Bard

Bard is a literary term for a poet, which is now considered as an archaic term. Traditionally, bards used to recite epics and were associated with a particular oral tradition.

'The Bard' denotes Shakespeare in English literature. However, the expression is also considered archaic. This term is also used in certain phrases such as the Bard of Avon for Shakespeare; the Bard of Ayrshire for Burns; the Bard of Hope for Campbell; the Bard of Imagination for Akenside; the Bard of Memory for Rogers; the Bard of Olney for Cowper; the Bard of Rydal Mount for Wordsworth; and the Bard of Twickenham for Pope.

The word came into Middle English from various sources of Celtic origin. In the 16th century Scotland this word was being used as a derogatory term for an itinerant musician. However, it was later much romanticized by the Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott.

Bard is also a slice of bacon. It is placed on meat or game (the wild mammals or birds hunted for sport or food) before being roasted.

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