William Henry Ogilvie (1869--1963)
The Veteran
Illustration by Lionel EdwardsIn our last issue we published a short biography of Scottish poet Will Ogilvie written by Erica Libhart, the Mars Technical Services Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum. Erica accompanied her article with three of Ogilvie’s poems. Richard Power, also a regular contributor from Ireland to Foxhunting Life, commented that of all Ogilvie’s poems, "The Veteran" is his 'favourite.' It happens to be one of my all time 'favorite' hunting poems as well.
A Fox Away
FHL features poems by the old masters every now and again. This one will raise the hair on the back of your neck!
There are many splendid moments ‘twixt the cradle and the grave
When a man may reach to rapture, but the one that I would crave
Is the moment when a whimper in a crash of music merges
And four hundred hooves are beating like the thunder of the surges
And the pack comes out of covert like the curving of a wave.
The Happiest Man in England
The happiest man in England rose an hour before the dawn;
The stars were in the purple and the dew was on the lawn;
He sang from bed to bathroom—he could only sing “John Peel”;
He donned his boots and breeches and he buckled on his steel.
He chose his brightest waistcoat and his stock with care he tied,
Though scarce a soul would see him in his early morning ride.
