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Red and Blue Transferware Tablescape For the 4th of July


Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.


He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,–
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."


Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.


Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.


Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,–
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.


Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel’s tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,–
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.


Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse’s side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry’s height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.



A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.


It was twelve by the village clock
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer’s dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.


It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.



It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball.


You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,—
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.


So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,—
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~



Happy Independence Day!

Read more and see more of these dishes HERE


Joining: Between Naps on the Porch,
 Savvy Southern StyleRomantic Homes,Common GroundFeathered Nest Friday,Charm of HomeFunky Junk Interiors No Minimalist HereA Stroll Thru Life,  Make It Pretty Monday
Let's Dish





Sources:
 Floral arrangement:  by me, flowers from Hobby Lobby
Paul Revere Plates:  part of  the Crown Ducal Colonial Scenes series (contact me for purchasing info)
Blue goblets:  Avon (these have Martha or George Washington cameos on them)
Clear glasses with beaded feet:  vintage, thrift store find
Embroidered napkins:  vintage, thrift store find
Flatware: my everyday, Stockholm by Towle




Comments

  1. Nancy, it's fun to read this poem again, especially in its entirety. Beautiful table using the blue and white with the red and white and perfect with the Paul Revere specific plates. I've not seen these. I have a few of Independence Hall, but not there. The George and Martha goblets are also a fun addition. Thank you for sharing this table.
    Happy July 4th! ~ Sarah

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  2. This is one of my favorite posts. I love the plates. They are just beautiful.

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  3. YOur tablescape is stunning. Love the pink and blue together and your linens are gorgeous. You always create such a lovely setting. Love the poem also. Hugs, Marty

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  4. Beautifully done! I thought those goblets looked like Avon. I have one that was given to me years ago, with a candle in it.

    Jocelyn @
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com

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  5. My all time favorite poem!!!! ...And...I've just GOT to get some of those dishes!!! Absolutely LOVE them!!!

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  6. COOL transferware, Nancy, and the stemware is a perfect companion!!!

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  7. This tablescape is absolutely fabulous from the dishes to the centerpiece!

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  8. Nancy,

    Your table is beautiful! Love how you did your centerpiece.

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  9. What a wonderful post. Loved it all!! I will be in Boston next week for a family reunion. Can't wait to be back in New England.

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  10. Gorgeous tablescape, loving it all, but of course the Paul Revere dishes are fabulous, so very special Nancy..wow, you have the greatest!!! Your linen napkins are stunning and your table runner and centerpiece. FABULOUS!
    FABBY

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  11. Beautiful patriotic tablescape, Nancy! Thanks for sharing this at the Open House party.

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  12. Nancy, it was a pleasure to read this again. Love your pretty dishes. I love love that centerpiece.. happy fourth. xo marlis

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  13. What a beautiful table. I love the dishes and the glassware they are very pretty. The centerpiece is stuning. I am now a Linky follower. I hope you do the same.

    Cynthia

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  14. I love your tablescape! I've never seen the Paul Revere dishes before. Your clear glasses with the glass balls are Candlewick. Absolutely adore your centerpiece! Beautiful!!

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  15. Beautiful table setting. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  16. Hi Nancy, Love the patriotic theme for the holidays. Such a lovely table and I love the sweet little candlewick glasses.
    ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

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  17. What a wonderfully elegant and patriotic post! The table is just beautiful. Thank you for sharing the poem, as well. LOVE this post!!

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  18. Love your pretty table, the dishes are lovely.
    Thanks for linking to Let's Dish! Have a great holiday!

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  19. Very nice! My mom used to have two of those blue goblets, I can always remember them sitting up on our bookshelf.

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  20. Another beautiful tablescape! Have a great 4th, Laura

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  21. What a beautiful post! Those are just the perfect dishes for The 4Th. I am happy to say that all the middle school kids in our town study Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem about Paul Revere. I caught myself reading it like we do in class. :) I am really getting hooked on transferware....I think this sealed the deal. I need some!

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  22. Oh Nancy, how funny. We both referenced the same poem for our Fourth of July table! Love those plates!!!

    - The Tablescaper

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  23. What a fabulous post. Another gorgeous table setting. Wow. I just love how you mixed a blue cup with a red saucer. Never would have thought of doing that but I love it. Your floral arrangement looks wonderful too and I like the way you bunched up the runner around it. You are a marvelous tables caper!! Going back to read the poem...
    Thank you from the Northfork of Long Island from Ruthie at:http://www.ladybstimefortea.blogspot.com/
    Please come visit. Happy Fourth of July. I can see you are proud~me too :)

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  24. Oh this is awesome. I love it all. I need to start keeping my eyes pealed for these transferware dishes.

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  25. Beautiful! Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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  26. What a beautiful table, Nancy. The centerpiece is so pretty, and I love those plates. Is that Washington on the stemware? Such a gorgeous cobalt color!

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