LESSON 20
THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM

Robert Southey (b. 1774, d. 1843) was born in Bristol, England. He entered Balliol College, Oxford, in 1793. In 1804 he established himself permanently at Greta Hall, near Keswick, Cumberland, in the “Lake Country, ” where he enjoyed the friendship and society of Wordsworth and Coleridge, other poets of the “Lake School.” He was appointed poet laureate in 1813, and received a pension of ?300 a year from the government in 1835. Mr. Southey was a voluminous writer in both prose and verse. As a poet, he can not be placed in the first rank, although some of his minor poems are very happy in thought and expression. Among his most noted poetical works are “Joan of Arc, ” “Thalaba the Destroyer, ” “Madoc, ” “Roderick, ”and the “Curse of Kehama.”

1. It was a summer evening,

Old Kaspar's work was done,

And he, before his cottage door,

Was sitting in the sun;

And by him sported on the green,

His little grandchild Wilhelmine.

2. She saw her brother Peterkin

Roll something large and round,

Which he beside the rivulet,

In playing there, had found;

He came to ask what he had found,

That was so large, and smooth, and round.

3. Old Kaspar took it from the boy,

Who stood expectant by;

And then the old man shook his head,

And, with a natural sigh,

“'Tis some poor fellow's skull, ” said he,

“Who fell in the great victory.

4. “I find them in the garden,

For there's many hereabout;

And often when I go to plow,

The plowshare turns them out;

For many thousand men, ” said he,

“Were slain in that great victory.”

5. “Now tell us what 'twas all about, ”

Young Peterkin he cries;

While little Wilhelmine looks up

With wonder-waiting eyes;

“Now tell us all about the war,

And what they killed each other for.”

6. “It was the English, ” Kaspar cried,

“Who put the French to rout,

But what they killed each other for,

I could not well make out;

But everybody said, ” quoth he,

“That 'twas a famous victory:

7. “My father lived at Blenheim then,

Yon little stream, hard by;

They burnt his dwelling to the ground,

And he was forced to fly;

So, with his wife and child he fled,

Nor had he where to rest his head.

8. “With fire and sword, the country round

Was wasted, far and wide;

And many a nursing mother then,

And newborn baby died;

But things like that, you know, must be

At every famous victory.

9. “They say it was a shocking sight

After the field was won;

For many thousand bodies here

Lay rotting in the sun:

But things like that, you know, must be

After a famous victory.

10. “Great praise the Duke of Marlboro' won,

And our young prince, Eugene.”

“Why, 'twas a very wicked thing! ”

Said little Wilhelmine.

“Nay, nay, my little girl! ” quoth he,

“It was a famous victory.

11. “And everybody praised the Duke

Who this great fight did win.”

“But what good came of it at last? ”

Quoth little Peterkin.

“Why, that I can not tell, ” said he,

“But 'twas a glorious victory.”

STUDY GUIDE

A. Word Definition

1.sported:played.

2.rivulet:small stream or creek.

3.great victory:defeat of an enemy.

4.plowshare:cutting blade of a plow.

5.dwelling:house,residence.

6.glorious:splendid,excellent.

B. Study Note

The Battle of Blenheim, in the “War of the Spanish Succession, ” was fought August 13, 1704, near Blenheim, in Bavaria, between the French and Bavarians, on one Side, and an allied army under the great English general, the Duke of Marlborough, and Eugene, Prince of Savoy, on the other. The latter won a decisive victory: 10,000 of the defeated army were killed and wounded, and 13,000 were taken prisoners.

C. Comprehension Questions

1. Where was the Battle of Blenheim fought?

2. Do you think good ever comes from war? Explain.

3. Label these statements true or false.

a. Wilhelmine found a skull by a rivulet. _____

b. The Duke of Marlboro lost the Battle of Blenheim. _____

c. Kaspar was an old man. _____

4. What is the moral of “The Battle of Blenheim”?

5. Do you think humans will always fight wars? Explain.

6. Name some wars that were fought in the twentieth century. Do you think they were glorious?

7. Women participating in active warfare were rare in the nineteenth century. How did they contribute?

8. Were nineteenth century European soldiers paid well?

D. Writing Work

Write a letter to a friend explaining why you would or would not like to be a soldier.