Hotspur

The arrows flew like a storm of hail,

Half the King’s army fell,

For every arrow had found its mark

And the prince was hit as well,

So Hotspur rallied his men to take

The Standard from the crown,

But when he opened his visor

One of their arrows cut him down.

 

How are the mighty fallen,

How the prince had sat and wept,

To see the body of Hotspur

On the date that his fate had kept,

He’d helped King Henry onto the throne

But Henry played him false,

And now the Lord of the Marches lay

For some god-forsaken cause.

 

They buried him down at Whitchurch

With full honours as his due,

But he was larger than life, and so

The muttering rumours grew,

King Henry had him disinterred

To prove that he was dead,

And ran a spear through his body

With two millstones at his head.

 

The wrath of a reigning monarch

Owes no debt to loyal deeds,

The times that the Percy’s fought his wars

Had kept his borders free,

They’d routed the Scottish armies

And they’d kept the peace in Wales,

But once they had tried to thwart him

He rewarded them with nails.

 

They quartered Sir Harry Hotspur

Sent his head on up to York,

The rest of him went to Bristol, London

Chester, so they’d talk,

The rebels saw that their champion

Was well and truly dead,

For looking over his former lands

At York, had stared his head.

 

Some folk are living and dying, with

No line to say they’ve been,

Whether a peasant or nobleman,

A King or a handsome Queen,

But some go on in the history books

For a thousand years or more,

With a heart like Harry Hotspur’s

Beating upon our shore.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Tate Morgan]

The wrath of a reigning monarch

Owes no debt to loyal deeds,

Now there is the truth if ever i read it. Amazing the horrors of the christian kings and queens. Bloody mary and her sister Elisabeth through all of them run this almost inssaciable need to bleed the country dry. The romance o9f the english throne may make good fodder for the story books But it was a grusome thing to be a monarch in the days of old.

[Tarry Franck]

I'm so moved by your writings - very well pen'd

[Sheila Kline]

History comes alive with your vivid account of the life of Harry Hotspur! I came to read this yesterday and was off to brush up on my history as my research during my genealogy has me linked centuries ago to the De Nevilles (&other spelling), and the Percy's and much about the Battle of Calais. I spent so much time on my family tree last eve that I did not return to review, but I thank you for reviving my interest in genealogy! .....so many Percy's, so many Nevilles Your poems have a way of doing that!! The earliest Percy I could find was Henry, born @ 1301 had daughter Maud who married John Neville, had son Ralph in Castle Raby and who would be my 17th. greatgrandfather....and on, and on! I just love the research!!

So many of your poems have historical facts woven in them..........this one is a full blanket!

Very well done, and intriguing!! Ah, but what a gruesome death! So many were drawn and quartered during these past ages. Wasn't a Percy killed by King Henry VIII? One who had ties to the Scottish and was a threat to him? I must check my history again!

THANK YOU!!

[spiritwind]

Please write history books! Your poems give such flavor and meaningful tapestry to the human experience behind dry historical facts.

[Baby Ricochet]

Ripping

[Siren]

Whenever I read your work, I feel like I'm upturning some rich, deep soil in a foreign land. While most of your topics are ones I have no previous knowledge of, I find that I would rather learn from your writing than articles by dry old historians. Great work my friend. I have enjoyed it all!

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Yet another good story as always. Thanks for sharing.

[ROSALIND]

Another classic poem i like all your poems and the flowing of the words great write my friend

[Marie]

I've hear the name "Harry Hotspur" but didn't know his history. Thanks for the tale.

[Jack...]

Now don't go losing your head over this comment, but this was great. I lovely tale of heroes and enemies and how the pages of history find themsleves written.