The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1922

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

The Harp

The mother describes the harp as “a harp with a woman’s head” (Line 11) that “Nobody will buy” (Line 12). Apparently worthless to others, the harp becomes a source of hope and release for the mother, who spends her time “weav-weav-weaving / Wonderful things” (Lines 83-84). When the mother dies, she dies with “her hands in the harp-strings / Frozen dead” (Lines 121-122). The harp becomes a resting place for the mother in life and in death. The harp also serves as a magical loom in the poem, as it is the instrument that the mother uses to weave luxurious and warm clothing for her son.

The Mother’s Death

The mother’s death is representative of the ultimate sacrifice a mother can make for her child. The boy's mother died to save her son's life. The speaker describes his mother's death bluntly: “her hands in the harp-strings / Frozen dead” (Lines 121-122). The mother’s death rejuvenates her youth: “There sat my mother / With the harp against her shoulder / Looking nineteen / And not a day older” (Lines 115-118). The speaker describes his mother as having “A smile about her lips, / And a light about her head” (Lines 119-120). The mother’s death offers her relief, and she appears at peace and angelic. However, the mother’s death presents a new problem for the son, now an orphan. At the poem’s end, though the boy now has material possessions, “the clothes of a king’s son” (Line 125), that he can either use or sell, he does not have a parent. The boy's fate is uncertain because of his mother’s death.

Winter

Wintertime centers the poem. The speaker states, “Men say the winter / Was bad that year / Fuel was scarce / And food was dear” (Lines 52-55). The winter’s impacts parallel the impoverished state in which the mother and son have lived for so long. Wintertime brings an unbearable cold and a “wind with a wolf’s head” (Line 56) that is so cold the mother and son “burned up the chairs / And sat on the floor” (Lines 58-59). The winter’s harshness terribly impacts the family, so much so that they have nothing left except “the harp with a woman’s head” (Line 62). The speaker recollects that “The night before Christmas / I cried with the cold” (Lines 65-66). Thus, the winter inflicts both physical and emotional pain. Winter ultimately hastens the mother’s death, bringing additional hardship into the speaker’s life.