Drake's Drum - A poem by Sir Henry Newbolt

Sir Henry Newbolt - Drake's Drum

Drake he's in his hammock an' a thousand miles 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-dancing' 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?) 
Roving' tho' his death fell, he went wi' heart at ease, 
A' 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 drumm'd 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!

Added: on July 20th, 2006 at 4:16 PM | Viewed: 3655 times | Comments (5)

Drake's Drum - Comments and Information
Poet: Sir Henry Newbolt Poem: Drake's Drum Comment 5 of 5, added on May 23rd, 2010 at 6:52 PM. I don't know whether this is the same setting of the poem you're talking about, but I know there is a recording by Bryn Terfel and the Bournmouth Symphony Orchestra released by Chandos (with Delius' 'Sea Drift' on there a well). CV Stanford set a load of Newbolt's poetry in his song cycles 'Songs of the Sea' and 'Songs of the Fleet' which are well worth a listen to. Tere's the IMSLP for the musical score of 'Drake's Drum'... it's only the chorus part but it has most of it if you fancy a bit of a sing! I'm doing my dissertation on settings of maritime poetry in English song between 1900 and 1920 so I've had 'Drake's Drum' blasting out pretty much constantly. It's a cracker! Ali Hodkinson from United Kingdom Comment 4 of 5, added on July 19th, 2009 at 1:24 PM. The song, "Drake's Drum"(words by Sir Henry Newbolt) was sung by Bryn ? recently on either Classic F.M. or BBC Radio 2.(I can't remember which!) Shortly after hearing it (probably for only the second time in my life - I'm a 61 yr. old Cornish born and bred: returned "home" 4years ago following an "exile" of 40years )- I accompanied a group of French students to Plymouth and gave them a brief rendition of the legend of Drake's drum, under his statue on Plymouth Hoe.( The Spanish students weren't with us on that excursion!) Allison Nash from United Kingdom Comment 3 of 5, added on July 20th, 2006 at 4:16 PM. Drake was consigned to the deep sewn up in his hammock, which as was customary among seamen was used as his shroud. We learned the poem in school in England in the early 1950's, and yes, the tune is stirring. Play up, play up and play the game was also a school favorite. And Kipling...! Good times! Sonia Murray from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Drake's Drum, has received 5 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Sir Henry Newbolt with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
Drake's Drum Last read: 2010-09-04 13:22:44 Viewed 3655 times. Added on July 20th, 2006 at 4:16 PM.

Newbolt Info
Biography More Poems (13 poems) Books