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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE BALLAD OF JEAN LAFITTE, by LOIA C. CHEANEY First Line: I'll sing the ballad of jean lafitte Last Line: "lies all my treasure alone." Subject(s): Lafitte, John (1780-1826); Pirates; Piracy; Buccaneers | |||
I'LL sing the ballad of Jean Lafitte, A right good man was he, For he was tall and brave and strong And learned in gallantry. In Louis' town in early days He felt the wanderlust; With his stern bright eyes as cold as steel He picked his men of trust. A hundred and twenty who sought romance And craved life daring and free Called Jean Lafitte their captain brave And they lived right merrily. He sailed the gulf and captured the ships Of Mexico, England and Spain, And with the treasure, he as king On Galveston island did reign. Now on this island there were three trees, Three trees alone were there, He took the island from Indian braves But he treated them good and square. In a large Red House this pirate prince Held court right royally With all his men dressed up in gold They served him loyally. Old Louis' regent sent a notice wide That for Jean's own handsome head He'd give a bounty of good red gold To the one who would bring him dead. But Jean, the daring and jovial knave, Laughed at this with glee, And he offered back the same reward To the one who would make so free. And many's the time he would lay his head Against this self-same card While he laughed and joked with the chief gendarme And called the man his pard. But as time went on adventures palled, He ordered his tribe to disband, And with gloomy step and broken heart He paced the glistening sand. And three of his men from a sheltered nook Heard as he paced, a groan, "Under the trees, the three lone trees Lies all my treasure alone." With gluttonous greed they chose their tools And quickly sped them there; They dug the earth and found in the soil The corpse of a maiden fair. It was his wifehis fair young wife And 'twas not Spanish gold, They tremblingly cursed as they crossed themselves In the damp night air and cold. Then Jean Lafitte in a scarlet suit Went sailing out in the bay, His good ship "Pride" from Texas shore Carried him far away. But oft in the night in Galveston His spirit is heard to moan, "Under the treesthe three lone trees Lies all my treasure alone." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BLUEBEARD'S CLOSET by ROSE TERRY COOKE THE SACK OF BALTIMORE by THOMAS OSBORNE DAVIS HOW WE BURNED THE 'PHILADELPHIA' by BARRETT EASTMAN THE LAST BUCCANEER by CHARLES KINGSLEY THE TARRY BUCCANEER by JOHN MASEFIELD REUBEN JAMES by JAMES JEFFREY ROCHE PIRATE STORY by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON BLOUDIE JACKE OF SHREWSBERRIE; THE SHROPSHIRE BLUEBEARD by RICHARD HARRIS BARHAM THE WEDDING DAY; OR, THE BUCCANEER'S CURSE; A FAMILY LEGEND by RICHARD HARRIS BARHAM THE BLACK MAMMY by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON THE MOURNING GARMENT: THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SHEPHERD AND HIS WIFE by ROBERT GREENE |
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