Friday, January 23, 2026

Drake, not Charlie


My mind turns to Cadiz, Armadas, Treasure ships, Trafalgar, Drake & Nelson. From the depths of memory comes this:-

From:- https://allpoetry.com/Drake's-Drum

Drake's Drum

Drake he's in his hammock an' a thousand miles away,
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?)
Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay,
An' dreamin' arl the time O' Plymouth Hoe.
Yarnder lumes the Island, yarnder lie the ships,
Wi' sailor lads a-dancing' heel-an'-toe,
An' the shore-lights flashin', an' the night-tide dashin',
He sees et arl so plainly as he saw et long ago.

Drake he was a Devon man, an' ruled the Devon seas,
(Capten, art tha' sleepin' there below?)
Roving' tho' his death fell, he went wi' heart at ease,
A' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe.
"Take my drum to England, hang et by the shore,
Strike et when your powder's runnin' low;
If the Dons sight Devon, I'll quit the port o' Heaven,
An' drum them up the Channel as we drumm'd them long ago."

Drake he's in his hammock till the great Armadas come,
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?)
Slung atween the round shot, listenin' for the drum,
An' dreamin arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe.
Call him on the deep sea, call him up the Sound,
Call him when ye sail to meet the foe;
Where the old trade's plyin' an' the old flag flyin'
They shall find him ware an' wakin', as they found him long ago!

Where is Nombre de dios bay (lit: Name of God) I hear you ask?
From:-https://www.indrakeswake.co.uk/Society/Research/nombrededios.htm

Drake sailed out of Plymouth Sound on 24 May 1572 on a voyage to Tierra Firme - that included today's Panama, for which he had very carefully prepared. He made his objective very clear, with intent to land at Nombre de Dios. On his last voyage in 1595/6, the final objective was the City of Panama but the key location was once again Nombre de Dios, from where his troops attempted the land crossing of the isthmus. When that failed, Drake put Nombre de Dios to the torch.

The Nombre de Dios that Drake knew in 1572, was a fair sized city for those days. The settlement had been granted its status by Emperor Charles V in 1537 and had seen some fifty years of development. It was the important terminal for the Tierra Firme treasure fleet which had, by 1564, established a regular annual, timetable. Here it met the treasure mule-trains which had crossed via the Camino Real from Panama City.It was at zenith of its development, and had exported enormous wealth during the century, including about 200,000 tons of silver. However, its harbour suffered several disadvantages. 

Consequently, in 1587 Baptista Antonelli, Philip II's engineer and surveyor, recommended relocation to Portobelo. However, the merchants were reluctant to relocate. Even after Drake sacked the city, they returned! A major fire later in the year, finally convinced them. Moreover, relocation took several years to complete. After that Nombre de Dios was abandoned to the jungle. In 1684 William Dampier commented, Nombre de Dios, a city once famous, is now nothing but a name. For I have lain ashore in the place where that City stood; but it is all overgrown with wood, so as to leave no sign that any Town hath been there.

The Nombre de Dios that Drake knew is a lost city - it no longer exists.

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