers to the early morning hours when the birds like sparrows twitter.
2. Why does the priest cry out 'Mavrone, mavrone?
Mavrone has two meanings; it is a cry of sorrow (the word probably originates from the Irish word
mobhron; mo meaning my and bhron meaning sorrow).
The word also means Little Mother suggesting Virgin Mary the mother of Jesus Christ.
The priest cries out in dismayed grief for not going to the sick man’s bed to perform the last rites.
3. What aspect of a ballad do you find here?
He roused his horse out of its sleep,/And rode with little care.
A ballad is usually dramatic; with action and dialogue. Here, the reckless driving of the priest is an
action that conforms to the features of a ballad.
4. What does the line And rode with little care show about the mental state of the priest?
The priest was so despondent for neglecting his religious duty to offer the last communion to the
sick man. Moreover, he also feared that one of his parishioners will be damned because of the
priest’s shirking of his appointed task. Hence, the priest, anxious and concerned, remorsefully rides
recklessly to the sick man’s house without caring for his own safety in the mountainous terrain of
the Irish village.
Extract V
He rode now as he never rode,
By rocky lane and fen;
The sick man's wife opened the door:
'Father! you come again!'
'And is the poor man dead?' he cried.
'He died an hour ago.'
The old priest Peter Gilligan
In grief swayed to and fro.
'When you were gone, he turned and died
As merry as a bird.'
The old priest Peter Gilligan
He knelt him at that word.
1. Why does the sick man’s wife ask ‘Father? you come again!'?
The sick man’s wife was surprised to see the priest. Already her husband had received the last
sacrament from the priest and he had passed away happily. So the widow could not understand why
the priest had come again.
In all probability, Yeats might be accepting the Catholic concept Bilocation, that is, the ability (said
of certain Roman Catholic saints) to exist simultaneously in two locations
2. How did the sick man die?
The sick man after receiving the last rites died happily as merry as a bird
The poet uses the figure of speech simile compares the mood of the dying man to a merry bird.
3. Why was the father overcome with grief at the words of the widow?
The priest was so heartbroken for failing in his religious responsibility to provide the last
communion to the sick man. Furthermore, he also dreaded that one of his parishioners will be
anathemised because of the priest’s skulking of his decreed task.
4. He knelt him at that word. Why? What does it show of his character?
When the priest inquired her if the sick man was dead, she said to him that the sick man died
cheerfully after the priest had left. The widow’s word made Father Gilligan realise that the ever
merciful God had extended His helping hand to him.
The priest was humbled at this and knelt and prayed. He realised that God the Divine had
compassionately sent an angel to minister the last ritual to the dying man so that both the sick man
as well as the priest were saved from damnation.
Extract VI
'He Who hath made the night of stars
For souls who tire and bleed,
Sent one of His great angels down
To help me in my need.
'He Who is wrapped in purple robes,
With planets in His care,
Had pity on the least of things
Asleep upon a chair.'
1. Explain: ‘He Who hath made the night of stars/ For souls who tire and bleed,’
Earlier the poet had evoked the image of God who brings ease to the labouring mankind by
spreading over the earth the soothing darkness of night and blessing the troubled souls with balm of
soothing sleep. Here we find almost a repetition of the idea where the poet asserts that God had
made the night for the troubled humanity.
2. What did God do in order ‘to help me in my need’?
Father Gilligan was saved from damnation for shirking his duty by the merciful intervention of God
Who had sent one of His messenger angels to the earth to offer the last communion to the dying
man. Thus when Father Gilligan was in dire straits God has extended His helping hand to him.
3. Explain: 'He Who is wrapped in purple robes,/With planets in His care,
Robes are here long flowing garment used for official or ceremonial occasions by a priest of the
Church. The poet imagines the Almighty God as a Parish Priest whose Parish is the whole
universe.
4. What do you understand about the character of Father Gilligan from his words ‘Had pity on
the least of things’?
Father Gilligan was immensely grateful towards God for His intervention to rescue him from
probable damnation. The words of Gilligan speak of the priest’s deep religious belief and also his
endearing humility.
Summary
Yeats tells a story in verse. An old priest was weary and sad because most of his flock had died. He
was sent for by a sick man, but fell asleep in his chair before answering the call. The stars
multiplied and God talked to mankind.
In the morning, Father Gilligan awoke with a start, realizing that he had not done his duty. He rides
to the sick man's house where his wife answers the door and says that the man has died. Father
Gilligan is horrified and cries "mavrone!" until the woman thanks him for coming the previous
night. He falls to his knees and thanks God for sending an angel down to do his work when he was
too tired to do so.
Analysis
This poem takes a ballad form - a traditional form, usually sung, with regular, short stanzas that tell
a story. It has a more overtly religious content than most of Yeats's poems. As a protestant who
turned to theosophy and mysticism, Yeats usually stays away from Catholic themes. Yeats also
usually stays away from the Irish language, which he uses in this poem when he writes, "mavrone!"
which is the Irish, "mo bhron," a cry of grief.
The poem not only speaks to the poverty of rural Ireland, but also to their extreme religiosity. The
priest is horrified by the fact that he did not make it to the bedside of the sick man before he died
because no one performed the rites of extreme unction, meaning in the Catholic tradition that the
man did not die in a state of grace, and therefore cannot go to heaven. The divine intervention
which caused this not to be the case is an affirmation of a loving, kind God.
Yeats intends this ballad as an homage to the traditional poetry and legend of his country. He was a
collector of similar Irish stories and songs and appreciated their immediate, naive beauty. Certainly
this tale draws upon the character as well as the form of the traditional Irish ballad.
Q(02) When did Father Gilligan realise when he awoke from sleep? What did he do then?
Ans: Father Gilligan realised that, he has slept throughout the evening and woke up early in the next
morning.
As soon as he woke up he stood upright on the floor and roused his horse put of its sleep. He then
rode away to that sick man's house.
Q(03)What did he learn from the sick man's wife?
Ans: When Father Gilligan reached the sick man house he learnt that the man had died an hour gap.
Q(04) What made Father Gilligan kneel down?
Ans: When father Gilligan was taking rest, a sick man at his dead bed called for him. During about
the call father grumbled that he have no time for rest, joy nor peace as people are dying in that
village every now and then. Same that he realised his mistake and kneel down before God asking
for forgiveness.
Q(05) What is your impression of Father Gilligan
Ans: Father Gilligan is a hard working person. He is simple God loving man who care for human
beings. He never use any harsh word and think bad for others.He has complete faith in God.
Q(06)What message is the poet trying to convey through the story
Ans: The message ,the poet is trying to convey through this poem is that God help those who help
others.Father Gilligan who have complete faith in God felt asleep when he was supposed to be
beside a sick man .But when he was sleeping God sent his messenger in disguise of Father Gilligan
to the sick man's house .God knew Father Gilligan was extremely tired so God helped him at the
time of need.
Q(07) What does the speaker mean by 'My body spake not I'
Ans: The speaker meant that he had not grumbled on the sick man from his heart. His body was
extremely tired so his body grumbled not he.
Reference to the Context.
(1) And after cried 'God forgive my body ........
Q(1-a) What did the speaker say just before he said these words.
Ans: Just before this speaker grumbled that due to attending the sick people he is extremely tired
and has no time for rest,joy , peace because in the village people are dying due to an epidemic.
Q(1-b) Why does the speakers ask for God forgiveness?.
Ans: The speaker is a priest who is not supposed to grumble when people needed him .Moreover
,he grumbled on a man who was about to die so he asked for God's help.
(2) 'When you were gone he turned and deed as merry as a bird.'
Q(2-a)Who is the speaker
Ans: The speaker is the sick man's wife .
Q(2-b) Who does 'you' refer to
Ans: 'you' is referred to Father Gilligan.
Q(2-c) What incident is the speaker referring to
Ans: The sick man called for Father Gilligan .When Father Gilligan reached the sick man's house
in the next morning the sick man's wife was surprised to see the father .She told that father had
already come an hour ago and visited the sick man.
(3) 'He who is wrapped in people robes........'
Q(05)Who is the speaker?
Ans: The speaker is Father Gilligan.
Q(05) Who is 'He'
Ans: 'He' is referred to God.
Father Gilligan
CONTEXT QUESTIONS
Extract - 1
(i) Why was Peter Gilligan over-worked?
Ans. Peter Gilligan was an old priest. He rendered a selfless service and worked day and
night for the poor and needy. His parish was in the grip of an epidemic and half of the
people under his charge were affected by the disease and so they were dying one after
other. He stood at bedside of the dying men all the time so that they die gracefully beside
half of the people of his flock were bed ridden. So, all this made him weary as he could not
find time to take rest and sleep. So, he was over-worked.
(ii) What is the significance of the word “flock”?
Ans. “Flock” here refers to the people who were under the charge of the priest. Here priest
is considered to be a shepherd and the people were like sheep. The shepherd is to look
after the sheep in everyway. So, here the priest to look after the flock of people.
(iii) What do you mean by “under green sods”?
Ans. “Under green sods” means the people who are dead and are buried in the graves
which were covered with grass. So, here the poets refers this green sods as the graves of
the people who had died due to the spread of epidemic disease.
(iv) What do you think might be the reason for wide-spread disease and death in father
Gilligan’s parish?
Ans. Some fatal epidemic disease might be the reason for the wide-spread disease and a
death of a large number of people in father Gilligan’s parish.
(v) What impression do you form of father Gilligan?
Ans. Father Gilligan is a simple kind and a noble priest. He is a picture of selfless service.
He is a god fearing holy man who does his duty as a laborious priest. He helps the poor
and needy who were suffering from an epidemic and stood day and night at the bed side
of the dying man to perform his last dying rites. He does not care for his own health and
safety.
Extract – 2
(i) What was Father Gilligan doing?
Ans. Father Gilligan had been doing his duty as a priest to perform the last dying rites day
and night as many people under his charge died because of epidemic. So, after a day’s
hard work he became weary and tired. So, he leaned against the chair. He felt drowsy and
soon he slept fast asleep.
(ii) What time of the day was it? Why the time is called moth-hour?
Ans. It was the time of twilight when the sun was setting and the evening appears and
there was silence all around
It is called moth-hour when the moth come out of their hiding places and appears in
the sky.
(iii) Why did the old priest complain? What was his complaint?
Ans. When a message came from a poor man who has been dying and needed his service
and then the old priest began to complain.
The old priest complained because he was tired and had no time for rest, happiness
and peace and people were dying in large number. So, he has to perform the last dying
rites day and night.
(iv) What did he realize thereafter?
Ans. He realized soon after that he had made a mistake in uttering unholy words being a
priest he should not have made such complains. He felt guilty and asked forgiveness from
God. He said that because it was his body that spoke not his spirit.
(v) Do you think Father Gilligan’s complaint was genuine?
Ans. Yes, I think his complaint was genuine. He became tired and over-worked though he
was willing to do his duty but he could stretch his strength beyond limit. It was his physical
weakness that made him to speak such unholy words.
And is the poor man dead? He cried.
“died an hour ago’,
The old priest Peter Gilligan
In grief swayed to and fro.
“When you were gone, he turned and died
As merry as a bird”.
The old priest Peter Gilligan
He knelt him at that word.
I) **The priest had earlier said: ‘Mavrone, mavrone! The man has died’. Why does he then say
here: ‘And is the poor man dead?’
The priest says so to reaffirm if the poor man is really dead because otherwise he will say grace
before he dies. This would help him to put his conscience to rest as he fell asleep when the call to
the dying man’s home came the night before.
II) *One of the reasons why the priest was in grief was that he had lost one of his flocks. What was
the other reason for his grief?
The other reason for the priest’s grief was that having fallen asleep, he could not perform his duty to
the dying man.
III) *What does the expression ‘he turned and died / As merry as a bird’ show?
The expression conveys the idea that the poor man died as peacefully as possible as he was blessed
by an Angel prior to his dying. Since Father Gilligan was a devout follower of God, He sent an
Angel to act on behalf of the priest.
IV) What did the old priest kneel as soon as he heard about the death of the man? What does his
action show about his character?
The old priest Father Gilligan knelt as soon as he heard about the death of the man to thank God for
having helped him (Father Gilligan) and for saving his honour when utter weariness had prevented
him to perform his duty.
The priest’s action shows his complete faith and devotion to God for showing His mercy to him (the
priest) when his old age and weariness due to overwork prevented him from shouldering his
responsibilities.
V) *Explain the misunderstanding created regarding the visit of the old priest to the sick man’s
house.
The misunderstanding is that as to who came to say grace to the dying man when Father Gilligan
was sleeping. There was no other priest in the locality. Father Gilligan alone knew the answer to the
riddle. It was God who sent his Angel to act on behalf of the priest because the Almighty knew how
devout Father Gilligan was to Him.
In other words, the old priest could have been located simultaneously at two places, one in sleep
and the other in the dying man’s home. This is called ‘bilocation’, a gift claimed by the Church for
some of its saints.
VI) ***What moral does the poet want to illustrate in the story of Father Gilligan?
W.B. Yeats wants to illustrate in the ballad that God is merciful to all his creatures such as a person
who is shouldering his responsibilities to the best of his abilities as well as the person who is dying
and so is in need of receiving Gis grace. According to the Catholic tradition, a man who does not
die in a state of grace, can not go to heaven.
The character sketch of Peter Gilligan from the poem “The Ballad of Father
Gilligan” by William Butler Yeats includes the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Father Peter Gilligan is elderly.
He is always weary and is also worn down because many of his parishioners are dead.
He is weary from serving his flock as well, in particular handling the needs of the poor.
He is tired, full of anxiety and lacks joy. However, he feels guilty that he has a somewhat
bad attitude about his station in life.
5. In his mind he wants to serve God, but his body, his physical strength is being sapped from
him.
6. He is a devout man and devotes time to prayer.
7. He carries on in his pastoral duties even though he’s tired physically and suffers mental
distress.
8. He’s dedicated to serving others and worries when he doesn’t perform to the standards he’s
set for himself. He feels distress that he fell asleep and didn’t promptly attend to a sick
man’s needs. He arrived too late to the man’s home and the man had already passed away.
9. He’s a man that has, in his heart, deep love for mankind, but the stress of caring for a flock
has taken its toll on him.
10.He has faith and believes that God has and continues to care and protect him.
I think this excellent poem presents us with a priest who is at the end of his tether and absolutely
exhausted. It appears that the cause of his intense spritual and physical weariness is the fact that:
For half his flock were in their beds
Or under green sods lay.
The way in which so many of his flock have died recently or are sick causes him great oppression,
and his sadness and feelings of intense desolation are expressed when his "body" speaks and not
"his soul" when he says:
"I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,
For people die and die..."
In exhaustion, Father Gilligan falls asleep and receives rest, but awakes only to find that another
one of his flock has died in the interim. He rushes off to the house, and is overwhelmed by grief and
sadness once again, thinking that he has betrayed his duty in letting one of his flock die without
him. However, as the man's wife relates how the man died "as merry as a bird," Father Gilligan
recognises how God has taken pity on him and has helped this man to die whilst Father Gilligan
was having a well-needed rest. Note the last stanza of the poem that seems to summarise the central
theme:
"He Who is wrapped in purple robes,
With planets in His care,
Had pity on the least of things,
Asleep upon a chair."
God's provision for all of his creatures and how he understands and hears our heart's cry seems to be
the main theme. Father Gilligan is made to understand that he is not supposed to take the worries of
the world on his shoulders alone. God is there to help him.
the poem is a ballad which tells us the story of a ooor old priest who does his duty towards God
very sincerely. Father Gilligan gets tired after day's work and falls asleep in the chair. Just then he
recieves a maessage from a dying man who wanys his help. he feels unhappy and says that people
dont let him take rest. He does not go to the dying man's house. He realises his mistake and feels
sorry. AS he sits up in the chair he falls asleep when he gets up in the morning he realises his
mistake and at once rides on his horse and reaches te sik man's house . he is startled to know that te
man has died only after he was attended to by him. the priest that god must have sent his messenger
on the earth to act on his behalf. the poet wants to convey that god is merciful to all and particularly
to those who do their duty sincerely. he comes to everyone's
rescue.
Summary & Analysis--"The Ballad of Father Gilligan"
A ballad is usually a short narrative poem telling an interesting story. Since Yeats' poem "The Ballad
of Father Gilligan" tells the story of how God himself took pity on the weary Gilligan and sent an
angel instead of him to minister the last communion to a dying parishioner and thus ensuring that
his soul went to heaven, the title of the poem is indeed very apt. W.B.Yeats' poem "The Ballad of
Father Gilligan" is a literary ballad based on an incident either true or fictional belonging to the
poor illiterate Irish folk.Since Yeats' ballad is a literary ballad he has deliberately worked into his
poem some of the characteristics of the traditional ballad which belonged to the oral tradition and
was never written down.
Summary and Analysis:--Yeats tells a story in verse. An old priest was weary and sad because
most of his flock had died. He was sent for by a sick man, but fell asleep in his chair before
answering the call. The stars multiplied and God talked to mankind.In the morning, Father Gilligan
awoke with a start, realizing that he had not done his duty. He rides to the sick man's house where
his wife answers the door and says that the man has died. Father Gilligan is horrified and cries
"mavrone!" until the woman thanks him for coming the previous night. He falls to his knees and
thanks God for sending an angel down to do his work when he was too tired to do so.This poem
takes a ballad form - a traditional form, usually sung, with regular, short stanzas that tell a story. It
has a more overtly religious content than most of Yeats's poems. As a protestant who turned to
theosophy and mysticism, Yeats usually stays away from Catholic themes. Yeats also usually stays
away from the Irish language, which he uses in this poem when he writes, "mavrone!" which is the
Irish, "mo bhron," a cry of grief. The poem not only speaks to the poverty of rural Ireland, but also
to their extreme religiosity. The priest is horrified by the fact that he did not make it to the bedside
of the sick man before he died because no one performed the rites of extreme unction, meaning in
the Catholic tradition that the man did not die in a state of grace, and therefore cannot go to heaven.
The divine intervention which caused this not to be the case is an affirmation of a loving, kind God.
Yeats intends this ballad as an homage to the traditional poetry and legend of his country. He was a
collector of similar Irish stories and songs and appreciated their immediate, naive beauty. Certainly
this tale draws upon the character as well as the form of the traditional Irish ballad.He has employed
the ballad quatrain throughout his poem,comprising eight syllables in the first and the third lines
which do not rhyme and six syllables in the second and fourth lines which rhyme.
Another important feature of the traditional ballad which Yeats has incorporated in his poem is
repetition. For instance he has repeated "moth-hour" twice to poetically describe dusk and dawn. in
order to emphasize the rural background of his ballad. The traditional ballads belonged to the
illiterate rural folk and were passed on from one generation to the next by word of mouth. The poor
illiterate villagers never possessed a clock or a watch and they always told time by the changes
which took place from time to time in Nature.In the Irish countryside, both at dusk and at dawn the
countryside would swarm with moths. The villagers would ascertain that it was either dusk or dawn
by the presence of the moths.Just as Father Gilligan had dozed he was disturbed from his sleep by
the urgent call of another dying parishioner. Wearily, Father Gilligan began to grumble and murmur
about his lack of rest:
But the very next instant he checks himself seeks God's forgiveness and kneels down by the side of
his chair and begins to pray. However, shortly Father Gilligan is completely overwhelmed by sleep.
Soon, it is night and once the stars appear in the sky the moths disappear,The tired Father Gilligan
slept the entire night kneeling down by the side of his chair. Early in the morning, at dawn he woke
up to the cheerful sound of the chirping sparrows and once again the moths which appeared in the
twilight reappeared at dawn:his soul Poor Father Gilligan realized his mistake and rushed off to the
house of the dying parishioner, only to be greeted by the dead man's widow with the news that he
had actually come earlier on and had ministered the last communion to the dying man and by doing
so had ensured the salvation of:
Father Gilligan,the old Priest was tired night and day because almost half of the residents under his
parish were either in their beds being sick and decrepit or in their graves with grass growing on their
burial.It so happened that he nodded on his chair at the moth hour of evening when a sick and dying
man sent for him to perform the rites of extreme unction.
Soon Peter Gilligan began to complain that he had no rest or peace since people continued to die in
his area. Realizing his mistake,he asked God's forgiveness by saying that it was his tired body that
spoke those words and the words had not come out from his heart.He knelt and prayed,and soon fell
asleep.The moths went away from the fields and Stars began to peer.After minutes,the Sky was
covered with myriad Stars and the leaves shook in the wind.God covered the world with darkness
and whispered to mankind.
It was the next day morning when sparrows began to chirp and the moths came back again to the
fields.Having woken up from sleep,Father Gilligan stood upright on the floor.'Mavrone,mavrone' he
yelled, thinking that the man had died.He roused his horse immediately and rode carelessly with the
intention to reach the poor man's house at the earliest.
Father Gilligan rode by rocky lane and marshy places, and quickly reached the sick man's
house.The sick man's wife opened the door and was astonished to see Father back again. Father
Gilligan inquired about the sick man and came to know that he had died an hour ago.Repentance
came to him and he swayed to and fro out of agony for he had not been able to do his assigned duty.
The dead man's spouse further told him that after he had gone away,her husband turned and died as
merry as a bird.On hearing these words,old Priest Peter Gilligan understood what had happened.He
understood that God had sent one of his Angels to perform Father Gilligan's duty.He knelt and
prayed to God.He addressed God as One who has made the starry night.God,the omniscient had
sent one of His Angels to help him who was tired and bleeding from within.Father Gilligan was
grateful to God for being kind and merciful to him.
Critical Analysis of The Ballad of Father
As the title of this poem suggests, it is a ballad. It tells a simple story that could have had its origin
in folktales and legends. It also uses a rather uncomplicated rhyme scheme. Most importantly, it
uses the story to teach its readers a pleasant lesson. Father Gilligan has been working hard. His job
is arguably one of the best ways to serve God. He isn’t one of those priests who interprets the
scriptures as he wishes and teaches his congregation to be intolerant of those with other religious
persuasions. He is too busy looking after the spiritual wellbeing of his flock to do such things. Most
of his congregation is sick and is dying out, and so he spends all of his time sitting by them in their
last hours and helping them pass over to the other side in peace.
However, when one day he fails to do his duty because he has fallen asleep, he feels very guilty and
rushes to right the wrong he thinks he has committed. When he arrives at the sick man’s door, he
finds he is too late. He is filled with grief and remorse. But God knows that Father Gilligan has
been a good servant to Him and he does not punish him. Rather God makes sure that one of his
angels is there to take Father Gilligan’s place at the sick man’s bedside and to comfort him as he
approaches death. When Father Gilligan finds out this has happened, he is filled with gratitude. He
thanks god for not letting the poor man suffer without there being anyone who sit with him in his
last hours. He also thanks God for having pity on his faithful servant and sending someone to do his
job when he himself was too tired to do it. Hence this ballad teaches us that God has mercy on
everyone – even those who feel they have failed him.
Poetic Devices in The Ballad of Father Gilligan
Rhyme scheme:
Each of the 12 stanzas in this poem follows the same simple rhyme scheme, that is, ABCB.
Rhetorical devices:
Metaphor: This rhetorical device is used when a covert comparison is made between two different
things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of metaphor in the 3rd and 4th lines of the 1st
stanza when he compares being sick to lying in bed and being dead to lying underground.
Compound Words: Compound words are formed by adding two words into a single one, when
normally those words are not used together. In this poem, the poet uses the device of compound
word in the 2nd line of the 2ndstanza when he uses the word “moth-hour”. We cannot say for sure
that the word was created by the poet himself, but it is for sure that there are not too many known
occurrences of this word in the English language.
Litotes: This rhetorical device is in the form of an ironical understatement in which an affirmative
is expressed by the negative of its contrary. In this poem, the poet uses the device of litotes in the 4th
line of the 7th stanza when he writes that the priest rode “with little care” instead of writing that he
rode carelessly or recklessly.
Simile: This rhetorical device is used when an overt comparison is made between two different
things. In this poem, the poet uses the device of simile in the 2nd line of the 10th stanza when the
dead man’s wife says compares him with a bird, saying he was in a similarly happy state when he
died.
Central Idea of the Poem The Ballad of Father Gilligan
Father Gilligan’s congregation is fast dying out. Therefore, he must rush to their death beds every
day and every night. One night, he is too tired to do his job and falls asleep while praying. He
wakes up at dawn, filled with guilt that the sick man who had called for him the previous night must
have died while he was sleeping. When he rides to the sick man’s door, his wife tells him she is
surprised to see Father Gilligan again. She tells him that Father Gilligan had already come and spent
the night there, leaving just as the man was about to die. Father Gilligan realizes that God must have
sent one of his angels in the guise of Father Gilligan to perform his job in his absence. He thanks
God for having pity on his tired body and soul.
Themes of the Poem The Ballad of Father Gilligan
Features of the ballad: The ballad is a stanzaic form that was popular in English poetry prior to the
17th century. Yeats revives this form in the 20thcentury through this poem. The ballad usually tells a
story having its source in folktales and legends and having some supernatural elements as well.
Here the fact that an angel appeared to the sick man’s bedside in the shape of Father Gilligan is a
supernatural touch to the otherwise simple story. This poem also follows a simple rhyme scheme, as
most ballads do. Lastly, this poem teaches us a pleasant lesson about having faith in God at our
weakest moments.
God has mercy for everyone: father Gilligan feels guilty because he believes he has neglected his
guilty. He is filled with remorse because he thinks that the sick man had to die alone in his bed
without anyone there to offer him any comforting words. However, he is wrong on both counts.
What he knows in his heart but what slips his mind is that god has mercy on everyone. By sending
an angel in the guise of father Gilligan, God makes sure that the sick man dies a happy death and
also that Father Gilligan gets some rest. That is how God takes care of all his flock, the way Father
Gilligan has every day until that fateful night.
Tone and Conclusion
Tone of the Poem:
The tone of this poem is mainly sympathetic. He Father Gilligan tells us how tired he is, we can feel
his weariness. When he falls asleep, we cannot blame him. When he rides to the sick man’s house,
we root for that man to still be alive. When he finally learns how God has sent an angel in his place,
we heave a sigh of relief along with him.
Conclusion:
“The Balled of Father Gilligan” is an atypical poem when seen next to the rest of Yeats’ oeuvre.
However, it is still a delightful poem. It gives us the message that god has mercy for everyone, and
this is a message for all epochs.