Great Britain -- History, Naval -- Poetry; Sea songs -- Great Britain
Our Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Parker by name,
And Vice-Admiral Nelson, that man of great fame,
And Rear-Admiral Graves which drew up the rear,
While so boldly for Elsenore Castle we steer’d.
On the 13th we so boldly pass’d Elsenore by,
While so many thousand shot and shells they did fly;
Then straight for Copenhagen our fleet they did steer,
And we anchor’d abreast of the town without fear.
On the second of April it was the glorious day
When bold Nelson’s division they got under weigh--
Each ship set for action, each man to his gun,
Resolv’d so boldly we was for to run.
It was into the roads where the Danish flag did fly,
Determin’d alongside of their fleet for to lie;
Said we will make them to strike, my boys, or else we’ll send them
down,
There for to storm and set fire to their town.
The first was the _Edgar_, she did lead the van,
At eleven o’clock the heavy fire began,
The _Ardent_ and _Glatton_, the rest did the same,
The _Defiance_ and _Monarch_ behaved with great fame.
Then in came Lord Nelson, in the _Elephant_;
Next _Bellona_ and _Ganges_, so boldly they went;
The bold _Polyphemus_ run in the same way,
And the brave little _Isis_ her part she did play.
The _Amazon_, the _Hermione_, the _Desirée_ and _Blanch_,
They anchor’d in the line and behav’d so staunch;
The _Otter_ and the _Dart_ they anchor’d also,
Until by a signal was forc’d for to go.
Now these four frigates that we have mentioned here,
And two little sloops that run in without fear,
They all run and anchor’d alongside the fleet,
Their forts the same time they began to defeat.
But so great was their mistake, at about four o’clock
They found they could no longer stand our shot;
For their batteries we clear’d, my boys, which was our own desire
And the town in three places our bombs set on fire.
Seven of their two-deckers to us they did strike,
And six floating batteries likewise did the like.
‘Well done, my brave boys!’ said Lord Nelson; ‘that’s right,
For your courage and mine you have displayed in this fight.’
So now, my brave boys, let it never be said
That ever Lord Nelson or Graves was afraid.
Success to our officers throughout the whole fleet,
That encouraged the Britons the Danes to defeat.
So now [to conclude and to finish my log],
Call up the steward to serve out the grog.
Here’s a health to our wives and sweethearts at home,
For they’ll give us a glass when to England we come.
_A NEW SONG ON LORD NELSON’S VICTORY AT COPENHAGEN._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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