Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO BESSIE HAWES, MAY QUEEN, by                    
First Line: Now wouldn't I like to be there to see
Last Line: And it's maytime always to think of you.
Subject(s): Courts & Courtiers; Royal Court Life; Royalty; Kings; Queens


Now wouldn't I like to be there to see
You throned in your May Day festivity!
And isn't it quite the most charming thing
That the crown will be placed on your head by a King!

Queer Bess! Was there ever so regal a name!
But don't play up to the ancient dame;
She was given to oaths and smutty jokes,
And would box the ears of the lesser folks.

Well, you've earned your royalty, Bessie Hawes;
And you're more than a queen of the May because
You're real. (That's Spanish of "royal" too.)
And it's Maytime always to think of you.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net