Edward 1

1. Edward 1 “Why dois your brand sae drap w’ bloid, does sword so drip with blood Edward, Edward? Why dois your brad sae drap w’ bloid, And why sae sad gang yee, O?” so sad go you “O, I hae killed my hauke sae guid, hawk so good Mither, mither, O, I hae killed my hauke sae gouid, And I had nae mair bot hee, O.” no more but he

2. Edward 2 “Your haukis bluid was never sae reid, hawk’s blood so red Edward, Edward, Your haukis bloid was never sae reid, My deir son I tell thee, O.” dear “O, I hae killed my reid-roan steid, red-brown steed Mither, mither, O, I hae killed my reid-roan steid, That erst was sae fair and frie, O.” once so fair spirited

3. Edward 3 “Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair, steed old you have got more Edward, Edward, Your steid was auld, and ye hae gat mair, Sum other dule ye drie, O.” Somegrief you suffer “O, I hae killed my fadir deir, father dear Mither, mither, O, I hae killed my fadir deir, Alas, and wae is mee, O.” woe me

4. Edward 4 “And whatten penance wul ye drie for that, what penance will you suffer Edward, Edward? And whatten penance wul ye drie for that, My deir son, now tell me, O.” “Ill set my feit in yonder boat, I’ll feet Mither, mither, Ill set my feit in yonder boat, And Ill fare ovir the sea, O.” I’ll fare over

5. Edward 5 “And what wul ye doe wi’ your towirs and your ha’, will you do with towers hall Edward, Edward? And what wul ye doe wi’ your towirs and your ha’, That were sae fir to see, O?” so fair “Ill let thame stand tul they doun fa’, I’ll them till down fall Mither, mither, Ill let thame stand tul they doun fa’, For here nevir mair maun I bee, O.” never more must be

6. Edward 6 “And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife, will you leavechildren Edward, Edward? And what wul ye leive to your bairns and your wife, When ye gang ovir the sea, O?” you go over “The wardis room, late them beg thrae life, world’s letthrough Mither, mither, The wardis room, late them beg thrae life, For thame nevir mair wul I see, O.” them never more will

7. Edward 7 “And what wul ye leive to your ain mither deir, will you leave own mother dear Edward, Edward? And what wul ye leive to your ain mither deir, My deir son, now tell me, O.” “The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir, from shall you bear Mither, mither, The curse of hell frae me sall ye beir, Sic counseils ye gave to me, O.” Such counsels you

8. Discussion questions on “Edward” 2-1 1. What is Edward? How do we know? 2. Why doesn’t Edward tell the truth until much later? Why does he delay? What does he feel about his doing? How do we know what he actually feels? 3. What is the relation between Edward’s father and mother? How do we know? 4. How would you describe Edward’s mother as a person? What clues from the poem do you find to support your view? What are your feelings about Edward? 5. What parts of the story are omitted in the poem? Why do you think the poet chose to leave them out?

9. Discussion questions on “Edward” 2-2 6. With what feelings, what attitudes, does Edward say of his wife and children that he leaves them the whole world’s space in which they may beg through life? 7. What is the final effect of the poem? How does the poet achieve it? 8. What do you think is the meaning of the poem? 9. Discuss the use of refrain, repetition and irony in the poem

10. Discussion questions on “Sir Patrick Spence” 2-1 1. Summarize the story presented in this ballad. 2. Does the fact that the king in line one likes to drink "blood-red" wine suggest something about him? Does it foreshadow something that will happen later in the poem? 3. How would you describe Sir Patrick's character? Why, for example, does he move rapidly from laughter to tears in the fourth stanza? 4. Why does Sir Patrick Spence goes on the trip even after he knows it is a death-mission?

11. Discussion questions on “Sir Patrick Spence” 2-2 5. How is the "eldern knicht" (elder knight) contrasted with Sir Patrick Spence? (What do they each do? Where are they?) Why do the Scottish nobles go along with him? What details can you find in the poem that suggest the poet was critical of the lives of the nobles? 6. A contrast is set respectively in stanza eight and stanza nine (between the first two lines and the last two). What kind of contrasts are they? (e.g. the sea and the play, the ladies with fans in their hand and Patrick Spence at sea). 7. What parts of the story did the poet omit in the poem? Why do you think the poet chose to leave them out? Also, what parts of the story did the poet develop in detail? 8. Discuss the use of refrain, repetition, and irony in the ballad.