I am an English bowman,

My bow is made of yew,

And I’ve been known to hit my target centre,

More than a time or two.

Some say that I am Englands best,

Whilst some others disagree,

And say an outlaw living in the woods,

Is superior to me.

But this man that they call Robin Hood,

Well I’ve never had the pleasure,

Though I fancy in a tournament,

I could match him measure for measure.

Oh, I’ve heard the tales about him,

That say he’s never known to miss,

And can take two riders from their saddles,

At the gallop, they insist.

And can knock two arrows at the same time,

And loose them in symmetry,

In truth just sound like fairy tales,

Or blatant lies to me.

For I’ve never seen an archer,

With the skills that they ascribe,

To this Robin Hood Of Locksley,

So I’m vexed what to decide.

Is he real, or is he legend?

Or perhaps just an ordinary man,

Though I’ll know for sure on Thursday,

At the tournament in Nottingham.

For it’s rumoured that this Robin,

Would attend this tournament,

Because a pardon has been offered,

By the Sheriff, if he went.

Though if Robin Hood is beaten,

The Sheriff will have him hanged,

Along with Lady Marion,

And his entire outlaw band.

Well the tournament dually arrived,

And I shot my very best,

Until only I and Robin Hood remained,

To dispute the final quest.

Six apples hung at fifty yards,

Six targets at fifty more,

The final target was a stump of oak,

Close to the forest floor.

And we matched each others arrow shafts,

With every shot we loosed,

Even the target at a hundred yards,

Left no archer still to choose.

And with just that oaken stump before us,

So low and far away,

I knocked an arrow, pulled it taunt,

And silently, I prayed.

My arrow arched the heavens,

Then landed where I’d wished,

Dead centre of the oaken stump,

No man could better this.

So I watched as Locksley knocked his shaft,

And pulled the bowstring tight,

Confident that I had won,

Before his shaft took flight.

Though I confess, it looked impressive,

So straight, so fast, so high,

Arching just as mine had done,

Across the clear blue sky.

But I could not believe the outcome,

And stood in awe a while,

As his arrow split my arrow shaft,

From fletch down to the pile.

The onlookers gave a rapturous cheer,

And I cheered with them too,

One must respect the skill required,

To do what he could do.

So I gave congratulations,

And conceded the contest,

As the Sheriff’s men approached us,

And put him under arrest.

“Hold fast”, I cried, “Hold fast I say”,

A pardon was his prize,

Was then I learnt the Sheriff’s word,

Had been nothing more than lies.

So I knocked an arrow in a flash,

And Robin did the same,

The Sheriff’s men gave no defence,

So great was Robin’s fame.

In haste we found us each a steed,

And fled into the woods,

Where I joined with the outlaw band,

Lead well by Robin Hood. 

So here I am an Outlaw,

And defender of the King,

But if I could reverse the hands of time,

I would not change a thing.

By

S.E.Ralph

19-10-2021