Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE VOYAGEUR, by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND First Line: Dere's somet'ing stirrin' ma blood tonight Last Line: An' drink to de voyageur. Subject(s): Sports; Winter | ||||||||
DERE's somet'ing stirrin' ma blood to-night, On de night of de young new year, W'ile de camp is warm an' de fire is bright, An' de bottle is close at han' -- Out on de reever de nort' win' blow, Down on de valley is pile de snow, But w'at do we care so long we know We're safe on de log cabane? Drink to de healt' of your wife an' girl, Anoder wan for your frien', Den geev' me a chance, for on all de worl' I've not many frien' to spare -- I'm born, w'ere de mountain scrape de sky, An' bone of ma fader an' moder lie, So I fill de glass an' I raise it high An' drink to de Voyageur. For dis is de night of de jour de l'an, W'en de man of de Grand Nor' Wes' T'ink of hees home on de St. Laurent, An' frien' he may never see -- Gone he is now, an' de beeg canoe No more you'll see wit' de red-shirt crew, But long as he leev' he was alway true, So we'll drink to hees memory. Ax' heem de nort' win' w'at he see Of de Voyageur long ago, An' he'll say to you w'at he say to me, So lissen hees story well -- "I see de track of hees botte sau-vage On many a hill an' long portage Far, far away from hees own vill-age An' soun' of de parish bell -- "I never can play on de Hudson Bay Or mountain dat lie between But I meet heem singin' hees lonely way De happies' man I know -- I cool hees face as he's sleepin' dere Under de star of de Red Riviere, An' off on de home of de great w'ite bear, I'm seein' hees dog traineau. "De woman an' chil'ren's runnin' out On de wigwam of de Cree -- De leetle papoose dey laugh an' shout W'en de soun' of hees voice dey hear -- De oldes' warrior of de Sioux Kill hese'f dancin' de w'ole night t'roo, An de Blackfoot girl remember too De ole tam Voyageur. "De blaze of hees camp on de snow I see, An' I lissen hees 'En Roulant' On de lan' w'ere de reindeer travel free, Ringin' out strong an' clear -- Offen de grey wolf sit before De light is come from hees open door, An' caribou foller along de shore De song of de Voyageur. "If he only kip goin', de red ceinture, I'd see it upon de Pole Some mornin' I'm startin' upon de tour For blowin' de worl' aroun' -- But w'erever he sail an' w'erever he ride, De trail is long an' de trail is wide, An' city an' town on ev'ry side Can tell of hees campin' groun'." So dat's de reason I drink to-night To de man of de Grand Nor' Wes', For hees heart was young, an' hees heart was light So long as he's leevin' dere -- I'm proud of de sam' blood in my vein I'm a son of de Nort' Win' wance again -- So we'll fill her up till de bottle's drain An' drink to de Voyageur. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...LOOKING EAST IN THE WINTER by JOHN HOLLANDER WINTER DISTANCES by FANNY HOWE WINTER FORECAST by JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN AT WINTER'S EDGE by JUDY JORDAN CHAMBER MUSIC: 34 by JAMES JOYCE A CANADIAN VOYAGEUR'S ACCOUNT OF THE NILE EXPEDITION by WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND |
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