Songs of Action

BY A. CONAN DOYLE
AUTHOR OF ‘MICAH CLARKE’ ‘THE WHITE COMPANY’ ‘RODNEY STONE’ ‘UNCLE BERNAC’ ETC.
SEVENTH IMPRESSION
LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1916
What of the bow? The bow was made in England: Of true wood, of yew-wood, The wood of English bows; So men who are free Love the old yew-tree And the land where the yew-tree grows.
What of the cord? The cord was made in England: A rough cord, a tough cord, A cord that bowmen love; And so we will sing Of the hempen string And the land where the cord was wove.
What of the shaft? The shaft was cut in England: A long shaft, a strong shaft, Barbed and trim and true; So we’ll drink all together To the grey goose-feather And the land where the grey goose flew.
What of the mark? Ah, seek it not in England, A bold mark, our old mark Is waiting over-sea. When the strings harp in chorus, And the lion flag is o’er us, It is there that our mark will be.
What of the men? The men were bred in England: The bowmen—the yeomen, The lads of dale and fell. Here’s to you—and to you! To the hearts that are true And the land where the true hearts dwell.
The Grenadiers of Austria are proper men and tall; The Grenadiers of Austria have scaled the city wall; They have marched from far away Ere the dawning of the day, And the morning saw them masters of Cremona.
There’s not a man to whisper, there’s not a horse to neigh; Of the footmen of Lorraine and the riders of Duprés, They have crept up every street, In the market-place they meet, They are holding every vantage in Cremona.
The Marshal Villeroy he has started from his bed; The Marshal Villeroy has no wig upon his head; ‘I have lost my men!’ quoth he, ‘And my men they have lost me, And I sorely fear we both have lost Cremona.’