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 still felt cheerful and had plenty of money, he was so cheap. The cattle adored him: during his time my cows only gave birth to fat calves. Profits doubled. I liked the company that knew when to be quiet. Then one night, woken from dreams of my late wife, I followed her broken voice to his pale shape. He stood still in the light of the dark lantern, naked except for a bloody fox-trap boot, I realized he was a sorcerer, a cow with fake horns. Going into the hare brings you a lot of sorrow, the saying goes, a lot of trouble. I aimed and shot him through the heart in 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 got lighter with each step and dropped him from a bridge. There was no splash. Now my cattle are 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)

Robert Ian Duhig is a British-Irish poet born in 1954. He worked for 15 years with homeless people before becoming a poet. Duhig has written for magazines, newspapers, and the stage, and has been involved in various musical and literary projects. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Dramatic monologue
When Written: 2003
Background: The poem is based on Northern Irish folklore and explores themes of guilt, transformation, and superstition. It reflects on the mysterious and supernatural elements of rural life and the psychological impact of guilt and sin.

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 and seemingly magical 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. In a fit of fear and superstition, the farmer kills the hireling, believing him to be a warlock. The poem explores themes of guilt, transformation, and the supernatural, drawing on Northern Irish folklore. The farmer's confession at the end reveals his deep sense of guilt and the psychological burden of his actions. The poem uses vivid imagery and symbolism, such as the transformation of the hireling into a hare and the moon's yellow light, to convey the eerie and haunting atmosphere. The narrative structure and use of enjambment create a sense of urgency and tension, reflecting the farmer's inner turmoil and the mysterious nature of the hireling.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
hireling	worker	a person hired to do basic work	hire-ling
doted	adored	to love or care for deeply	do-ted
heifers	young cows	young female cows	hei-fers
warlock	sorcerer	a man who practices magic	war-lock
muckle	much	a lot	muck-le
elf-shot	cursed	supernaturally cursed	elf-shot
confession	admission	admitting guilt	con-fes-sion
sinned	done wrong	did something wrong	sinned
yields	produces	what is produced	yields
stark-naked	completely naked	totally unclothed	stark-naked
stock-still	motionless	not moving at all	stock-still
pale	light-colored	light in color	pale
mossing	covering	growing moss	moss-ing
fur	hair	animal hair	fur
casting	making	creating by shaping	cast-ing