“Saint Helena (Boney on the Isle of St. Helena)”
Description
A lament for Napoleon, "gone from his wars and his fightings." His past splendor is contrasted with his current fate. The sorrow of his wife Louisa is alluded to. His death is attributed to the malice of his enemies.
Supplemental text
Saint Helena (Boney on the Isle of St. Helena)
Complete text(s)
*** A ***
Almost certainly originally a broadside, possibly Irish. Now lost.
Surviving versions clearly damaged -- the damage perhaps being
caused by a rather elaborate original. The text below is composite,
an attempt to reconstruct the approximate original; source notes
and critical data follows the text:
Saint Helena
1 Oh, Boney has gone from his wars and his fighting;
He has gone to the place where he never took delight in.
And there he may sit down and tell the scenes that he has seen of
While forlorn he doth mourn on the Isle of Saint Helena.
2 Louisa doth mourn for her husband's departing
She dreams when she sleeps and she wakes broken-hearted.
Not a friend to console her, even those who might be with her
But she mourns when she thinks on the Isle of Saint Helena.
3 Now the rude rushing waves all around the shores are washing
And the great billows' heaves on the wild rocks are dashing.
He may look to the moon o'er the great Mount Diana
With his eyes o'er the waves [that] roll around Saint Helena.
4 No more in St. Cloud he'll be seen in such splendor,
Or go on with his wars like the great Alexander,
For the young king of Rome and the prince of Gehenna
They have caused him to die on the Isle of Saint Helena.
5 O you Parliaments of war* and your Holy Alliance
To a prisoner of war you may now bid defiance.
For your base intrigues and your base misdemeanors
Have caused him to die on the Isle of Saint Helena.
6 All you that have wealth, beware of ambition
For by some degree of fate you might change your condition
Be steadfast in time, for what's to come you know not
For fear you may be changed like he on the Isle of St. Helena
* The variant reading, "Parliament of England," is more reasonable
(England was the one major enemy of Napoleon not to join the Holy
Alliance), and may well be original -- but it won't scan.
***
Sources:
B: Belden, p. 146, "The Isle of St. Helena" (verses 1, 2 , 3 6, 4)
Bl: Popular recording by Mary Black (rarely cited explicitly; used
primarily as a source of emendations)
E: Eddy #96, p. 220, "Lonely Louisa" (verse 2 only, and missing 2C)
F: Flanders & Brown, p. 11, "Bonaparte on St. Helena" (verse 2 only)
H: Gale Huntingdon, "Songs the Whalemen Sang," pp. 205-206,
"Bonaparte on St. Helena" (collated from two versions)
R: Brown II #146, p. 385, "The Isle of St. Helena," text A
(see also R2, R3, R4). From C. K. Tillet or his wife in 1922
R2: Brown's B text (fragment; verses 1, 2, 3, 4AB); from Fanny Grogan
R3: Brown's C text (fragment; verses 1, 4, 2, 3A); from Alva Wise
R4: Broen's D text (fragment; verses 1AB+4AB, 2ABC, 4CD); from Mrs. Ira Reese
S: J. A. Scott, "The Ballad of America," pp. 102-104,
"Napoleon Bonaparte"
W: Warner 143, p. 331, "Bony on the Isle of St. Helena," collected 1940
from C. K. "Tink" Tillett (note that this may be the same informant
as R, but with substantial variations including an extra verse!)
Of these, W is probably the best text, and the verses follow
its order. S and Bl may have been modified.
cj. = conjectural reading
txt: Indicates that the text printed above is supplied from the
witnesses cited
Note: No notice has been made of variants regarding terminal
g (i.e. -ing versus -in') or of "St." versus "Saint." Punctuation
is generally ignored as being editorial.
***
References preceding variant readings are to stanza and line,
e.g. 1B refers to the second line of the first stanza.
If no lemma is quoted, then the entire line is the variant
under discussion. Separate variants within lines are
distinguished by asterisks (*):
1A * txt: cj.
W: Oh, Bony he has gone from his wars all a-fightin'
R: Bony he has gone from his wars of all fighting
R2: Bone's gone to the war in the battle he is fighting
R3: Now Bony is gone from the wars of all fighting
R4: Bonaparte he's gone from the wars of all fighting
H: Bonaparte is gone from his wars and his fightings
B: He is gone, he is gone from the wars of all fighting
S: Now Napoleon he has done with his wars and his fighting
1B * txt: cj.;
S: He has gone to the land he can take no delight in
B: He is gone to the place that he never took delight in
W: He has gone to the place where he takes no delight in
R: He has gone to the place where he never took delight in
R2: He has gone to a place where he never took delight in
R3: He's gone to a place where he never took delight in
R4: He's gone to the land where [he] doth take delighting
H: He has gone to a place that he never took delight in
cj.: He has gone to a land where naught can delight him
1C * txt: W;
R: And there he may set down and tell the sence he has seen of
R2: Oh there he may sit down and tell all that he has seen of
R3: Oh there he'll sit down to the scene where he's seen her
S: He may set him down and tell of battles he has been in
H: He may sit down and tell-o what great sights he has seen-o
B: No more he will sit down and tell of scenes he's seen of
1D * txt: S;
W: Whilst full long he doth mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
H: Yet alone he must mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
B: But he mourns when he thinks on the Isle of St. Helena
R: For long he does mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
R2: While for home he doth weep on the Isle of St. Tellena
R3: While for Boney he doth warm on the Isle of St. Helena
Verse 2: Verse 4 in H, apparently verse 3 in R3
2A * txt: cj.
E: Louisa she doth mourn for her loved one departed
B: Louisa doth mourn of her loved one departed
F: Louisa doth mourn for her husband departed
H: Louisa she mourns from her husband she is parted
S: Louisa does weep for her husband's departing
W: Oh, Louisy she weeps for her husband's departin'
R: Eloisa she mourns of her husband's departing
R2: Louise she doth weep for her husband hath departed
R3: The wife she doth mourn for her husband's departure
R4: Louise doth weep for her husband departed
2B * txt: F R W (S "and she wakens"; B "and awakes"; R2 "wakes all broken-hearted;
R4 "and wakes"));
H: And she dreams when she sleeps and awakes broken-hearted
E: She weeps as she sleeps and awakes broken-hearted
R3: She dreams while she sleeps and she wakes broken-hearted
2C * txt: R R2 W
F: Not a friend to console her even those that might be with her
S: Not a friend to console or even those who might be with her
H: There is none to console her those who might be with her
B: Not a friend to console her even those who might be with her
R3: Not a soul to console her even those who might have been with her
R4: There's no friend to contol her not even those near her
cj.: Not a friend to console her though there's many would be with her
2D * txt cj.
R+W: For she mourns when she thinks on the Isle of St. Helena
B: She mourns when she thinks on the Isle of St. Helena
E: While forlorn he doth mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
F: But she mourns when she thinks of the Isle of St. Helena
H: Yet alone she mourns when she thinks on St. Helena
S: While forlorn she does mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
R2: For she weeps when she thinks on the Isle of St. Tellena
R3: Oh, she mourns when she thinks of the Isle of St. Helena
3A * txt: R R2
H: Where the great white-top waves on the rocks they are dashing
W: Oh, the rude rushin' waves all around the shores a-washin'
R: Now the rude rushing waves all around the shores are washing
S: The rude rushing waves all around the shores are washing
B: The rude rushing waves all around the shores are washing
R3: The rude rushing waves beat around St. Helena
cj. (cf. Bl; I much prefer this reading though I doubt it is original):
Now the rude rushing waves o'er the oceans are fleeting
3B * txt: R
H: And the proud foaming billows on the shores they are washing
W: And the great billows heaves on the wild rocks are dashin'
S: Now the high billows roar, on the rough rocks are dashing
B: And the great billows heave and the wild rocks are dashing
R2: And the great Bill of loo and the wild rocks are burting
cj. (cf. Bl; I much prefer this reading though I doubt it is original):
And the great billows' roar on the shore's rocks are beating
3C * txt: W (R "...moon over the great...")
B: He may look to the moon on the great mount Diana
S: He may look to the moon, to the great mount of Diana
H: He may sigh to the winds on the mount of Diana
R2: He may look to the moon of the great omount taema
3D * txt: (W omits "that")
R: With his eyes over the waves rolded around St. Helena
B: With his eyes on the waves that surround St. Helena
S: While forlorn he does mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
H: Yet alone he must mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
R2: With his eyes over the waves that around St. Tellena
verse 4: found in R+W, R3, and B (as verse 5) only; R2 and R4 have fragments;
the text given is that of W without emendation; S omits; H (as verse 2)
has a portion of this verse conflated with v. 3.
Texts of the other versions (the differences between R and W are shown
in caps):
4A * H: Where the (Magalene) clouds come forth in such splendor
B: No more in St. Cloud shall he be seen in such splendor
R: No more in St. CLOUD'S he'll be seen in such splendor
R2: No more at church he'll be seen in such splendor
R3: No more in St. Cloud's he'll be seen in such splendor
R4: No more in such clouds he'll be seen in such splendor
4B * H: They come forth in crowds like the great Alexander
B: Or go on with his crown like the great Alexander
R: Or go on with his CROWDS like the great Alexander
R2: Nor again with his crowd not the great Alexander
R3: Nor gone with his crowd like the great Alexandria
R4: Not roing with his crowds and the great Alexander
4C * H: He may sigh to the winds on the great Mount Diana
B: For the young king of Rome and the prince of Igana
R: For the GREAT king of Rome and the prince of GAHANAH
R3: But the great king of Rome and the prince of Gay Hanna
R4: The young king of Rob and the prince of Gemira
4D * H: Yet alone he must mourn on the Isle of St. Helena
B: Say they will bring their father back from the Isle of St. Helena
R: SAYS THEY BRING THEIR FATHER HOME FROM the Isle of St. Helena
R3: They will bring their father home from the Isle of St. Helena
R4: Say they will bring their father home from the Isles of St. Delina
verses 5-6: This order W; S places 6 before 5; B H omit verse 5; B has the
1 2 3 6 4 (!); R omits verse 6
5A * txt cj. (S omits "O")
W: O you Parliaments of England and you Holy Alliance
R: Now you Parliaments of England and you Holy Alliance
5B * a prisoner: R W; S "the prisoner"
5C * txt cj. (cf. S "...your baser misdemeanors")
W: For his base intrudin' and his base misdemeanors
(R "base INTRUDING")
5D * Have caused: R "has caused"
6A * txt S;
W: Come all you's got wealth, pray beware of ambition
H: Come all you that have great wealth, now beware of ambition
B: All ye that have wives, pray beware of ambition
6B * txt: cj.
S: Lest in some degree of health you should change your condition
B: 'Tis a decree in fate that might change your condition
W: For it's a degree of fate that may change your condition
H: Or by some degree or other you might change your condition
6C * txt: S;
B: Be ye steadfast in time for what is to come ye know not
H: Be steadfast in time-o[,] what is to come you can not tell-o
W: Be'est it best in time for what's to come you know not
6D * txt: cj. (variant "like him," "like his")
S: And your days they may end on the Isle of St. Helena
W: For fear you may be changed like he on the Isle of St. Helena
B: For fear you might be changed like he on St. Helena
H: Or by chance you might end on the Isle of St. Helena
cj.: Or your days they may end, like he on St. Helena
cj.: Or your days they may end on the Isle of Saint Helena
Notes
The grief of Marie Louisa of Austria (Napoleon's second wife) has become the only surviving theme in certain American versions of this ballad. Historically, there is little basis for this; she refused to go into exile with him to Elba, let alone St. Helena.
In fact, even before Napoleon went to Elba, she is reported to have taken General Adam Adelbert Neipperg as a lover. When he came back during the Hundred Days, she not only refused to join him, she wouldn't even allow him to see his son. By the time Napoleon died, Louisa had borne two children to other fathers.
"Mount Diana," referred to in some texts, is properly Diana's Peak, the highest point on Saint Helena (about 825 ft/250 meters above sea level). The link of Diana with the moon clearly reveals that this piece began life as a broadside; someone was using classical analogies.
The "Holy Alliance" is the coalition formed immediately after Napoleon's downfall. Its purpose was to prevent the rise of any Bonapartist pretenders. Ironically for an alliance that called itself "holy," the primary nations involved (Austria, Prussia, Russia; England was not a member) were more regressive than France. In addition, it eventually failed of its purpose, as Napoleon III later took over France.
This song seems to be known mostly from broadsides in Britain; its popularity and firm hold in tradition in the U. S. probably derives from its inclusion in the _Forget-Me-Not Songster_.
Ben Schwartz brought to my attention the attribution of this song to James Watt found in broadside Bodleian Firth c.16(84). This is a broadside; there are two poems (which is rare but not unknown), and this one has an extended prose introduction (which is even more rare). What is more, the two songs do not appear to come from the same printing house: "Bonaparte's Departure for St. Helena" appears to be self-published, while the accompanying item, "Napoleon is the Boy For Kicking up a Row," is from one of the Poet's Box outlets (though the exact one has been scratched out).
Is this the original? It lacks one of the six standard stanzas, and there are many verbal differences from the usual texts. Even more curious is the occasional hints of confornity with Scots dialect. I can only say that there appears to have been recensional activity -- but whether that activity was applied by Watt to create this text, or by the Forget-Me-Not Songster, or by someone else, I cannot tell. I'm not ready to concede authorship on the rather thin basis of one broadside. - RBW
The ballad is recorded on one of the CD's issued around the time of the bicentenial of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. See:
Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "The Isle of St Helena" (on Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "My Name is Napoleon Bonaparte," Hummingbird Records HBCD0027 (2001)) - BS
Historical references
- 1815 - Defeat at the Battle of Waterloo forces Napoleon into exile
- 1821 - Death of Napoleon
Cross references
- cf. "Farewell to Mackenzie" (meter)
- cf. "Napoleon's Farewell to Paris" (subject)
- cf. "The Royal Eagle" (subject: Marie Louisa's grief for Napoleon)
- cf. "The New Bunch of Loughero" (theme: Marie Louise's grief for Napoleon)
- cf. "The Removal of Napoleon's Ashes" (theme: Marie Louise's grief for Napoleon)
- cf. "The Braes of Balquhither" (tune, per broadside Bodleian Firth c.16(84))
Broadsides
- Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 205, "The Island of St. Helena," J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Harding B 11(1517), Firth c.16(99), Firth b.34(201), Harding B 11(847) [some words illegible], Harding B 11(1810), Harding B 11(1811), "Isle of St. Helena"; Harding B 25(1716), Harding B 11(3955), "The Island of St. Helena"; Harding B 25(245), "Bonapate's Lamentation at the Island of St. Helena"; Firth c.16(84), "Bonaparte's Departure for St. Helena"
Recordings
- Charles K. "Tink" Tillett, "Bony on the Isle of St. Helena" (on USWarnerColl01) [called simply "Bony" on the CD sleeve; the longer title is in the interior notes]
References
- Moylan 209, "The Isle of Saint Helena" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Eddy 96, "Lonely Louisa" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
- Belden, pp. 146-147, "The Isle of St. Helena" (1 text plus reference to 1 more)
- Warner 143, "Bony on the Isle of St. Helena" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 205-207, "Bonaparte on St. Helena" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BrownII 146, "The Isle of St. Helena" (4 texts, mostly defective)
- Chappell-FSRA 109, "Napoleon" (1 text, 1 tune)
- SharpAp 173, "Boney's Defeat" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Flanders/Brown, pp. 111-112, "Napoleon Song," "Bonaparte on St. Helena" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
- Greenleaf/Mansfield 83, "Napoleon the Exile" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Scott-BoA, pp. 102-104, "Napoleon Bonaparte" (1 text, 1 tune)
- DT, BNYSTHEL* BNYSTHE2
- ST E096 (Full)
- Roud #349
- BI, E096