Famous Rank And File Poems by Famous Poets

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

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56. Epistle to Davie A Brother Poet

...WHILE winds frae aff Ben-Lomond blaw,
An’ bar the doors wi’ driving snaw,
 An’ hing us owre the ingle,
I set me down to pass the time,
An’ spin a verse or twa o’ rhyme,
 In hamely, westlin jingle.
While frosty winds blaw in the drift,
 Ben to the chimla lug,
I grudge a wee the great-folk’s gift,
 That live sae bien an’ snug:
 I tent less, and want less
 Th...Read more of this...
by Burns, Robert


Jimmy Dooleys Army

...m ye; 
And he played the leadin' hand 
In the Helter-Skelter Band, 
Known as Jimmy Dooley's Circulating Army. 
When the rank and file they found, 
They were marchin' round and round, 
They one and all began to act unruly; 
And the letter that he wrote, 
Sure it got the Labor goat, 
So we set ourselves to deal with Captain Dooley. 

Chorus 
Whill-il-loo. High Ho! 
We'll all be there you know, 
The repartees and ructions they will charm ye; 
And we'll see which we prefer, 
Is i...Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton

Leipzig

...d crew updrave
Their sepulchres from below.

"To Heaven is blown Bridge Lindenau;
Wrecked regiments reel therefrom;
And rank and file in masses plough
The sullen Elster-Strom.

"A gulf was Lindenau; and dead
Were fifties, hundreds, tens;
And every current rippled red
With Marshal's blood and men's.

"The smart Macdonald swam therein,
And barely won the verge;
Bold Poniatowski plunged him in
Never to re-emerge.

"Then stayed the strife. The remnants wound
Their Rhineward way p...Read more of this...
by Hardy, Thomas

Old Schooldays

...int visions rise and fall, 
Old jokes, old students dead and gone: 
And some that lead us still, while some toil on 
As rank and file, but "Grammar" children all. 

And he, the pilot, who has laid the course 
For all to steer by, honest, unafraid -- 
Truth is his beacon light, so he has made 
The name of the old School a living force....Read more of this...
by Paterson, Andrew Barton

The Ballade Of The Mistletoe Bough

...s on such maidens owe
 A—something—the custom justifies;
I claim that the mistletoe rule applies
 To her as well as the rank and file;
We should meet these things in a cheerful guise—
 But look at those lips! Do they hint a smile?

ENVOY

These customs of Christmas may shock the wise,
 And mistletoe boughs may be out of style,
And a kiss be a thing that all maids despise—
 But look at those lips, do! They hint a smile!...Read more of this...
by Butler, Ellis Parker


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