The Serpent Knight, and Other Ballads
1913
These are Victorian folk ballads that feel ancient and urgent. Borrow channels the old oral tradition, songs passed down through generations about enchantments, transformations, and loves that blur the line between human and otherworldly. The title ballad stands out: a maiden must decide whether to accept a serpent as a lover, only to discover him transformed into a noble knight. Other pieces explore the deadly allure of the Elfin Queen, mermaids who drown sailors, and stepmothers who curse. These aren't gentle nursery rhymes. They are dark, passionate, sexually charged narratives where love often proves fatal and beauty hides teeth. Borrow wrote these in the twilight of his career, yet they feel timeless, as if recovered from some medieval manuscript. The language ripples with rhythm meant to be spoken or sung aloud, and the images linger: a serpent's scales, a knight frozen in enchantment, the cold kiss of the sea. For readers who crave myth, Gothic atmosphere, and verse that feels discovered rather than composed.
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