| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895. |
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| How ’s My Boy? |
| | | Sydney Dobell (1824–74) |
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| “HO, Sailor of the sea! | |
| How ’s my boy—my boy?” | |
| “What ’s your boy’s name, good wife, | |
| And in what good ship sailk’d he?” | |
| “My boy John— | 5 |
| He that went to sea— | |
| What care I for the ship, sailor? | |
| My boy’s my boy to me. | |
| “You come back from sea, | |
| And not know my John? | 10 |
| I might as well have ask’d some landsman | |
| Yonder down in the town. | |
| There ’s not an ass in all the parish | |
| But he knows my John. | |
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| “How ’s my boy—my boy? | 15 |
| And unless you let me know | |
| I ’ll swear you are no sailor, | |
| Blue jacket or no, | |
| Brass buttons or no, sailor, | |
| Anchor and crown or no! | 20 |
| Sure his ship was the ‘Jolly Briton’”— | |
| “Speak low, woman, speak low!” | |
| “And why should I speak low, sailor, | |
| About my own boy John? | |
| If I was loud as I am proud | 25 |
| I ’d sing him over the town! | |
| Why should I speak low, sailor?” | |
| “That good ship went down.” | |
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| “How ’s my boy—my boy? | |
| What care I for the ship, sailor? | 30 |
| I was never aboard her. | |
| Be she afloat or be she aground, | |
| Sinking or swimming, I ’ll be bound, | |
| Her owners can afford her! | |
| I say, how ’s my John?” | 35 |
| “Every man on board went down, | |
| Every man aboard her.” | |
| “How ’s my boy—my boy? | |
| What care I for the men, sailor? | |
| I ’m not their mother— | 40 |
| How ’s my boy—my boy? | |
| Tell me of him and no other! | |
| How ’s my boy—my boy?” | |
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