Lammas Hireling
By Ian Duhig
After the fair, I’d still a light heart
and a heavy purse, he struck so cheap.
And cattle doted on him: in his time
mine only dropped heifers, fat as cream.
Yields doubled. I grew fond of company
that knew when to shut up. Then one night,disturbed from dreams of my dear late wife,
I hunted down her torn voice to his pale form.
Stock-still in the light from the dark lantern,
stark-naked but for one bloody boot of fox-trap,
I knew him a warlock, a cow with leather horns.
To go into the hare gets you muckle sorrow,the wisdom runs, muckle care. I levelled
and blew the small hour through his heart.
The moon came out. By its yellow witness
I saw him fur over like a stone mossing.
His lovely head thinned. His top lip gathered.
His eyes rose like Lammas Hireling. I carried himin 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.
Summary of Lammas Hireling
- Popularity of “Lammas Hireling”: “Lammas Hireling” by Ian Duhig, a British poem, is an interesting piece about a hireling. It first appeared in his collection in 2003. The poem was also selected for T. S. Eliot Prize and won the National Poetry Award and then Forward Award. The beauty of the poem lies in its direct address of a hireling or a helping hand and his situation in which the poet feels sympathy for him.
- “Lammas Hireling” As a Representative of Folk Superstitions: The poet opens the poem with a farmer narrating his ordeal. He feels happy after having money after the Lammas festival that he participated in. He goes and hirs a young lad whom his herd loves and the young man also loves his herd of animals. The cows and heifers become healthy and plump, while the milk production also increases. The farmer likes the young hireling. Soon he sees his dead wife in his dreams, warning him about the hireling, and when the farmer sees his hireling, he sees him in such a state as if he is practicing magic. Incensed, he shoots him dead and takes him to throw his body but sees that he has become rather a hare. When he throws him below the bridge, nothing happens and he just forgets until he confesses it before Father to wash his sin away.
- Major Themes in “Lammas Hireling”: Superstition, remorseless and religious duplicity are three major themes of this poem. The story of the farmer shows his superstitious nature as he goes after his wife after she warns him in his dreams and follows his hireling until he is convinced that he is a male witch that he deserves to be killed. Despite having committed this sin and gotten it forgiven after the confession before Father, he still feels remorseless and says that he has committed the sin. This also shows the duplicity of the religious order that they forgive the people having committed grave sins like murders.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used In “Lammas Hireling”
literary devices bring variety, interest, and attraction into simple poetic pieces. Ian Duhig has also used some literary devices in this poem whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ and /a/ in “After the fair, I’d still a light heart” the sound of /o/ and /a/ in “mine only dropped heifers, fat as cream” and the sound of /e/ in “that knew when to shut up. Then one night.”
- Alliteration: The poem shows the use of alliteration in the shape of initial consonant sounds of the neighboring words such as the sound of /b/ in “bloody boot”, and the sound of /d/ in “don’t dream.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ and /l/ in “Stock-still in the light from the dark lantern” and the sound of /h/ and /s/ in “It has been an hour since my last confession.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
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.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Ian Duhi has used imagery in this poem such as “And cattle doted on him: in his time/mine only dropped heifers, fat as cream”, “To go into the hare gets your muckle sorrow” and “His eyes rose like Lammas Hireling.”
- Personification: The poem shows the use of personifications such as wisdom and muckle as both have been shown as having life and emotions of their own. The poet has personified them.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of symbols of animals to show his hatred for magic and his superstitious nature.
- Simile: The poem shows the use of similes such as “fat as cream” and “I saw him fur over like a stone mossing.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Lammas Hireling”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: The poem shows the use of standard poetic diction with a serious and indifferent tone.
- Free Verse: The poem is a free verse poem as it does not follow any rhyming pattern.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. The poem has four stanzas with each having six verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Lammas Hireling” are appropriate to quote about the significance of confession.
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.
