Drake he"s in his hammock an" a thousand mile away, (Capten, art tha sleepin" there below?)Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay, An" dreamin" arl the time o" Plymouth Hoe.
Yarnder lumes the Island, yarnder lie the ships, Wi" sailor lads a-dancin" heel-an"-toe,An" the shore-lights flashin", an" the night-tide dashin",He sees et arl so plainly as he saw et long ago.
Drake he was a Devon man, an" ruled the Devon seas, (Capten, art tha sleepin" there below?)Rovin" tho" his death fell, he went wi" heart at ease, An" dreamin" arl the time o" Plymouth Hoe.
"Take my drum to England, hang et by the shore, Strike et when your powder"s runnin" low;If the Dons sight Devon, I"ll quit the port o" Heaven,An" drum them up the Channel as we drummed them long ago."Drake he"s in his hammock till the great Armadas come,(Capten, art tha sleepin" there below? )Slung atween the round shot, listenin" for the drum, An" dreamin" arl the time o" Plymouth Hoe.
Call him on the deep sea, call him up the Sound, Call him when ye sail to meet the foe;Where the old trade"s plyin" an" the old flag flyin"
They shall find him ware an" wakin", as they found him long ago!
Sir Henry Newbolt.
Author.-Sir Henry Newbolt (1862-1938), English poet, educated at Oxford, and practised as a barrister. He secured popularity by the patriotic ring and fervour of his verse in Admirals All, The Island Race, The Sailing of the Long Ships, and Poems New and Old. He also wrote plays, prose romances, naval and military histories, and edited anthologies.
General Notes.-Read the life of Sir Francis Drake in an English history text-book. Note that the poem is written in the Devonshire dialect. Drake died on his ship off Portobello. near Nombre de Dies Bay, coast of Panama, on 28th January, 1596. He was buried in a leaden coffin. Plymouth Hoe is a lofty and rocky ridge just outside the town of Plymouth, in Devonshire. The "drum" was evidently used as a call to quarters when the enemy was in sight. Write a little essay on " Great English Seamen."
