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Broadside ballad entitled 'The Rime of the Ancient Harridan' |
CommentaryVerse 1: 'It is an ancient harridan, / A provost stoppeth she; / "By thy red hair and bandy gown, / Now wherefore stoppest thou me?"' This ballad was written by Alvan Marlaw, 'Apologizing to the shade of Coleridge'. It was printed by Lowden Macartney at the Poet's Box in Overgate, Dundee, priced one penny. Alvan Marlaw's satirical ballad is a parody of Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' that delivers an indictment of corruption in civic and national government. Civic power is represented by the wealthy, selfish provost; the ancient harridan who stops him represents the State. The premise of the poem is that the ruling classes in Britain pay higher taxes, or bribes, in order to maintain the system of class and privilege, and ensure that the working classes remain poor and discriminated against in law. Radical ballads like this were quite common, especially in the nineteenth century. It is not clear what the connection between the different Poet?s Boxes were. They almost certainly sold each other?s sheets. It is known that John Sanderson in Edinburgh often wrote to the Leitches in Glasgow for songs and that later his brother Charles obtained copies of songs from the Dundee Poet?s Box. There was also a Poet?s Box in Belfast from 1846 to 1856 at the address of the printer James Moore, and one at Paisley in the early 1850s, owned by William Anderson. Early ballads were dramatic or humorous narrative songs derived from folk culture that predated printing. Originally perpetuated by word of mouth, many ballads survive because they were recorded on broadsides. Musical notation was rarely printed, as tunes were usually established favourites. The term 'ballad' eventually applied more broadly to any kind of topical or popular verse.
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Probable period of publication:
1880-1900 shelfmark: L.C.Fol.70(54)
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