The Lammas Hireling by Ian Duhig — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

The 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 bread. I carried him 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.

Translation (English)

After the fair, I felt cheerful and had plenty of money, he was so inexpensive. The cattle adored him: during his time, my cows only gave birth to plump calves. The yields increased. I liked being with someone who knew when to be silent. Then one night, I was awakened from dreams of my late wife, I traced her broken voice to his pale figure. He stood motionless in the light from the dark lantern, completely naked except for one bloody boot from a fox trap, I realized he was a sorcerer, a cow with leather horns. The saying goes, going into the hare brings a lot of sorrow, a lot of care. I aimed and shot him through the heart during the early hours. The moon appeared. By its yellow light, I saw him grow fur like moss on a stone. His beautiful head shrank. His top lip curled. His eyes rose like bread. I carried him in a sack that became lighter with every step and dropped him from a bridge. There was no splash. Now my herd is cursed. I don't dream but spend my nights making bullets from coins and my days here. Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It has been an hour since my last confession.

About the Poet

Ian Duhig (Contemporary)

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.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Dramatic Monologue
When Written: Contemporary
Background: The 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.

Sources: https://poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/the-lammas-hireling/, https://poemanalysis.com/ian-duhig/the-lammas-hireling/, https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/ian-duhig/the-lammas-hireling

Detailed 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.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
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