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Poem
July 3, 1897
Narragansett Herald
Narragansett Pier, Washington County, Rhode Island
What is this article about?
A narrative poem celebrating the poet's great-great-grandfather, a brave Revolutionary War soldier who courted his beloved, fought against the British and Tories, and rejoiced in American independence, with echoes from Philadelphia bells.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
He cut a gallant figure
In bonnie buff and blue:
A goodly sight his buckles bright
And primly powdered queue!
A more courageous quester
Ne'er served Sultan nor Shah
Than he, my brave ancestor,
My great-great-grandpapa!
And then in his elation
Did my forefather gay,
Speak out the word he'd long deferred
For fear she'd say him "Nay;"
And when he saw how tender
Within her eyes the light,
He cried: "In your surrender
I read—we win the fight!"
And when the freedom-paean
Swept, surge-like, through the dells—
A mighty clang whose echoes rang
From Philadelphia bells—
Loud from a stern old steeple
He hurled the proud hurrah,
The joy-peal to the people,
My great-great-grandpapa!
So bald the brutal Briton
A "thief" beneath his sword:
A Tory he conceived to be
The basest cur abroad:
And not—his neighbors wondered
He looked upon them so
Forsooth, that is one hundred
And twenty years ago!
How true the happy presage
In faith, how just and true
The whole long life of love and strife,
Then saint and blue
Beyond all touch of travail,
With great-great-grandmamma
Now speeding time, slips by in rhyme
For great-great-grandpapa!
—Clayton Scollard
In bonnie buff and blue:
A goodly sight his buckles bright
And primly powdered queue!
A more courageous quester
Ne'er served Sultan nor Shah
Than he, my brave ancestor,
My great-great-grandpapa!
And then in his elation
Did my forefather gay,
Speak out the word he'd long deferred
For fear she'd say him "Nay;"
And when he saw how tender
Within her eyes the light,
He cried: "In your surrender
I read—we win the fight!"
And when the freedom-paean
Swept, surge-like, through the dells—
A mighty clang whose echoes rang
From Philadelphia bells—
Loud from a stern old steeple
He hurled the proud hurrah,
The joy-peal to the people,
My great-great-grandpapa!
So bald the brutal Briton
A "thief" beneath his sword:
A Tory he conceived to be
The basest cur abroad:
And not—his neighbors wondered
He looked upon them so
Forsooth, that is one hundred
And twenty years ago!
How true the happy presage
In faith, how just and true
The whole long life of love and strife,
Then saint and blue
Beyond all touch of travail,
With great-great-grandmamma
Now speeding time, slips by in rhyme
For great-great-grandpapa!
—Clayton Scollard
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Patriotism
War Military
Love Courtship
What keywords are associated?
Great Great Grandpapa
American Revolution
Courtship
Battle
Philadelphia Bells
Tory
British
Ancestor
What entities or persons were involved?
Clayton Scollard
Poem Details
Author
Clayton Scollard
Subject
Ancestor In The American Revolution
Key Lines
He Cut A Gallant Figure
In Bonnie Buff And Blue:
A Goodly Sight His Buckles Bright
And Primly Powdered Queue!
A More Courageous Quester
Ne'er Served Sultan Nor Shah
Than He, My Brave Ancestor,
My Great Great Grandpapa!
And When The Freedom Paean
Swept, Surge Like, Through The Dells—
A Mighty Clang Whose Echoes Rang
From Philadelphia Bells—
So Bald The Brutal Briton
A "Thief" Beneath His Sword:
A Tory He Conceived To Be
The Basest Cur Abroad:
Now Speeding Time, Slips By In Rhyme
For Great Great Grandpapa!