Classic and Contemporary Poetry
DE PAPINEAU GUN - AN INCIDENT OF THE CANADIAN REBELLION,1837, by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND First Line: Bon jour, m'sieu' - you want to know Last Line: Salut, wolfred! Salut, louis! | ||||||||
BON jour, M'sieu' -- you want to know 'Bout dat ole gun -- w'at good she's for? W'y! Jean Bateese Bruneau -- mon pere, Fight wit' dat gun on Pap'neau War! Long tam since den you say -- C'est vrai, An' me too young for 'member well, But how de patriot fight an' die, I offen hear de ole folk tell. De English don't ack square dat tam, Don't geev de habitants no show, So 'long come Wolfred Nelson Wit' Louis Joseph Papineau. An' swear de peep mus' have deir right. Wolfred he's write Victoriaw, But she's no good, so den de war Commence among de habitants. Mon pere he leev to Grande Brule. So smarter man you never see, Was alway on de grande hooraw! Plaintee w'at you call "Esprit!" An' w'en dey form wan compagnie All dress wit' tuque an' ceinture sash Ma fader tak' hees gun wit' heem An' marche away to Saint Eustache. We'ere many patriots was camp Wit' brave Chenier, deir Capitaine, W'en 'long come English Generale, An' more two t'ousan' sojer man. De patriot dey go on church An' feex her up deir possibill; Dey fight deir bes', but soon fin' out "Canon de bois" no good for kill. An' den de church she come on fire, An' burn almos' down to de groun', So w'at you t'ink our man can do Wit' all dem English armee roun'? 'Poleon, hees sojer never fight More brave as dem poor habitants, Chenier, he try for broke de rank Chenier come dead immediatement He fall near w'ere de cross is stan' Upon de ole church cimitiere, Wit' Jean Poulin an' Laframboise An' plaintee more young feller dere. De gun dey rattle lak' tonnere Jus' bang, bang, bang! dat's way she go, An' wan by wan de brave man's fall An' red blood's cover all de snow Ma fader shoot so long he can An' den he's load hees gun some more, Jomp on de ice behin' de church An' pass heem on de 'noder shore. Wall! he reach home fore very long An' keep perdu for many day, Till ev'ry t'ing she come tranquille, An' sojer man all gone away. An' affer dat we get our right, De Canayens don't fight no more, Ma fader's never shoot dat gun, But place her up above de door. An' Papineau, an' Nelson too Dey're gone long tam, but we are free, Le Bon Dieu have 'em 'way up dere. Salut, Wolfred! Salut, Louis! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A RAINY DAY IN CAMP by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND AUTUMN DAYS by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BARBOTTE (BULL-POUT) by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BATEESE AND HIS LITTLE DECOYS by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BATEESE THE LUCKY MAN by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BLOOM - A SONG OF COBALT by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BOULE by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND BRUNO THE HUNTER by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND CANADIAN FOREVER by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND CAUDA MORRHUAE by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND |
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