by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest
Language: English
They throw in Drummer Hodge, to rest Uncoffined - just as found: His landmark is a kopje-crest That breaks the veldt around; And foreign constellations west Each night above his mound. Young Hodge the Drummer never knew - Fresh from his Wessex home - The meaning of the broad Karoo, The Bush, the dusty loam, And why uprose to nightly view Strange stars amid the gloam. Yet portion of that unknown plain Will Hodge for ever be; His homely Northern breast and brain Grow to some Southern tree, And strange-eyed constellations reign His stars eternally.
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in Literature, Nov. 1899Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928), "The Dead Drummer" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Garth Baxter (b. 1946), "Drummer Hodge" [ satb chorus and piano ], from The Battle Cry, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Edmunds (1913 - 1986), "The Drummer", published <<1969 [ medium voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Matthew Hale (1875 - 1960), "Drummer Hodge", op. 39 no. ? [ female voice and orchestra ], from Five War Poems [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Pierre Herman Joubert (1927 - 2019), "Drummer Hodge", op. 109 no. 3 (1985), from South of the Line, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Garth Baxter
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 92