This year’s folksong, Sweet Polly Oliver, is a classic English ballad in the vein of a universal trope.
Rather than be separated from her true love, a young woman adopts the disguise of a male soldier and follows him into the army.
If that sounds like a familiar plot, it should. Hua Mulan is the classic Chinese tale of a daughter who joins the army in a gesture of filial love, serving in her father’s place. Do any others come to mind?
We look forward to singing with you at the retreat.
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