An Overview of Robert E. Howard's Poem: "The Ballad of King Geraint" By Barbara Barrett

The Roman Wall

“The Ballad of King Geraint” is an action filled tale of brave knights and feats of derring-do in the battle between King Geraint of Britain and the Saxon hordes who encroached on his kingdom. Many of the participants’ names are familiar to Howard fans.

The poem is twenty-nine pages—too long to reprint. Here are some excerpts as well as a Cast of Characters list:

King Geraint ruled the western land

From the Roman Wall to Channel’s sand;

The Saxons held the eastern coast

By high-beaked galley and spear-tipped host.

They reached their hands from the eastern shore

And flooded the land with fire and gore.

King Geraint marched on the Watling Road,

Along the Ouse his banners showed.

Few his warriors but fierce his lords,

Dipped and reddened their worn swords.

He had scoured the land a-near and far,

He had sold his crown for the thews of war.

Knight and warrior and man-at-arms,

Yeoman drawn from the ravished farms,

Each was armed to suit his need,

Each one rode on a goodly steed.

The hoof-beat thunder sounded far—

So Geraint rode to his last red war.

List of Characters

The poem contains many similar names. In order to follow and understand the battle action, here is a list of which characters fought on what side and in parenthesis who was killed by whom.

On the side of Britain is King Geraint (unknown slayer) with ten knights and 1,000 men.

Angus, a chief of the northern Scot (dies from wounds after the Saxon foot soldiers flee in the third encounter)

Cadallon, the king of Wales (killed by Lodbrog in the third encounter)

Conal, close friend of King Geraint (killed by Oswald in the second encounter)

Conmac flower of knighthood (killed by Eadward in the final battle with King Caewlin) 

Cormac of Cornwall called the Hawk (killed when overwhelmed by the hordes of Saxon foot soldiers in the third encounter)

Donal, the chieftain of Strathclyde (Donal and Hakon the jarl kill each other in the first encounter)

Dulborn, a Pict (Dulborn and Tostig the Raven kill each other in the final battle with King Caewlin)

Nial, brother to Ulster’s king (unknown slayer)

Turlogh of Connacht (sole survivor of Geraint’s men)

Uther, king of Humber, whose kingdom was destroyed by Anlaf (killed by Edric and Athelstane in the third encounter)

Ceawlin, king of the Saxons (survives) with 12,000 warriors. His army was divided into five groups with four commanders and himself. His four commanders are listed in the order they battle King Geraint and his knights.

1. The first encounter, led by Prince Osric, a Jut, ruler from Ouse to Humber, commanding 1000 horsemen. (killed by King Geraint) 

Athelney. berserker (killed by Angus the Scot)

Athelred, cousin to the king, (killed by Donal)

Halfgar, Frisian sea-king (killed by Conal who receives a mortal wound)

Oswick who ravaged London town (killed by King Cadallon of Wales)

Oswy the Jut (killed by Uther)

Otho the thane of the Black Boar’s Tooth (killed by Cormac)

Norseman Rane, (killed by Nial)

Rognor of the golden ring. (killed by Conmac)

Viking Swane. (killed by Turlogh)

Tostig the Ogre, berserker (killed by Dulborn the Pict)

2. The second encounter, led by Oswald, lord of the Sussex plain commanding 1000 horsemen. (killed by King Geraint after Oswald kills Conal)

Aella ruler from Tweed to Tyne (killed by Nial)

Anlaf the Angle who killed Uther’s family and ravaged his kingdom (killed by Uther who cuts off his enemy’s head and displays it)

Athelfrith (killed by Angus)

Godric (killed by Cadallon)

Gulla (killed by Turlogh)

Gurth (killed by Dulborn)

Hakon the jarl (killed by Donal in a charge that kills them both)

Jan the Lith (killed by Angus)

Wulfhere, chieftain of Horsa’s line (killed by Conmac)

Wutholwine (killed by Cormac)

3. The third encounter was led by both Athelstane, a Wessex ealdorman (killed by King Geraint) and Edric of Orkney Isles, a Dane (killed by Nial); they were co-commanders of the 8,000 foot soldiers.

4. The final battle was led by King Ceawlin himself with 2000 horsemen. Under his immediate command were:

The Game's Afoot! By Barbara Barrett

The Collected Letters of REH

In a letter to Clyde Smith (The Collected Letters of Robert E Howard, August 28, 1925), Robert E. Howard (REH) included one of his tongue-in-cheek poems,

Roses laughed in her pretty hair,

Shading her eyes from the sun’s rude stare

A little hand was prettily raised,

Nor ever enough might it be praised.

Five little fingers, soft and white,

A dimple, a sheer kiss of delight.

But, miss, a hand that I held in mine,

Some nights ago was e’en more fine.

A hand that I must grant more praise,

Three aces and a pair of treys.

But poker wasn’t the only game in town for REH and his friends.  Tucked away in the last two pages of REH’s semi-autobiographical book, Post Oaks and Sand Roughs (PO&SR) is a poem that pays tribute to another card game:

                                      The Seven-Up Ballad

Carl Macon was a kollege kid of far and wide renown,

Also a champ at seven-up and the wildest sot in town.

And in a way there came a day of high and lofty fame

For title of the eating house was the prize for a game.

Carl gave a yell and dealt the cards unto the other chumps

And they all whooped with joyous glee when diamonds turned up trumps.

“High, jack and game is here, begad!” Pink bellered with a scowl;

“You lie, you sot! You have it not!” Carl answered with a yowl.

Pink led the ace of trumps full soon, and “There,” said he, “is high!”

Carl followed suit, it was a trey, with a tough light in his eye.

Then Pink led out the queen of trumps and gave an ugly frown;

Carl snickered with unholy glee and laid a four spot down.

Pink swore full long and loud and rough and led the deuce of clubs;

Carl caught it with a king and said, “You’re all a lot of dubs.”

He led an ace and caught a king, “Here’s a game for me, egad!”

For many an ace and many a face the wicked scoundrel had.

And then an argument arose and loud was their abuse

And Pink got into lead again with a nine upon a deuce.

Then Pink laid down the diamond king and feinted with his right,

“Egad, that jack of yours will go, if it takes the rest of the night.”

Carl drank four pints of beer or so and at his hand he glanced —

He flung his cards at Stupid’s head and in his rage he danced

Then with a curse that would, egad, clean freeze a camel’s humps,

Beside the king that Pink had led he put the jack of trumps.

“Hold on! Begad!” somebody said, “That king’s been led, by damn!”

“Too late, too late!” the sot replied, “It is, it was, it am!”

Then long and loud the battle raged until the evening meal,

They punched each other in the nose and bit each other’s heel.

The battle lasted all that night; at last the field was clear,

And Pink had high and jack and game and Carl was drunk on beer.