Explore "The Widow at Windsor" by Rudyard Kipling on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
'Ave you 'eard o' the Widow at Windsor / With a hairy gold crown on 'er 'ead? / She 'as ships on the foam -- she 'as millions at 'ome, / An' she pays us poor beggars in red. / (Ow, poor beggars in red! ) / There's 'er nick on the cavalry 'orses, / There's 'er mark on the medical stores -- / An' 'er troopers you'll find with a fair wind be'ind / That takes us to various wars. / (Poor beggars! -- barbarious wars! ) / Then 'ere's to the Widow at Windsor, / An' 'ere's to the stores an' the guns, / The men an' the 'orses what makes up the forces / O' Missis Victorier's sons. / (Poor beggars! Victorier's sons! )
Walk wide o' the Widow at Windsor, / For 'alf o' Creation she owns: / We 'ave bought 'er the same with the sword an' the flame, / An' we've salted it down with our bones. / (Poor beggars! -- it's blue with our bones! ) / Hands off o' the sons o' the Widow, / Hands off o' the goods in 'er shop, / For the Kings must come down an' the Emperors frown / When the Widow at Windsor says "Stop"! / (Poor beggars! -- we're sent to say "Stop"! ) / Then 'ere's to the Lodge o' the Widow, / From the Pole to the Tropics it runs -- / To the Lodge that we tile with the rank an' the file, / An' open in form with the guns. / (Poor beggars! -- it's always they guns! )