“Dubliners” is a collection of fifteen short stories written by James Joyce in which the author analyses the failure of self-realisation of inhabitants of Dublin in biographical and in psychological ways. The novel was originally turned down by publishers because they considered it immoral for its portrait of the Irish city. Joyce treats in “Dubliners” the paralysis of will in four stages: childhood, youth, maturity and public life. The paralysis of will is the courage and self-knowledge that leads ordinary men and women to accept the limitations imposed by the social context they live in. In “Dubliners” the style is both realistic - to the degree of perfectly recreating characters and idioms of contemporary Dublin - and symbolic – giving the common object unforeseen depth and a new meaning in order to show a new view of reality. Joyce defines this effect “epiphany” which indicates that moment when a simple fact suddenly explodes with meaning and makes a person realise his / her condi
Text
"O where ha you been, Lord Randal, my son?
And where ha you been, my handsome young man?”
I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m wearied wi hunting and fain wad lie down.”
“An wha met ye there, Lord Randal, my son?
An wha met you there, my handsome young man?”
“O I met wi my true-love; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m wearied wi hunting and fain wad lie down.”
“And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?
And what did she give you, my handsome young man?”
“Eels fried in a pan; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m wearied wi hunting and fain wad lie down.”
“An wha gat your leavins, Lord Randal my son?
And wha gat your leavins, my handsome young man?”
“ My hawks and my hounds; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m wearied wi hunting and fain wad lie down.”
“And what becam of them, Lord Randal my son?
And what becam of them, my handsome young man?”
“ They stretched their legs out and died; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m wearied wi hunting and fain wad lie down.”
“ O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son!
I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man!”
“ Oh yes, I am poisoned; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“ What d’ye leave to you mother, Lord Randal, my son?
What d’ye leave to you mother, my handsome young man?”
“ Four and twenty milk kye; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“ What d’ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?
What d’ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?”
“My gold and my silver; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“ What d’ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal , my son?
What d’ye leave to your brother, my handsome young man?”
“My houses and my lands; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“ What d’ye leave to your true love, Lord Randal, my son?
What d’ye leave to your true love, my handsome young man?”
“I leave her hell and fire; mother, mak my bed soon,
“For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
Analysis
Lord Randal is one of the best known Scottish ballads and it is probably composed around the 13th century by anonymous.
The ballad is structured as a dialogue between mother, whose name is unknown, and her son Lord Randal, the protagonist of the ballad.
It is set to music: it is meant to be sung rather than read.
Most ballads treat some tragic events which also includes supernatural elements.
Lord Randal is highly representative of this genre: it is a poem about love which meets death.
While the dialogue flows, repetitive to resume the typical rhythm of the ballad, we understand the dynamics of the story, including the faults of the young woman loved by Lord Randal: the remains of the cooked eels were, in fact, eaten by Randal's animals, who died soon after.
At the end of the ballad, Randal's mother reveals to the man that he was probably poisoned, and he confirms.
At this point the mother asks Randal what he will leave to her (24 dairy cows), what to his sister (his gold and silver), what to his brother (his lands and his houses), what to his true love (the flames of hell).
Lord Randal's will explains us about medieval society rules.
He leaves to his mother 24 milk kye, that is livelihood, to his sister the dowry (gold and silver), to his brother houses and lands, that is property.
The young Lord is poisoned by his false truelove and, therefore, he wishes that she feels same emotions (hell and fire).
Lord Randal has enjoyed countless re-workings through the centuries up to our own time.
The folk singer and beat-generation poet Bob Dylan made a famous version of it called A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall.
It was written in 1962, under the Cold War, the threat of a nuclear war between USSR and the United States.
The hard rain of the title refers to the fallout, that is the radioactive dust in the air after a nuclear exploison.
Bod Dylan's song has many similarities with Lord Randal :
- the structure of the text: both are ballads and structured in a direct speech;
- the subject of Dylan's ballad is different from Lord Randal's original world of hunting and trueloves. In fact, Dylan talks about Cold War between USA and USSR;
- the tone is the same because the old ballads can be adapted to suit modern sensibilities and situations.
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