‘Twas the year of our Lord
1599 precise
As dawn was slowly breaking
The speed of a turtle running
Early rays of sun slowly, unnoticeably
Swimming up o’er the Suir
Creeping up the castle walls
Spilling over the battlements
Molten gold in rivulets
Birds chirping, fluttering
In surrounding woods and spinneys
‘Tis a fine mornin’ aint it Seamus
Aye Paddy me lad
And then some more
I’m bleedin’ hungry, says he
Standin’ up here all of night
The changing of the guard
Will be any moment now, says I
Then you can ‘ave all the food ye want
And all I want afore I sleep, says I
Is to ‘ave some tea
And a cuddle wi’ me wench
Seamus me olde son
What is it that shines and shimmers over yonder?
Might it be the sun
Reflecting off some sword and armour?
Och Paddy maybe yer eyes are playing up
I see nothing of the sorts
But there it is again, says I
Just as an arrow pierces Seamus’ throat
He dies whilst standing up
Blood squirting, his dying scream a throaty death rattle
As one more arrow penetrates his chainlink armour
In a flurry of arms and legs
As fast as battledress allows
I storm down battlement steps narrow as can be
Lord Thomas must be warned, shoutest i
Have to warn Lord Thomas Butler
As arrows narrowly misses mine body
Come flying o’er the castle wall
Stop Paddy lad roars the guard commander
Why art thou running screaming?
I ‘ave to alert Lord Thomas
Our castle they are attacking
What are ye ramblin’ ‘bout an attack eh!
But Sire, Seamus is dead
shot wi’ an arrow in ‘is throat
I was shot at too, the archer missed
Come look Sire, Seamus is dead
We really are being attacked
Sire please I plead ye
Ye must warn Lord Thomas
Aye and that I would, if I could
Lord and Lady Butler ain’t here
As a whining whistling penetrates the ear
A thunderous roar deafens mine ears
A cloud of black smoke
Drifting o’er the wall
An iron ball the size of me head
Slams into the inner castle wall
Taking with the guard master’s head
Och the enemy uses cannon
As another thunderous roar
Echoes over the Suir
Big iron balls dropping from the sky
A hailstorm from Hell
My whole body trembles with fear
I have to find me wench
Hide her away from this carnage
This pilfering, torture, raping that’ll follow
A well-aimed cannonball slams into the portcullis
Into smithereens it is shattered
In storms the Essex hordes
Culverins spewing lead and flame
Into mine breast a leadball doth pierce
The Essex Banner on the Wall the last I see
As my life drains out on courtyard stone
Jeanne D’Arc
