This song was written in 1877 by Percy French at Trinity College for a college concert. His original title was Abdulla Bulbul Ameer. He sold it to a publisher for five pounds. It was published without credit to him and he never received royalties for its later success.
Many sources still list the author as anonymous.
My father was a Navy captain and this was one of his favorite songs. An English correspondent writes that originally it was a ballad of the Russo-Turkish Wars. This tune is also known as The Ballade of Ivan Petrofsky Skevar , for which there are a few variations in the lyrics. For other Percy French tunes at this site enter Percy French in the search engine or go to The Contemplator's Very Short Biography of Percy French . But the bravest by far in the ranks of the shah, Was Abdul Abulbul Amir.