Katie Drummond

Read 'Katie Drummond' by 'Robert William Service' and provide your summary and literary analysis in the comments section below.

Katie Drummond by Robert William Service

 My Louis loved me oh so well
 And spiered me for his wife;
He would have haled me from the hell
 That was my bawdy life:
The mother of his bairns to be,
 Daftlike he saw in me.

But I, a hizzie of the town
 Just telt him we must part;
Loving too well to drag him down
 I tore him from my heart:
To save the honour of his name
 I went back to my shame.

They say he soared to starry fame,
 Romance flowed from his pen;
A prince of poets he became,
 Pride of his fellow men:
My breast was pillow for his head,
 Yet naught of his I've read.

Smoking my cutty pipe the while,
 In howths of Leith I lag;
* My Louis lies in South Sea isle
 As I a sodden hag
Live on . . . Oh Love, by men enskied
 The day you went--I died.


*R.L.S.

Form: Ballad Comments

Comments About This Poem

Share your interpretation, favorite passage, or thoughts about this famous poem. Please provide an in-depth and meaningful comment.

  • What do you think the poet was trying to say?
  • Which line had the biggest impact on you?
  • How does this poem relate to modern life?
  • What literary devices did you notice?
No comments have been posted yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace