Barbara Allen's Cruelty

 

"Barbara Allen's Cruelty"

In Scarlet Town, there lived a beautiful maiden named Barbara Allen, whose charms captivated every young man's heart. Among her many admirers was a young man named Jemmye Grove, who lay on his deathbed, consumed by his love for her.

Knowing his end was near, Jemmye sent his most trusted servant to Barbara, bearing a message pleading for her presence. "You must come to my master, if you are the Barbara Allen he speaks of," the servant implored. "Death is upon him, and only your presence can offer him comfort."

Barbara, however, seemed unmoved by the young man's plight. With a coldness that chilled the servant to the bone, she replied, "Though death be printed on his face, and over his heart is stealing, yet little better shall he be for bonny Barbara Allen."

The servant, heartbroken by her indifference, returned to Jemmye, who clung to life, his hopes fading with each passing moment. When he learned of Barbara's callous response, a wave of despair washed over him. He turned his face to the wall, whispering his final goodbyes to the world and the love he could never have.

News of Jemmye's death spread through Scarlet Town, reaching Barbara as she walked through the fields. The church bell tolled mournfully, each clang a solemn reminder of the life lost. A strange unease gripped Barbara's heart as she heard the words, "Unworthy Barbara Allen," echoing in the bell's knell.

When Jemmye's funeral procession passed, Barbara had them lay down his corpse so she might look upon him one last time. Her friends, shocked by her behavior, cried out, "Unworthy Barbara Allen!" as she gazed down on Jemmye's lifeless form with an unsettling mix of curiosity and detachment.

That night, as Barbara lay in her bed, a profound sense of guilt and regret washed over her. The weight of her cruelty pressed down on her, and she realized the depth of her own heartlessness. She called for her mother, lamenting, "Hard-hearted creature I was to slight him, who loved me so dearly! O that I had been more kind to him when he was alive and near me!"

Barbara's remorse, however, came too late. She was consumed by the knowledge that her cruelty had driven Jemmye to his grave. As she lay on her own deathbed, she begged to be buried beside him, a final act of repentance for the love she had spurned.

Thus ends the tragic tale of Barbara Allen, a cautionary reminder of the devastating power of pride and indifference in the face of love. The ballad, like many others in the source, serves as a reminder of the enduring themes that have resonated with audiences for centuries, highlighting the consequences of human actions and the timeless struggle between love and loss.