[monkeyfinger]

My girlfriend's mum (whom I have never met) sent me this in the post today - a great poem about archery. I was going to put it in the Trad section, but then I thought that all types of archer would enjoy equally. So here goes, it's from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book, 'The White Company';

'What of the bow?
The bow was made in England,
Of true wood, of yew wood,
The wood of English bows;
So men who are free,
Love the old yew tree,
And the land where the yew tree grows.

What of the cord?
The cord was made in England,
A rough cord, a tough cord,
A cord that bowmen love;
So we'll drain our jacks,
To the English flax,
And the land where the hemp was wove.

What of the shaft?
The shaft was cut in England,
A long shaft, a strong shaft,
Barbed and trim and true.
So we'll drink together,
To the grey goose feather,
And the land where the grey goose flew.

What of the men?
The men were bred in England,
The bowmen, the yeomen,
The lads of dale and fell.
Here's to you, and to you!
To the hearts that are true,
And the land where the true hearts dwell.'





As it combines the dual pleasures of archery and drinking, I'm sure you'll agree that its a good 'un.