THE BALLAD OF BOH DA THONE
1888
(Burma War, 1883-85)
This is the ballad of Boh Da Thone,
Erst a Pretender to Theebaw's throne,
Who harried the District of Alalone:
How he met with his fate and the V. P. P.[1]
At the hand of Hadendra Mukerji,
Senior Gomashta, G. B. T.[2]
BOH DA THONE was a warrior bold:
His sword and his rifle were bossed with gold,
And the Peacock Banner his henchmen bore
Was stiff with bullion, but stiffer with gore.
He shot at the strong and he slashed at the weak
From the Salween scrub to the Chindwin teak:
He crucified noble, he scarified mean,
He filled old ladies with kerosene:
While over the water the papers cried,
"The patriot fights for his countryside!"
But little they cared for the Native Press,
The worn white soldiers in khaki dress,
Who tramped through the jungle and camped in the byre,
