Abdul Abulbul Ameer

French, Percy (1854 - 1920)

1The sons of the Prophet are brave men and bold

2And quite unaccustomed to fear

3But the bravest by far in the ranks of the Shah

4Was Abdul Abulbul Ameer.

5If you wanted a man to encourage the van

6Or shout ‘Hip Hooray’ in the rear

7Or storm a redoubt, you had only to shout

8For Abdul Abulbul Ameer.

9Now the heroes were many and well-known to fame

10In the troops that were led by the Czar

11But the bravest of these, whom no man could appease

12Of Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.

13He could imitate most, play Poker and Pool

14And perform on the swinging guitar.

15In fact, quite the cream of the Muscovite team

16Was Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.

17One day this bold Russian he shouldered his gun

18And donned his most truculent sneer

19Down town he did go, where he trod on the toe

20Of Abdul Abulbul Ameer.

21‘Young man’, quote Abdul, ‘Has your life grown so dull

22That you wish to end your career! --

23Vile infidel know, you have trod on the toe

24Of Abdul Abulbul Ameer."

25Said Ivan: ‘My friend, your remarks, in the end

26Will avail you but little, I fear

27For you’ll never survive to repeat them alive,

28Mr. Abdul Abulbul Ameer."

29‘Then take your last look on sunshine and brook

30And send your regrets to the Czar --

31By this, I imply, you are going to die,

32Count Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.’

33Then the bold Mameluke drew his trusty skibook

34With a cry of ‘Allah Akbar’

35And with deadly intent he ferociously went

36For Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.

37They fought through the night, in the pale yellow light

38The din it was heard from afar

39And huge multitudes came, so great was the fame

40Of Abdul and Ivan Skivar.

41As Abdul's long knife was extracting the life

42(In fact, he was shouting ‘Hurra’)

43He felt himself struck by that wily Kalmuck

44Count Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.

45The Sultan drove by in his red-breasted fly

46Expecting the victor to cheer

47But he only drew nigh to hear the last sigh

48Of Abdul Abulbul Ameer.

49Czar Petrovitch, too, in his spectacles blue

50Drove up in his new-crested car.

51He arrived just in time to exchange a last line

52With Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.

53A tombstone arose where the Blue Danube flows

54And engraved there in characters clear

55Are: ‘Stranger, pass by, but contribute a sigh

56For Abdul Abulbul Ameer.’

57A Muscovite maiden her lone vigil keeps

58‘Neath the light of the pale polar star.

59And the name that she murmurs, so oft as she weeps

60Is Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.

Publication Notes

Best Irish Songs of Percy French ed. Tony Butler (London: Wolfe Publishing Ltd., 1971): 40-42. ML54.6 .F7B4 Robarts Library

RPO poem Editors

Ian Lancashire