For example, the story begins with Jesus asking his mother if he can go down there to play. Next, Jesus tells his readers that there are too many sinful souls crying out for help and that he will not send them all to hell. This folk ballad does not seem to lack descriptive details. In the first quatrain, the poet writes: As it fell on a May morning, And during a brilliant feast, sweet Jesus asked his dear mother if he could go and play. The poet seems to establish the fact that this story took place on a May Morning, and during a bright holiday for such emphasis on a holiday or a particular time of year. Although this poem does not lack many descriptions, it generally lacks elements of characterization. For example, in the sixth quatrain, the poet writes: Sweet Jesus turned him around, and he neither laughed nor smiled, but tears flowed from his eyes, like water from heaven. Who did Jesus turn around for? Unruly little children? And why was Jesus crying? Did Jesus feel the children's emotions and cry? Or cry for all the sins that have been