The Scampsman's Night by Sheila Kaye-Smith
The poem presents a highwayman's monologue as thickening mist settles over a marsh at dusk. Weary of drinking, wenching, and idling, he declares himself ready for action and calls for his mare, Marjorie, to be saddled, noting that the moon is bright and the night is ripe for robbery. He anticipates holding up a lord, forcing him to surrender money, seizing a woman's ring, and stealing a kiss from a pretty girl, boasting of his own daring. He looks forward to returning with his mare to their den by morning, where they will drink, tally their stolen goods, and boast of their fellow highwaymen before resting.
By Sheila Kaye-Smith · First published 1914 · Genre: Poetry, Ballad, Crime Fiction · 172 words
First lines
Mists on the marsh are gathering thick, / The shuddering woods are dim, / My barker's muzzle looks grim, / Of boozing and delling and such I'm sick.
Saddle my mare -- my Marjorie -- / For Oliver's glim is bright, / And this is a snaffling night -- / Ho, my girl, for the nuttiest spree!
We'll make his Lordship tip us the bit, / We'll knuckle his mort's fawnie, / And a kiss, for we're gay dogs, we, / And love to fool with a comely chit.
At morning's dawn we will ride to our ken, / And tipple, and count our swag, / And of our flash spices brag, / And rest the bodies of mares and men.
What this Textopian page supports
The Scampsman's Night is listed on Textopian as a poem by Sheila Kaye-Smith, dated 1914 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Sheila Kaye-Smith
- Date: 1914 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Ballad, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Picaresque
- Length: 172 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Scampsman's Night by Sheila Kaye-Smith
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- John Gilbert Bushranger by Andrew Barton Paterson
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- The Kings Wake And Other Ballads by George Borrow
- The Orphanage by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Undertakers Horse by Rudyard Kipling
Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse form with a consistent rhyming structure characteristic of traditional poetic composition.
- Ballad — This narrative poem exhibits the classic structure and storytelling conventions of a traditional ballad, presenting a tale of criminal adventure in verse.
- Crime Fiction — The central narrative concerns criminal activity including robbery, theft, and lawlessness, with the protagonist planning and executing a theft.
- Historical Fiction — The archaic language, period-specific argot, and temporal setting of the narrative create a historical framework for the story.
Tags
poetry · ballad · underworld · highwayman · period slang · criminal narrative · folk verse · British literature · 20th century · cant songs · historical poetry · iambic verse