The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver

by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Beth Peck (Illustrator)

A picture book version of the Millay poem, in which a poor boy's mother worries about giving him food and clothing for the winter

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Picture Books, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet and playwright. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923, the third woman to win the award for poetry, and was also known for her feminist activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work.

This famous portrait of Vincent (as she was called by friends) was taken by Carl Van Vechten in 1933.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read out loud by Naomi Atrubin at the holiday meeting of the UU Social Justice Discussion Group. An amazing poem.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly beautiful.

[Dave Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas miracles in the realm of the destitute

Throughout these numerous years that I have participated in the #nobelreadingchallenge and the #pulitzerreadingchallenge , I have undertaken some massive works of poetry that span several hundred pages. #theballadoftheharpweaver by #ednastvincentmillay was a pleasant surprise in that it was a single, focused and concise poem about the love of a mother for her son. Widowed and left on abject poverty, the poem tells of the heartfelt sacrifice the mother makes to make the holiday a little less miserable for her son. As the story is set in the winter in the shadow of Christmas it definitely feels as if it should be read out loud in front of a raging hearth. As it is in the vein of "Gift of the Magi" and "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (aka Night Before Christmas " , it is surprising that it didn't make it into the traditional pantheon of holiday tales.

[Evelyn]

Don't recall this poem and very curious whether St Vincent Millay based it on an old fairy tale. It's different than many stories in which the noble child goes off and returns to save his suffering family. In this instance, the mother is the one to make life-saving magic, and she does so with a harp. There is a very interesting biographical note about St Vincent Millay and her relationship with her mother-- this poem was dedicated to her.

SPOILER

The mother does not survive. Many other reviewers are troubled by the grimness of the story. I find that to be typical of fairy tales that haven't been disney-fied but agree that it's a good idea to review stories and decide if they're a good match for your child/classroom.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good example of why parents should pre-read the books they read aloud. This poem starts out light-hearted enough, but I was not prepared for the sadness - and the creepiness - of the ending. I love picture books that illustrate poems, but this one is definitely for an older audience and not for preschoolers. My three-year-old didn't understand it, so it worked out, but if she had understood the ending, it would have been difficult to discuss it with her.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic

Classic. Needs a re-read to appreciate the use of language and poetic form and to appreciate the history of it.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

cute sad

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit depressing for my taste. (A mother freezes to death making clothes from a magic harp for her son).