A Pastoral Ballad

By Thomas Moore

    BY JOHN BULL.             Dublin, March 12, 1827.--Friday, after the arrival of the packet bringing the account of the defeat of the Catholic Question, in the House of Commons, orders were sent to the Pigeon-House to forward 5,000,000 rounds of musket-ball cartridge to the different garrisons round the country.--Freeman's Journal.     I have found out a gift for my Erin,         A gift that will surely content her:--     Sweet pledge of a love so endearing!         Five millions of bullets I've sent her.     She askt me for Freedom and Right,         But ill she her wants understood;--     Ball cartridges, morning and night,         Is a dose that will do her more good.     There is hardly a day of our lives         But we read, in some amiable trials,     How husbands make love to their wives         Thro' the medium of hemp and of vials.     One thinks, with his mistress or mate         A good halter is sure to agree--     That love-knot which, early and late,         I have tried, my dear Erin, on thee.     While another, whom Hymen has blest         With a wife that is not over placid,     Consigns the dear charmer to rest,         With a dose of the best Prussic acid.     Thus, Erin! my love do I show--         Thus quiet thee, mate of my bed!     And, as poison and hemp are too slow,         Do thy business with bullets instead.     Should thy faith in my medicine be shaken,         Ask Roden, that mildest of saints;     He'll tell thee, lead, inwardly taken,         Alone can remove thy complaints;--     That, blest as thou art in thy lot,         Nothing's wanted to make it more pleasant     But being hanged, tortured and shot,         Much oftener than thou art at present.     Even Wellington's self hath averred         Thou art yet but half sabred and hung,     And I loved him the more when I heard         Such tenderness fall from his tongue.     So take the five millions of pills,         Dear partner, I herewith inclose;     'Tis the cure that all quacks for thy ill,         From Cromwell to Eldon, propose.     And you, ye brave bullets that go,         How I wish that, before you set out,     The Devil of the Freischtz could know         The good work you are going about.     For he'd charm ye, in spite of your lead.         Into such supernatural wit.     That you'd all of you know, as you sped,         Where a bullet of sense ought to hit.

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Analysis & Notes:
This poem, penned by John Bull, is a biting satirical critique of British colonial rule in Ireland, specifically referencing the defeat of the Catholic Question in the British House of Commons in 1827. Bull employs a mocking, scornful tone, using the metaphor of a toxic love affair to symbolize the oppressive relationship between Britain and Ireland.

The poem's structure is consistent, adhering to a regular rhythmic and rhyme scheme, which belies the harsh and brutal realities it describes. The use of dark humor and irony is prominent throughout, as the speaker, a representative of Britain, professes his 'love' for Erin (a personification of Ireland) through acts of violence and oppression. This juxtaposition of affectionate language with violent actions creates a deeply unsettling and provocative effect.

Bull's use of vivid imagery, such as "ball cartridges, morning and night" and "hanged, tortured and shot", underscores the brutality of British rule, while the repeated references to harmful 'gifts' (bullets, poison, hemp) emphasize the destructive impacts of colonialism. The poem ends with a call to the bullets, personifying them as agents carrying out a 'good work' – a final, chilling demonstration of the poem's underlying critique of colonial violence. This work is a powerful commentary on historical events, using the medium of poetry to expose and challenge injustice.

Understanding Satirical Poetry

Satirical poems use wit, irony, exaggeration, and ridicule to expose folly—personal, social, or political. The aim isn’t just laughter: it’s critique that nudges readers toward insight or change.


Common characteristics of satirical poetry:

  • Targeted Critique: Focuses on specific behaviors, institutions, or ideas—often timely, sometimes timeless.
  • Tools of Irony: Uses sarcasm, parody, understatement, and hyperbole to sharpen the point.
  • Voice & Persona: Speakers may be unreliable or exaggerated to reveal contradictions and hypocrisy.
  • Form Flexibility: Appears in couplets, tercets, quatrains, blank verse, or free verse—music serves the mockery.
  • Moral Pressure: Beneath the humor lies ethical pressure—satire seeks reform, not merely amusement.
  • Public & Personal: Can lampoon public figures and trends or needle private vanities and everyday pretenses.

The best satire balances bite with craft: memorable lines that entertain while revealing the gap between how things are and how they ought to be.