Tale of the Week 294: Battle of Trenton - Winner's Circle

**Caillagh de Bodemloze** · April 03, 2020, 06:33 AM

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Battle of Trenton

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze - image provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art

We had three fine entries to this competition, but the runaway winner was - William of Orange's poem Delaware Doggerel. It's short but captures a sense of atmosphere brilliantly, and the sense of combined relief and triumph at the end is very effective. This victory earns William of Orange his first Writers' Study competition point!

Here's William of Orange's winning poem again:

TotW 294: Battle of Trenton - WINNING SUBMISSION Delaware Doggerel

In a cold and damp December shiver
With nary a defense against his great foe
But only fields, farms, and a river
(Stern) George and his captains round meager glow
Discusssed the plain simple sad rationale:
The sad absence and lack in their men of morale

"They've been running and losing all season long
"They need a story, a lyric, or e'en a song
"To write home of victory against the excise
"By bravery, firmness, and bold stern attacks
"Not sad tales of rice cooked with ice
"And broken limbs set with a splice."

So the patriots plotted, schemed and contrived
A cross river amphibious assault to arrive
North of Trenton ten miles barefoot to march
Cross the Delaware Christmas Eve disembarked
Washington's army however meager and slight
Through the midwinter night, with nary a light

From farmstead or stars; not even the Moon's
The boatmen, officers, hussars and dragoons,
And fusiliers with musket and ball,
Continentals, minutemen and militia all,
With their wet and frozen efforts laborious
Won a victory o'er the Hessians glorious.

The yuletide greetings from steeple to steeple
By the townsfolk now spread fast as an eagle
Of a battle won in combat lethal
By a brave, free, newly confident people.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry and to everyone who voted!

TotW 249: Submission thread | Voting thread

**Turkafinwë** · April 03, 2020, 07:25 AM

Congrats William of Orange with your first TotW victory! A wonderful poem!

A big thank you to everyone who submitted their writing and participated in the voting process. Thanks to Caillagh for running this competition.

See you all in the next one.

**Kilo11** · April 03, 2020, 09:26 AM

Nicely done indeed. Poems are a rarer site around here, and it is always a pleasure to see a quality one, and even more so to see it appreciated! Well done William!