A young woman tells how a faithless shepherd courted her, stole her heart, and then abandoned her. Her story moves through the seasons of love and neglect: when her apron hung low, hinting at pregnancy, he pursued her through frost and snow. Once her body began to show shame—the apron puckered—he disappeared. In the easy summer nights he guarded her, but when winter’s dark set in, no one came. Now she is left wishing desperately for a lost innocence, knowing she can never be a maid again. The final line asks when the green grass will cover her, a plainspoken wish for death. The regret isn’t fiery; it’s exhausted and still. Clare uses folk-like, almost song-like words that make the loneliness feel raw and immediate. The poem creates a mood of quiet desolation—a sorrow too deep for tears, only for the grave.
Ballad — Summary
A faithless shepherd courted me, He stole away my liberty. When my poor heart was strange to men, He came and smiled and stole it then.
When my apron would hang low, Me he sought through frost and snow. When it puckered up with shame, And I sought him, he never came.
When summer brought no fears to fright, He came to guard me every night. When winter nights did darkly prove, None came to guard me or to love.
I wish, I wish, but all in vain, I wish I was a maid again. A maid again I cannot be, O when will green grass cover me?