Ay, here such valorous deeds were done As ne'er were done before; Ay, here the reddest wreath was won That ever Gallia wore: Since Ariosto's wondrous knight Made all the Pagans dance, There never dawned a day so bright As Waterloo's on France. The trumpet poured its deafening sound -- Flags fluttered on the gale; And cannon roared, and heads flew round As fast as summer hail: The sabres flashed; with rage and fear The steeds began to prance; The English quaked from front to rear, -- They never quake in France! The cuirassiers rode in and out, As fierce as wolves and bears; 'T was grand to see them slash about Among the English squares! And then the Polish lancer came, Careering with his lance; -- No wonder Britain blushed for shame, And ran away from France. The Duke of York was killed that day -- The King was sadly scarred; -- Lord Eldon, as he ran away, Was taken by the Guard. Poor Wellington, with fifty Blues, Escaped by some strange chance; Henceforth, I think he'll hardly choose To shew himself in France. So Buonaparte pitched his tent That day in Grosvenor Place; And Ney rode straight to Parliament, And broke the Speaker's mace. 'Vive L'Empereur' was said and sung, From Peebles to Penzance; The Mayor and Aldermen were hung, Which made folks laugh in France. They pulled the Tower of London down; They burned our wooden walls; They brought his Holiness to Town, And lodged him in St Paul's. And Gog and Magog rubbed their eyes, Awaking from a trance; And grumbled out, in great surprise, 'O mercy! we're in France!' They sent a Regent to our Isle, -- The little King of Rome; And squibs and crackers all the while Blazed in the Place Vendome. And ever since, in arts and power They're making great advance; They've had strong beer from that glad hour, And sea-coal fires in France. My uncle, Captain Flanigan, Who lost a leg in Spain, Tells stories of a little man, Who died at St Helene. But bless my heart! they can't be true, I'm sure they're all romance; John Bull was beat at Waterloo -- They'll swear to that in France! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MARRIAGE A-LA-MODE: SONG by JOHN DRYDEN THE MOTHER WATCH by EDGAR ALBERT GUEST WHEN FIRST MY WAY by ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN MY PICTURE LEFT IN SCOTLAND by BEN JONSON IN THE PINK' by SIEGFRIED SASSOON AMONG THE REDWOODS by EDWARD ROWLAND SILL |