391. A Tippling Ballad—When Princes and Prelates, etc.

391. A Tippling Ballad—When Princes and Prelates, etc.

Robert Burns

WHEN Princes and Prelates,
And hot-headed zealots,
A’ Europe had set in a low, a low,
The poor man lies down,
Nor envies a crown,
And comforts himself as he dow, as he dow,
And comforts himself as he dow.
The black-headed eagle,
As keen as a beagle,
He hunted o’er height and o’er howe,
In the braes o’ Gemappe,
He fell in a trap,
E’en let him come out as he dow, dow, dow,
E’en let him come out as he dow.
· · · · · · · But truce with commotions,
And new-fangled notions,
A bumper, I trust you’ll allow;
Here’s George our good king,
And Charlotte his queen,
And lang may they ring as they dow, dow, dow,
And lang may they ring as they dow.

Verse breaks and indentation are preserved. Wrapped lines have a hanging indent. Width adapts to your screen.

Public domain text via the PoetryDB open archive.

BRING THIS POEM TO LIFE

Commission a cinematic poem

Laurence Fuller brings verse, performance and moving images together. Commission a cinematic interpretation of 391. A Tippling Ballad—When Princes and Prelates, etc. by Robert Burns, or a poem of your choosing, for your collection.

Open the full commission form →

POETIX STREAM · LAURENCE FULLER

Poetry made visible

Discover Laurence Fuller’s cinematic artworks ~ where poetry, performance and painting meet.

Cinematic Poetry by Laurence FullerExplore all

Kaleidoscope I ~ Green
SOHO: The Return ~ Abandoned Museum
A Labyrinth of Dreams
The Fortune ~ Act I: The Harpoon
Destiny
ReliX ~ Banished II
Kaleidoscope V ~ The Conversation
Trials of Destiny II
Kaleidoscope VI ~ Sky
1616 ~ Night Watch: The Delft Riots
1616 ~ Shakespeare's Last Day
Commission your own cinematic poem ↗