<p><em>The Rhyme of the Reddleman&rsquo;s Daughter&nbsp;</em>originated from a story the poet&rsquo;s four-year-old daughter told him in her bath&hellip; &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell a story from my mouth &hellip;&rdquo; her term for an oral story rather than one read from a book.</p><p>Book-ended with the idea of the Reddleman or Raddleman (a liminal figure who would travel the chalk hills marking sheep with a red dye at pairing time), the ballad is rooted in the landscape, flora and fauna of the&nbsp;South Downs.</p><p>The ballad form became the most fitting way of uniting form and content, and like&nbsp;<em>Songs of Innocence&nbsp;</em><em>and Experience</em>&nbsp;it is written for both adults and&nbsp;children.</p>