Lord Ullin’s Daughter Solved Questions by Thomas Campbell

“Lord Ullin’s Daughter” is a Scottish ballad. It draws its setting from the real landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Hoping that you have gone through the entire poem and is  adept with the theme and central idea of the poem. Listed below are a few related questions about Lord Ullin’s Daughter that you may take a look at:-

Question 1:

‘A chieftain, to the Highlands bound,
Cries, ‘Boatman, do not tarry!
And I’ll give thee a silver pound
To row us o’er the ferry!’

a. Who is the chieftain? Where was he going and why?

Chieftain is a Scottish chieftain, the chief of the island of Ulva. He is the lover of Lord Ullin’s daughter. They are eloping and are being pursued by the daughter’s father. The chieftain wants to cross Lochgyle as Lord Ullin and his men are following him.

b. Why does the chieftain offer the boatman a silver pound to be rowed across the river?

The lovers are being followed by the Lord Ullin’s men. If they are caught, the chieftain would be killed. Also, it is a stormy night and the boatman may not agree to row them so he offers a silver pound.

Question 2:

‘Out spoke the hardy Highland wight,
‘I’ll go, my chief- I’m ready:
It is not for your silver bright;
But for your winsome lady:’

a. Give two qualities of the speaker as apparent in this stanza. Give reasons for your answer.

The speaker is the boatman here. He is a valiant and a strong man. He agrees to row the two lovers across Lochgyle even in that dark and stormy weather. He is gallant and chivalrous towards the lady and agrees to risk his life for her sake.

b. What does ‘wight’ mean?

‘Wight’ means someone who is skilled in fighting. Here the word is used to describe the boatman.

Question 3:

‘By this the storm grew loud apace,
The water-wraith was shrieking;
And in the scowl of heaven each face
Grew dark as they were speaking.’

a. “The water-wraith was shrieking.” Bring out the symbolism in the line.

The water wraith is the spirit of the lake. The water of Lochgyle has become turbulent and very noisy due to the storm. ‘Shrieking’ here refers to the lamenting of the water. The poet has used a symbolism to prepare the reader for what is going to happen. The spirit of the lake seems to be lamenting at the imminent death of the two lovers.

b. Explain the last two lines of this stanza.

As the lovers are speaking to the boatman, the wind howls and grows stronger and becomes more violent. On the other hand, the sky is covered with dark grey clouds. The faces of the three appear unrecognizable in the dark.

Question 4:

 ‘the boat has left a stormy land,
a stormy sea before her-
when oh! too strong for human hand,
the tempest gathered o’er her.
and still they rowed amidst the roar
of waters fast prevailing;
lord ullin reach’d that fatal shore-
his wrath was chang’d to wailing.’

a. In the first two lines ‘stormy’ refers to two different things. What are they?

In the first line, ‘stormy’ refers to an angry father while in the second line it refers to the tempest that had taken place.

b. The lady faces a dilemma here. What is it about?

Her dilemma is whether she should face the angry storm at the sea or her father’s wrath.

c. Why is the shore called ‘fatal?’

The shore is called ‘fatal’ because Lord Ullin’s daughter who has just left the shore is going to die with her lover. It is a transferred epithet.

d. Why did Lord Ullin’s wrath turn into wailing?

When Lord Ullin saw his daughter trapped in the tempest at sea and was going to die, his wrath turned into wailing.

Question 5:

‘One lovely hand she stretch’d for aid.’ Do you think Lord Ullin’s daughter wanted to reach out for her father? Why?

Yes, I do think Lord Ullin’s daughter appealed to her father for help when she was caught in the tempest at the sea. She wanted her father to save her from the tempest in which she and her lover were trapped.

Question 6:

‘Come back! Come back! My daughter! – O my daughter!’ Why does the repetition of the above mentioned words show?

The grief-stricken Lord Ullin repeatedly calls out her daughter to return to her father. He also says that he would forgive her lover. Unfortunately, it was too late and he loses his daughter to the stormy sea and is left mourning for the loss.

Question 7:

What is a ballad? How is ‘Lord Ullin’s Daughter’ a ballad? Give reasons.

A ballad is a long narrative poem. It is often about a heroic incident or a romance and is sung with a musical instrument. ‘Lord Ullin’s Daughter’ has all these qualities of a ballad. It tells the tragic story of two lovers who were eloping and were pursued by the bride’s father. Ultimately, they meet their fate. They die a tragic death at the hands of nature. The poem has some musical effect too. The repetition of some sounds and the rhyming scheme of the poem make it musical. Therefore, due to all these qualities, this poem is a ballad.

Value Based Question

Question 8: 

Do you think the daughter was correct in her decision of defying her father? Why/ Why not? If you had been in the daughter’s place, what would you have done? What are the duties of children towards their parents?

Love is blind. Being in love, lovers do not realize the consequence of their impulsive decisions. Lord Ullin’s daughter and her lover decided to elope because they knew her father would not agree. She must have thought about her family’s reputation and honour. At the same time, she could not leave her lover for the sake of honour and status. Love means more than these. She must have tried to persuade her father and waited for his support. But alas! Her father did not accept the groom and so she had to defy her father and run away.
Children should be obedient towards their parents. They should realize that their parents are their well wishers and benefactors. They should keep their family’s honour and reputation too. We should not leave our parents for the sake of a two week’s relationship!

If I was in her place, I would have kept patience till my father would have agreed. Because for me, I love my family as much I love the chieftain.

Short Type Questions

Question 1 : “The water-wraith was shrieking.” Bring out the symbolism in the line.

The water wraith is the spirit of the lake. The water of Lochgyle has become turbulent and very noisy due to the storm. ‘Shrieking’ here refers to the lamenting of the water. The poet has used a symbolism to prepare the reader for what is going to happen. The spirit of the lake seems to be lamenting at the imminent death of the two lovers.

Question 2 : Why does the poet use words like ‘adown’ and ‘rode’ which contain harsh syllables?

The poet uses such harsh syllables to convey the anger and the fury of man in contrast to that of nature’s fury.

Question 3 :“The boat has left a stormy land, A stormy sea before her,”

a) In the first two lines ‘stormy’ refers to two different things. What are they?

In the first line, ‘stormy’ refers to an angry father while in the second line it refers to the tempest that had taken place.

b) The lady faces a dilemma here. What is it about?

Her dilemma is whether she should face the angry storm at the sea or her father’s wrath.

Question 4 : Give two qualities of the boatman as apparent in the poem, “Lord Ullin’s Daughter.”

The boatman is a kind as well as valiant man. He agrees to take the lovers across the sea even in such a terrible storm. This shows his valiant nature as well as his kindness towards the lady and his lover.

Question 5 : Explain the following phrases:

a) “bonny bird”– It refers to the beautiful bride and daughter of Lord Ullin. Bonny means charming.
b) “fatal shore”– “Fatal shore” is a transferred epithet. It is called ‘fatal’ because the daughter of Lord Ullin will face her death as she leaves the shore.

Question 6 : Give a few examples of alliteration from the poem.

The examples of alliteration are:

a. hardy Highland
b. human hand
c. water-wraith
d. storm and shade
e. water wild went

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