Alf’s 12. Bit
Ballad For The Times' Special Silver Number
Alf’s 12. Bit - form Summary
Ballad with Satirical Refrain
This playful poem adopts the ballad form to create a singsong, repetitive public-voice satire. Short rhymed stanzas and a recurring refrain build a jaunty momentum that mocks easy commercial optimism about "silver" solutions. The ballad’s regularity and communal address let Pound compress parody and commentary into a lightweight, memorable lyric, turning a folksong pattern into a vehicle for ironic social remark rather than narrative storytelling.
Read Complete AnalysesSez the Times a silver lining Is what has set us pining, Montague, Montague! In the season sad and weary When our minds are very bleary, Montague, Montague! There is Sir Hen. Deterding His phrases interlarding, Montague, Montague! With the this and that and what For putting silver on the spot, Montague, Montague! Just drop it in the slot And it will surely boil the pot, Montague, Montague! Gold, of course, is solid too, But some silver set to stew Might do, too. Montague! With a lively wood-pulp ‘ad’. To cheer the bad and sad, Montague, Montague!
Feel free to be first to leave comment.