Nov 2011
Ascot - Race Course 1910-20 by daib0
King Edward the Seventh,
was dead.
With him, hope died also, tis said.
At Ascot later that year
his mistresses, I hear,
all favored blacks over reds.
Black hats with black feathers
they wore
in mourning for Bertie, they swore.
Black dresses, of course
for their dear love, now lost,
who, often, had honored their beds.
King Edward the Seventh,
was dead.
With him, hope died also, tis said.
In uncertain blue twilight
Dark shadows were spawned
as the glow from the
lamp lights had fled
Kaiser Wilhelm now free
of restraint from
his Uncle Bertie
with reckless abandon
chose war.
King Edward the Seventh,
was dead.
With him, hope died also, tis said.
At Ascot later that year
his mistresses, I hear,
all favored blacks over reds.
Black hats with black feathers
they wore
in mourning for Bertie, they swore.
Black dresses, of course
for their dear love, now lost,
who, often, had honored their beds.
King Edward the Seventh,
was dead.
With him, hope died also, tis said.
In uncertain blue twilight
Dark shadows were spawned
as the glow from the
lamp lights had fled
Kaiser Wilhelm now free
of restraint from
his Uncle Bertie
with reckless abandon
chose war.
The Long period of peace on the European continent ( 1871-1914) was coming to an end. An end hastened by the death of England's King Edward VII, the man who was the uncle of Europe. As Sir Edward Grey famously said at the time ( 8/1914) :"The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time". I have tried to echo his sentiment in the second stanza.
