Gwendolen, Page 1 Of 4 Poem by John Bliven Morin

An age before Boudicca’s birth,
The age of What-has-Been,
From Cornwall born, land of the horn,
Gwendolen was a queen.

Locrin, High King, was her spouse
But a secret love had he;
Among the trade of a pirate raid
A girl from Germany.

The king and queen, they had a son,
Whose name it was Mathan;
Also the king and his foreign fling,
Had a daughter, Saveran.

Gwendolen was a princess born;
Dumnonian daughter of steel,
With a sword to harm and a shield on her arm
And a wolf-hound at her heel.

Estrildis wished to be a queen,
And so she wooed the king,
“Please put aside your Briton bride,
For I’m for marrying.”

Locrin chose this German girl
Above his queen and wife,
Put her aside for a foreign bride,
And thus began their strife.

Back to her Cornish castle went
Gwendolen with her son,
And for her harm, called all to arm,
“There’s a kingdom to be won! ”

Gwendolen was a princess born;
Dumnonian daughter of steel,
With a sword to harm and a shield on her arm
And a wolf-hound at her heel.

The sound of the smithies’ hammers rang,
From the Horn to the southern shore;
New weapons made with the keenest blades,
For the queen will go to war.

Armour, shields and swords were made,
And chariots large and fast;
Gwendolen told her warriors bold,
‘Tis time to strike at last! ”