Cavalier

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — a poem card from Justes Mots

A spirited depiction of royalist cavalry riding through a village in support of King Charles I, led by Prince Rupert of the Rhine during the English Civil War. The poem captures pageantry and martial energy through vivid sensory details of horses, music, and colorful regalia. Evokes historical romance and adventure suitable for celebrating courage or historical commemoration.

All the merry kettle-drums are thudding into rhyme,
Dust is swimming dizzily down the village street,
The scabbards are clattering, the feathers nodding time,
To a clink of many horses’ shoes, a tramp of many feet.

Seven score of Cavaliers fighting for the King,
Trolling lusty stirrup-songs, clamouring for wine,
Riding with a loose rein, marching with a swing,…

Themes: encouragement · graduation · new-chapter · recovery