Poetry Analysis

The Lammas Hireling

Original Poetry

Translation

The Lammas Hireling

After the fair, I felt cheerful and had plenty of money, he was so inexpensive.

by Ian Duhig

The cattle adored him: during his time, my cows only gave birth to plump calves.

After the fair, I’d still a light heart

The yields increased. I liked being with someone who knew when to be silent. Then one night,

and a heavy purse, he struck so cheap.

And cattle doted on him: in his time

I was awakened from dreams of my late wife,

mine only dropped heifers, fat as cream.

I traced her broken voice to his pale figure.

Yields doubled. I grew fond of company

He stood motionless in the light from the dark lantern,

that knew when to shut up. Then one night,

completely naked except for one bloody boot from a fox trap,

I realized he was a sorcerer, a cow with leather horns.

disturbed from dreams of my dear late wife,

The saying goes, going into the hare brings a lot of sorrow,

I hunted down her torn voice to his pale form.

Stock-still in the light from the dark lantern,

a lot of care. I aimed and shot him through the heart during the early hours.

stark-naked but for one bloody boot of fox-trap,

The moon appeared. By its yellow light,

I knew him a warlock, a cow with leather horns.

I saw him grow fur like moss on a stone.

To go into the hare gets you muckle sorrow,

His beautiful head shrank. His top lip curled.

His eyes rose like bread. I carried him

the wisdom runs, muckle care. I levelled

and blew the small hour through his heart.

in a sack that became lighter with every step

The moon came out. By its yellow witness

and dropped him from a bridge. There was no splash.

I saw him fur over like a stone mossing.

Now my herd is cursed. I don't dream

His lovely head thinned. His top lip gathered.

but spend my nights making bullets from coins

His eyes rose like bread. I carried him

and my days here. Forgive me Father for I have sinned.

It has been an hour since my last confession.

in a sack that grew lighter at every step

and dropped him from a bridge. There was no

splash. Now my herd’s elf-shot. I don’t dream

but spend my nights casting ball from half-crowns

and my days here. Bless me Father for I have sinned.

It has been an hour since my last confession.

Explanation

The poem 'The Lammas Hireling' by Ian Duhig is a dramatic monologue that tells the story of a farmer who hires a mysterious farmhand during the Lammas harvest. Initially, the hireling brings prosperity to the farm, but the farmer becomes suspicious and discovers the hireling's supernatural nature. The poem is rich with imagery and folklore, blending elements of magic and the supernatural with the mundane life of farming. The farmer's guilt and fear are palpable as he recounts the events leading to the hireling's death. The transformation of the hireling into an animalistic form and the farmer's subsequent actions reflect themes of guilt, transformation, and the unknown. The poem's structure and language create a sense of unease and mystery, drawing the reader into the farmer's troubled mind. The use of folklore and the supernatural serves to highlight the tension between reality and imagination, as well as the consequences of actions driven by fear and suspicion.

Word Dictionary10

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
hireling	worker	someone employed for a short time, often for a specific job	hire-ling
heifers	young cows	young female cows that haven't had a calf	hef-ers
warlock	wizard	a man who uses magic; a sorcerer	war-lock
muckle	much	a lot or a great amount	muh-kul
elf-shot	cursed	under a magical curse or spell	elf-shot
confession	admission	admitting to doing something wrong	con-fesh-un
sack	bag	a big bag made of strong material	sak
yields	produces	the quantity produced, like crops	yeelds
purse	wallet	a small bag for carrying money	purs
casting	making	forming material by pouring it into a mold	kast-ing

Poet & Context

PoetIan Duhig

EraContemporary

Ian Duhig is a British-Irish poet born in 1954 in London. He worked with homeless people before becoming a poet and has been involved in various literary and musical projects. Duhig is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has written for stage and anthologies.

View on Wikipedia

WhenContemporary

WhyThe poem is a dramatic monologue set in the past, based on Northern Irish folklore. It explores themes of guilt, transformation, and the supernatural, reflecting on the mysterious and magical elements of rural life.

FormDramatic Monologue

Themes & More

Themes

GuiltSupernaturalTransformationFolklore

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of the hireling and his transformation.Enjambment: Sentences run over multiple lines, creating suspense.Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds, e.g., 'disturbed,' 'dreams,' 'dear.'Metaphor: The hireling is compared to a 'cow with leather horns,' suggesting his unnatural nature.

Poetry Analysis

The Lammas Hireling

Original Poetry

Translation

The Lammas Hireling

After the fair, I felt cheerful and had plenty of money, he was so inexpensive.

by Ian Duhig

The cattle adored him: during his time, my cows only gave birth to plump calves.

After the fair, I’d still a light heart

The yields increased. I liked being with someone who knew when to be silent. Then one night,

and a heavy purse, he struck so cheap.

And cattle doted on him: in his time

I was awakened from dreams of my late wife,

mine only dropped heifers, fat as cream.

I traced her broken voice to his pale figure.

Yields doubled. I grew fond of company

He stood motionless in the light from the dark lantern,

that knew when to shut up. Then one night,

completely naked except for one bloody boot from a fox trap,

I realized he was a sorcerer, a cow with leather horns.

disturbed from dreams of my dear late wife,

The saying goes, going into the hare brings a lot of sorrow,

I hunted down her torn voice to his pale form.

Stock-still in the light from the dark lantern,

a lot of care. I aimed and shot him through the heart during the early hours.

stark-naked but for one bloody boot of fox-trap,

The moon appeared. By its yellow light,

I knew him a warlock, a cow with leather horns.

I saw him grow fur like moss on a stone.

To go into the hare gets you muckle sorrow,

His beautiful head shrank. His top lip curled.

His eyes rose like bread. I carried him

the wisdom runs, muckle care. I levelled

and blew the small hour through his heart.

in a sack that became lighter with every step

The moon came out. By its yellow witness

and dropped him from a bridge. There was no splash.

I saw him fur over like a stone mossing.

Now my herd is cursed. I don't dream

His lovely head thinned. His top lip gathered.

but spend my nights making bullets from coins

His eyes rose like bread. I carried him

and my days here. Forgive me Father for I have sinned.

It has been an hour since my last confession.

in a sack that grew lighter at every step

and dropped him from a bridge. There was no

splash. Now my herd’s elf-shot. I don’t dream

but spend my nights casting ball from half-crowns

and my days here. Bless me Father for I have sinned.

It has been an hour since my last confession.

Explanation

Word Dictionary10

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	Pron.
hireling	worker	someone employed for a short time, often for a specific job	hire-ling
heifers	young cows	young female cows that haven't had a calf	hef-ers
warlock	wizard	a man who uses magic; a sorcerer	war-lock
muckle	much	a lot or a great amount	muh-kul
elf-shot	cursed	under a magical curse or spell	elf-shot
confession	admission	admitting to doing something wrong	con-fesh-un
sack	bag	a big bag made of strong material	sak
yields	produces	the quantity produced, like crops	yeelds
purse	wallet	a small bag for carrying money	purs
casting	making	forming material by pouring it into a mold	kast-ing

Poet & Context

PoetIan Duhig

EraContemporary

View on Wikipedia

WhenContemporary

FormDramatic Monologue

Themes & More

Themes

GuiltSupernaturalTransformationFolklore

Literary devices