Get Your Premium Membership

Famous Gunners Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Gunners poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous gunners poems. These examples illustrate what a famous gunners poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

See also:

Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry
...to the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.IV

Flash'd all their sabres bare, 
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there, 
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd: 
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke; 
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd. 
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.V

Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd; 
Storm'd at ...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord



...ore stones
 Toward the section, etc.

An' the Mauser-bird stops an' the jacals begin
A the 'orse-guard comes up and the Gunners 'ook in
 As a 'int the pompom an' six 'undred men . . . .

 Off through the dark with the stars to rely on---
 (Alpha Centauri an' somethin' Orion)
 Moves the section, etc.

 Same bloomin' 'ole which the ant-bear 'as broke,
 Same bloomin' stumble an' same bloomin' joke
 Down the section, etc.

 Same "which is right?" where the cart-tracks divide,
 Sa...Read more of this...
by Kipling, Rudyard
...a daring rush, a-volleying left and right, 
And Driver Smith and his ambulance moved up to the edge of the fight. 

The gunners stuck to their guns like men, and fought as the wild cats fight, 
For a Battery man don't leave his gun with ever a hope in sight; 
But the bullets sang and the Mausers cracked and the Battery men gave away, 
Till Driver Smith with his ambulance drove into the thick of the fray. 

He saw the head of the Transvaal troop a-thundering to and fro, 
A har...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...his heavy guns
He sees them glow with diamond suns
Flashing all along each barrel.
And the gold and blue apparel
Of his gunners is a joy.
Tommy is a lucky boy.
Boom! Boom! Ta-ra!

The old mandarin nods under his purple umbrella. The 
rose in his hand
shoots its petals up in thin quills of crimson. Then 
they collapse
and shrivel like red embers. The fire sizzles.

Tommy is galloping his cavalry, two by two, over the floor. They 
must pass
the open terror of the door and gain ...Read more of this...
by Lowell, Amy
...e on the mountings, sniffin' the mornin' cool,
I walks in my old brown gaiters along o' my old brown mule,
With seventy gunners be'ind me, an' never a beggar forgets
It's only the pick of the Army that handles the dear little pets -- 'Tss! 'Tss!
 For you all love the screw-guns -- the screw-guns they all love you!
 So when we call round with a few guns, o' course you will know what to do -- hoo! hoo!
 Jest send in your Chief an' surrender -- it's worse if you fights or you ru...Read more of this...
by Kipling, Rudyard



...le raged from left to rear
While Gunner Smith saved Lieutenant guthrie's life without dread or fear;
When all the other gunners had been borne back,
He took up a handspike, and the Arabs he did whack. 

The noble hero hard blows did strike,
As he swung round his head the handspike;
He seemed like a destroying angel in the midst of the fight
The way he scattered the Arabs left and right. 

Oh! it was an exciting and terrible sight,
To see Colonel Burnaby engaged in the fight:
...Read more of this...
by McGonagall, William Topaz
...mouth of Hell 
Rode the six hundred. 

Flashed all their sabres bare, 
Flashed as they turned in air 
Sabring the gunners there, 
Charging an army, while 
All the world wondered: 
Plunged in the battery-smoke 
Right through the line they broke; 
Cossack and Russian 
Reeled from the sabre-stroke 
Shattered and sundered. 
Then they rode back, but not, 
Not the six hundred. 

Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon behind them 
Volleyed and ...Read more of this...
by Tennyson, Alfred Lord
...,
 An' you might 'ave 'eard us talkin' at the gun.
But the Captain 'ad 'is jacket, an' the jacket it was new --
 ('Orse Gunners, listen to my song!)
An' the wettin' of the jacket is the proper thing to do,
 Nor we didn't keep 'im waitin' very long.

One day they gave us orders for to shell a sand redoubt,
 Loadin' down the axle-arms with case;
But the Captain knew 'is dooty, an' he took the crackers out
 An' he put some proper liquor in its place.
An' the Captain saw the shra...Read more of this...
by Kipling, Rudyard
...er the sight of a bloomin' Boer, 
'Cause they'd hunted 'em long before -- 
That's what the cavalry done! 
What have the gunners done 
Battlin' every day, 
Battlin' any way. 
Boers outranged 'em, but what cared they? 
"Shoot and be damned," said the R.H.A.! 
See! when the fight grows hot, 
Under the rifles or not, 
Always the order runs, 
"Fetch up the bloomin' guns!" 

And you'd see them great gun horses spring 
To the "action front" -- and around they'd swing. 
Find the rang...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...attack should fail, then every hope was gone: 
Bur French looked once, and only once, and then he siad, "Push on!" 
The gunners plied their guns amain; the hail of shrapnel flew; 
With rifle fire and lancer charge their squadrons back we threw; 
And through the pass between the hills we swept in furious fray, 
And French was through to Kimberley to drive the Boers away. 

Ay, French was through to Kimberley! And ere the day was done 
We saw the Diamond City stand, lit by the ...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...attack should fail, then every hope was gone: 
Bur French looked once, and only once, and then he siad, "Push on!" 
The gunners plied their guns amain; the hail of shrapnel flew; 
With rifle fire and lancer charge their squadrons back we threw; 
And through the pass between the hills we swept in furious fray, 
And French was through to Kimberley to drive the Boers away. 

Ay, French was through to Kimberley! And ere the day was done 
We saw the Diamond City stand, lit by the ...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton
...attack should fail, then every hope was gone: 
Bur French looked once, and only once, and then he siad, "Push on!" 
The gunners plied their guns amain; the hail of shrapnel flew; 
With rifle fire and lancer charge their squadrons back we threw; 
And through the pass between the hills we swept in furious fray, 
And French was through to Kimberley to drive the Boers away. 

Ay, French was through to Kimberley! And ere the day was done 
We saw the Diamond City stand, lit by the ...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton

Dont forget to view our wonderful member Gunners poems.


Book: Reflection on the Important Things