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TCDE-Team at 15:47, 25 July 2022

2022-07-25T15:47:26Z

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''The Home-Coming of the Eurydice'' is a poem written by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] first published in [[The Speaker|The Speaker: The Liberal Review]] on 24 march 1894.

The poem was first published as "The Ballad of the Eurydice" and then collected as "The Home-Coming of the Eurydice".

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== Editions ==

* in ''[[The Speaker]]'' (24 march 1894 [UK]) as ''The Ballad of the "Eurydice"''
* in ''[[The Norwich Mercury]]'' (31 march 1894) as ''The Ballad of the Eurydice''
* in ''[[Current Literature]]'' (may 1894 [US]) as ''Ballad of the "Eurydice"''
* in ''[[Songs of Action]]'' (1898-1916, [[Smith, Elder & Co.]] [UK])
* in ''[[Songs of Action]]'' (august 1898, [[Charles Scribner's Sons]] [US])
* in ''[[Songs of Action]]'' (september 1898, [[Doubleday & McClure Co.|Doubleday, Page & Co.]] [US])
* in ''[[Songs of Action]]'' (1918-1920, [[John Murray]] [UK])
* in ''[[The Poems of Arthur Conan Doyle]]'' (1922-1928, [[John Murray]] [UK])

== The Home-Coming of the Eurydice ==
[[File:the-speaker-1894-03-24-p336-the-ballad-of-the-eurydice.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[The Speaker]] (24 march 1894, p. 336)]]

[[File:current-literature-1894-05-ballad-of-the-eurydice-p476-477.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Current Literature]] (may 1894, p. 476-477)]]

(Lost, with her crew of 300 boys, on the last day of her voyage, March 23rd, 1876.)

Up with the royals that top the white spread of her! 
Press her and dress her, and drive through the foam; 
The Island's to port, and the mainland ahead of her, 
Hey for the Warner and Hayling and Home!

"Bo'sun, O Bo'sun, just look at the green of it! 
Look at the red cattle down by the hedge! 
Look at the farmsteading—all that is seen of it, 
One little gable end over the edge!"

"Lord! the tongues of them clattering, clattering, 
All growing wild at a peep of the Wight; 
Aye, sir, aye, it has set them all chattering, 
Thinking of home and their mothers to-night."

Spread the topgallants — oh, lay them out lustily! 
What though it darken o'er Netherby Combe? 
'Tis but the valley wind, puffing so gustily— 
On for the Warner and Hayling and Home!

"Bo'sun, O Bo'sun, just see the long slope of it! 
Culver is there, with the cliff and the light. 
Tell us, oh tell us, now is there a hope of it? 
Shall we have leave for our homes for to-night?"

"Tut, the clack of them! Steadily! Steadily! 
Aye, as you say, sir, they're little ones still; 
One long reach should open it readily, 
Round by St. Helens and under the hill.

"The Spit and the Nab are the gates of the promise, 
Their mothers to them—and to us it's our wives. 
I've sailed forty years, and—By God it's upon us! 
Down royals, Down top'sles, down, down, for your lives!"

A grey swirl of snow with the squall at the back of it, 
Heeling her, reeling her, beating her down! 
A gleam of her bends in the thick of the wrack of it, 
A flutter of white in the eddies of brown.

It broke in one moment of blizzard and blindness; 
The next, like a foul bat, it flapped on its way. 
But our ship and our boys! Gracious Lord, in your kindness, 
Give help to the mothers who need it to-day!

Give help to the women who wait by the water, 
Who stand on the Hard with their eyes past the Wight. 
Ah! whisper it gently, you sister or daughter, 
"Our boys are all gathered at home for to-night."

: A. Conan Doyle

----
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:Complete Works|Back to Complete Works]]
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle|Back to Conan Doyle]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:32, 4 April 2026
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	The poem was first published as "The Ballad of the Eurydice" and then collected as "The Home-Coming of the Eurydice".		The poem was first published as "The Ballad of the Eurydice" and then collected as "The Home-Coming of the Eurydice".


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	Up with the royals that top the white spread of her!~~<br />~~		<poem>
	Press her and dress her, and drive through the foam;~~<br />~~		Up with the royals that top the white spread of her!
	The Island's to port, and the mainland ahead of her,~~<br />~~		Press her and dress her, and drive through the foam;
			The Island's to port, and the mainland ahead of her,
	Hey for the Warner and Hayling and Home!		Hey for the Warner and Hayling and Home!

	"Bo'sun, O Bo'sun, just look at the green of it!~~<br />~~		"Bo'sun, O Bo'sun, just look at the green of it!
	Look at the red cattle down by the hedge!~~<br />~~		Look at the red cattle down by the hedge!
	Look at the farmsteading—all that is seen of it,~~<br />~~		Look at the farmsteading—all that is seen of it,
	One little gable end over the edge!"		One little gable end over the edge!"

	"Lord! the tongues of them clattering, clattering,~~<br />~~		"Lord! the tongues of them clattering, clattering,
	All growing wild at a peep of the Wight;~~<br />~~		All growing wild at a peep of the Wight;
	Aye, sir, aye, it has set them all chattering,~~<br />~~		Aye, sir, aye, it has set them all chattering,
	Thinking of home and their mothers to-night."		Thinking of home and their mothers to-night."

	Spread the topgallants — oh, lay them out lustily!~~<br />~~		Spread the topgallants — oh, lay them out lustily!
	What though it darken o'er Netherby Combe?~~<br />~~		What though it darken o'er Netherby Combe?
	'Tis but the valley wind, puffing so gustily—~~<br />~~		'Tis but the valley wind, puffing so gustily—
	On for the Warner and Hayling and Home!		On for the Warner and Hayling and Home!

	"Bo'sun, O Bo'sun, just see the long slope of it!~~<br />~~		"Bo'sun, O Bo'sun, just see the long slope of it!
	Culver is there, with the cliff and the light.~~<br />~~		Culver is there, with the cliff and the light.
	Tell us, oh tell us, now is there a hope of it?~~<br />~~		Tell us, oh tell us, now is there a hope of it?
	Shall we have leave for our homes for to-night?"		Shall we have leave for our homes for to-night?"

	"Tut, the clack of them! Steadily! Steadily!~~<br />~~		"Tut, the clack of them! Steadily! Steadily!
	Aye, as you say, sir, they're little ones still;~~<br />~~		Aye, as you say, sir, they're little ones still;
	One long reach should open it readily,~~<br />~~		One long reach should open it readily,
	Round by St. Helens and under the hill.		Round by St. Helens and under the hill.

	"The Spit and the Nab are the gates of the promise,~~<br />~~		"The Spit and the Nab are the gates of the promise,
	Their mothers to them—and to us it's our wives.~~<br />~~		Their mothers to them—and to us it's our wives.
	I've sailed forty years, and—By God it's upon us!~~<br />~~		I've sailed forty years, and—By God it's upon us!
	Down royals, Down top'sles, down, down, for your lives!"		Down royals, Down top'sles, down, down, for your lives!"

	A grey swirl of snow with the squall at the back of it,~~<br />~~		A grey swirl of snow with the squall at the back of it,
	Heeling her, reeling her, beating her down!~~<br />~~		Heeling her, reeling her, beating her down!
	A gleam of her bends in the thick of the wrack of it,~~<br />~~		A gleam of her bends in the thick of the wrack of it,
	A flutter of white in the eddies of brown.		A flutter of white in the eddies of brown.

	It broke in one moment of blizzard and blindness;~~<br />~~		It broke in one moment of blizzard and blindness;
	The next, like a foul bat, it flapped on its way.~~<br />~~		The next, like a foul bat, it flapped on its way.
	But our ship and our boys! Gracious Lord, in your kindness,~~<br />~~		But our ship and our boys! Gracious Lord, in your kindness,
	Give help to the mothers who need it to-day!		Give help to the mothers who need it to-day!

	Give help to the women who wait by the water,~~<br />~~		Give help to the women who wait by the water,
	Who stand on the Hard with their eyes past the Wight.~~<br />~~		Who stand on the Hard with their eyes past the Wight.
	Ah! whisper it gently, you sister or daughter,~~<br />~~		Ah! whisper it gently, you sister or daughter,
	"Our boys are all gathered at home for to-night."		"Our boys are all gathered at home for to-night."

	: A. Conan Doyle		A. Conan Doyle
			</poem>

The Home-Coming of the Eurydice - Revision history

TCDE-Team at 20:32, 4 April 2026

TCDE-Team at 15:47, 25 July 2022