The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-12-05
BRONZE JOHN AND HIS SAFFRON
ST'EED.

anne riding forth, on a charger bold,
From the land of the citrOn bloom,
A stalwart knight with lance of gold,
And dancing yellow plume
His shield was of bronze and his helmet high;
OF fame was his breath and of fire his eye;
And swift was the flight of the charger by
OF this knight with the yellow plume.
Away and away over field and void
Over city and mountain high!
And sharp was the flash of that lance so bold,
And the glance of that fiery eye.
Here was a body, and there was bier,
He slew one here, and he felled one there;
away to the feast of death elsewheree
Sang the knight as he clattered by.
Then down to the Carib Sea he rides.
And over the Gulf with speed,
And up where the deadly moccasin hides
In the noxious, bending weed;
Up, up, where the meteor's light burned
And the foul fog hung, and the cypress grew,
And the rattlesnake hiss'd, through the
swamp he flew,
Bronze John on his saffron Steed.
wherever the blast of the tropics blew
On the bayou's stagnant fiume,
Or the deadly "dwale,' - or the hemlock grew,
Or the ivid lotus bloom
Wherever the south wind blew again
From the luscious slopes OF the Spanish Main
Bronze John and his saffron plume.
Rap, rap, rap, on the city wall
And who is there?" Quoth the warder tall,
Bronze John and his saffron steed!"
Quoth the warder tall, And who may you be:
And come you from the North Countrie,
Or from the infected South" quoth he,
"BronZe John and your saffron steed%'
Rap, rap, rap, on the city gate,
And "Open, thou fool, to mer'
Quoth the bold Don John, with his lance in
wait,
II come from the South Countrie.
Mo p1,o11 cyiv,ry fUhf Oft hrQZa
And summonthis fortress to quickly yield"
First I'd see the deadp' quoth the warden
And, trembling, clattered the key.
Then back drew the knight on his charger
And ieveled his javelin keen
One blow on the gate with his barb of gold,
And where was the warden then!
Here was body, and there was bier
The captain lay here, and the sentinel there;
"A king is Bronze John, and his scepter's his
Sang the knight as he galloped again.
And "Hey for the land of the Don," he
laughed,
''The land Of the citron bloom,
And the potent knight of the yellow shaft,
And the floating yellow plume
A king is Bronze John, and his steed is
Death
OF fire is his eye and flame his breath;
And his lance is the doom of the South" he
saith,
"BrOnze John OF the saffron plume%
Then away. and away over hill and glade,
Over city and forest gloom
Wherever the shade of the palm tree played,
Or the rich magnolia's bloom
Wherever the south wind blew again
From the luscious slopes of the Spanish Main,
He rode, aud he rode, and he drew not rein,
Bronze John and his saffron plume.
Away like the wing of the wind he passed,
And his track was the track of doom;
TIL out of the North there came at last
knight of snow white plume
And gallant knight on steed like snow
And he rode, and he rode, and he shouted
"How
(And he lifted his silver javelin, SOY
Bronze John and your saffron plume,
"Have at you, devil! halt and fightl
I'll die, or I'll do thee doom!"
Then he rode, and he rode at the yellow
knight
And smote at the saffron plume.
They fought, and they fought, and they
clinched and 10
Jack Frost he rose, and he shouted "Ho"
(And he lifted the head of the bandit so,)
"Bronze John and your saffron plume!''
Mary Halsingham, in Nes0 Orleans Picay,tne.