Shortly after the death of the late John Brown, when it was announced that the Queen had had a statue of him erected in the grounds at Balmoral, it was also rumoured that Tennyson was writing a poem in his honour. A jocular author suggested that it might run as follows:—
Trash about bells and the merry March hare
Wrote I once at the royal summons.
More of us Danes than Antic Rum-uns!
No; let me see! I'll our welcome of thee,
Alexandra!
Have I gone mad, or taken a drappie?
Norman and Saxon and Dane a wee,
Just a wee drappie intil our ee,
My Indo-Teuton-Celtic chappie!