Poem 945 – Hereward Rounds Up His Troops (The Ballad of The Wake cont.)

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Now fresh returned to England’s shores,
He set at once to home,
To see how fared his father’s lands,
And to gather up a noble band,
Of men still faithful to his commands,
And happy to with him roam.

Great joy! His home had been left alone!
No man had dared to tread,
Within its grounds or tear it down,
And friends of old were scattered around,
Who swiftly gathered when they found out
What he had dared to pledge:

‘I have returned to stand against
The foe that’s stormed our land,
I will not sleep until they’re sent
From hill and moor and sand.’

Will you brave knights join in my fight
For faith and freedom stand?
Together we can spread the light,
A courageous merry band!

The short in stature but strong Wynter,
Robust in every way,
His nephews also, brave Godwin,
With Outi and Doti the famous twins,
And many others from across the kingdom,
Gathered without delay.

‘We’ll fight with you!’ they boasted, proud,
‘Defend our fathers’ realms,
And tear that William’s throne right down,
The Normans overwhelm.’

The list of men was far too long
For me to fully number,
But know for now that many hold,
These knights as the best in all the world,
Of their bold exploits such tales were told,
That will never be outdone.

Taking advantage of a Saturday with a bit of time to get Hereward’s band of outlaws together. Once again I’m reminded of how Hereward has always seemed like a prototype for Robin Hood.
(18.07.26)

© Ben Quant 2026

Poem 944 – The Lovers Meet (expanded) (The Ballad of the Wake cont.)

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Now one year on it’s time to turn
To Flanders for his wife,
Who he’d left there with his nephews,
Siward the Red and White, these two
The noblest of his men both true
In caring for her life.

Oh what a joyful reunion!
Two lovers at last combined!
Their separation was so hard,
By circumstances kept apart,
But now true love’s restored at last,
Their lives as one aligned.

United in each others arms,
Eyes locked together fast,
Two lives entwined like ivy vines,
They celebrate, two glasses of wine,
A couplet, lines that are perfectly rhymed,
Two hands so tightly clasped.

And here they would have happily stayed
But alas it wasn’t to be,
Outside these walls the world span on,
And trouble brewed that impinged upon,
Their peace and joy so freshly won,
That longed to blossom free.

Expanding and placing in context the reunion of Hereward and Turfrida in yesterday’s poem.
(17.07.36)

© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Will O on Unsplash

Poem 942 – Did Will Play Football?

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After a meeting of minds
it seems the word on the street
is we’ve got the beating of them.
But here I sit conflicted
as on the final night
we’re visiting The Globe.
Can footie displace the Bard?
Can I follow the game on my phone?
Or wear an earbud to listen?
I’m sure the answer is no,
on each and every score –
pun definitely intended…
I’m hoping that the title
is not a sorry omen
it’s Love’s Labour’s Lost.

England play Argentina tonight in the World Cup semi-final. I’ve just realised that if they win the final is clashes with our trip to The Globe… Now there’s a quandary!
(15.07.36)

© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash

Poem 941 – Hereward Brings Turfrieda Home (The Ballad of the Wake cont.)

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So now renowned in far Flanders
Across the Narrow Seas, 1
He took Turfrieda in his embrace,
With arms now proven in strength and grace,
Declaring ‘No more should we be displaced,
Let’s live as family!’

We’ve been apart for far too long,
Let’s leave and forge a home,
Back in the Fens, my Father’s land,
Let’s up at once and go!

And so he gathered up his men
With Siwards Red and White,
The chaplain Hugo Britannious,
With prayer and sword a genius,
His brother too, one Withardus,
A knight of valour and might.

And so they sailed across the Seas,
Past France, back home again,
Where Old Man Heron patient stood,
And pike and perch swam in the brook,
And eels swam past the willow wood,
Back to his Mother Fen.

After sharing a few verses with my father yesterday, I’m feeling inspired to press on with this ballad, and determined to intertwine the tale of Hereward with the character of our shared fenland home.
(14.07.26)

© Ben Quant 2026
Image public domain

  1. The Anglo Saxon Name for the English Channel ↩︎

Poem 939 – Appeasing Mother Fen (The Ballad of the Wake cont.)

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Old Mother Fen this is your tale
And so we greet you first,
We toss a sword into the wet,
Acknowledging your primal threat,
A humble token of respect
With which to slake your thirst.

Our sword is new and freshly forged
And never drawn in anger,
It’s made for you at great expense,
A blade that’s offered like incense,
To calm your hunger, make you content,
Receive us in your land.

And now our duty is performed
Our narrative can start,
With introductions of our cast,
A look back to a violent past,
To welcome Hereward at last,
To the tale of which he’s part.

Thinking about the setting off this ballad, I found myself remembering Flag Fen in Peterborough and the sword found there which formed some sort of offering. That significantly predates our tale, but it somehow felt appropriate to appropriate it for the start of my ballad, a memory echoed in Arthurian Legend now applied to Hereward, another resistance fighter.
(12.07.26)

© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Maria Miguel Cardeiro on Unsplash

Poem 938 – The Passage

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Our kayak slides along the dark, still water.
Here no ripples form, all sound is dampened.
Distant lungs breathe in, the weighty air
constricts and reaching trees bow down in greeting.

We whisper, fearing to disturb this timeless
passage; what lies within its pulsing vein?
I sense some sentience observing me
within, some foreign mind forming judgements.

We’re steered forwards, towards the distant light,
invited by its possibility,
all the time suppressing the nagging doubt
that something is amiss. We close our eyes.

Within the ocean deep, they say, there lurk
treacherous creatures that lure their prey with bio-
luminescence. Attracted by unnatural
suns their victims swim into their mouths.

Inspired by a photo and discussion shared in an online forum I’m part of. Photo taken kayaking in Northern Winsconsin.
(11.07.26)

© Ben Quant 2026
Photo Kris Smith / WickedDarkPhotography