Andrew Lang's Poem 'Ballade Of Worldly Wealth'

“Ballade of Worldly Wealth” is a poem that takes place in the 1800 and 1900s. The poem takes a look of money and the affect is has on all of us. It talks about the soldiers, merchants, and priests. The work of Andrew Lang causes us to think about how money can fuel us. “Money moves the merchants all” (2) Money is the reason that merchants and soldiers do their work, and it talks about the greediness that money can cause. There is no specific location that this poem takes place in, because money is important all around the world. No matter where you are, there’ll be a currency of some kind. “Ballade of Worldly Wealth” is a ballad, as explained in the title. There are three stanzas with eight lines in each stanza. The ballad has an ABAB pattern. Lang has a pattern of one line talking about money and its influence. The next line provides imagery. This goes on throughout the ballad. “Money moves the merchants all / While the tides shall ebb and flow” (3-4)

In the first stanza, Lang talks about how money can be used to take over a town without any fighting. “Money taketh town and wall / Fort and ramp without a blow” (1-2) This line refers to bribery and corruption that can run rampant in government. In the next line, the merchants travel far and wide just so
“Money maketh” is often repeated throughout the poem to talk about the festival, evil, and sin that money causes. Lang acknowledges that money can drive people to work, but it also can create evil and sin, like robberies and fraud. Another phrase often repeated at the end of every stanza is “These alone can ne’er bestow / Youth, and health, and paradise.” This stanza helps drive the theme of the poem. When we think of wealthy people, we think of youthful, healthy people that are living a glamorous and easy life. Money itself can’t give you those things, however. Money won’t stop you from aging, from developing an illness, and you may still face