Not Quite Tennyson
Our escapades during homecoming led us at one point into South Library. While examining old yearbooks, I found a literary gem on page 223 of the 1978 edition. I'd give credit to the author, but he apparently chose to remain anonymous. Without further ado, I present this incredible poem with its original formatting and punctuation.
THE CHARGE OF THE PANTY RAIDERS
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward
All towards the walls of MAP
Stormed the six hundred
'Forward the Panty Raiders!
Charge for the doors!' he said
Into the halls of MAP
Stormed the six hundred.
'Forward the Panty Raiders!'
Was there a guy dismay'd?
Not a one, for all knew,
Girls were waiting for them to run
through.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do with pride
Into the halls of MAP
Stormed the six hundred.
Aerosal spray cans to the right of them,
Water buckets to the left of them,
Head residents in front of them,
Positioned for the firing.
Stormed at the screams and yells
Boldly they ran and well,
Into the halls of MAP
Into the grasps of residents,
Stormed the six hundred.
Proudly they hid their fear
Proudly they turn'd in air
Fearing no the women there,
Hunting for a treasured pair, while
All the campus wondered.
Plunged in the powdery smoke
Right through the dorms they broke;
One after another.
Surprised by head resident's yelling
"Get out, get out"
Then they ran out, but not,
Not the six hundred.
Shaving cream to the right of them,
Baby power to the left of them,
Water behind them
Squirted and thrown;
Storm'd at with screams and yells
While some were trapped and held,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' a little wet
Back triumphant from those they met,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the campus wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made?
Honor the Panty Raide?
Noble six hundred!?
It is not currently known if this poem describes an actual event, or if it was inspired purely by the prurient fantasies of the author. Personally, I thought panty raids were primarily a 1950s thing. Anyone have any insight on the history of the panty raid? All that aside, a better question would be how and why this ended up in the yearbook. Oh, the wild days of the late 70s.
THE CHARGE OF THE PANTY RAIDERS
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward
All towards the walls of MAP
Stormed the six hundred
'Forward the Panty Raiders!
Charge for the doors!' he said
Into the halls of MAP
Stormed the six hundred.
'Forward the Panty Raiders!'
Was there a guy dismay'd?
Not a one, for all knew,
Girls were waiting for them to run
through.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do with pride
Into the halls of MAP
Stormed the six hundred.
Aerosal spray cans to the right of them,
Water buckets to the left of them,
Head residents in front of them,
Positioned for the firing.
Stormed at the screams and yells
Boldly they ran and well,
Into the halls of MAP
Into the grasps of residents,
Stormed the six hundred.
Proudly they hid their fear
Proudly they turn'd in air
Fearing no the women there,
Hunting for a treasured pair, while
All the campus wondered.
Plunged in the powdery smoke
Right through the dorms they broke;
One after another.
Surprised by head resident's yelling
"Get out, get out"
Then they ran out, but not,
Not the six hundred.
Shaving cream to the right of them,
Baby power to the left of them,
Water behind them
Squirted and thrown;
Storm'd at with screams and yells
While some were trapped and held,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' a little wet
Back triumphant from those they met,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the campus wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made?
Honor the Panty Raide?
Noble six hundred!?
It is not currently known if this poem describes an actual event, or if it was inspired purely by the prurient fantasies of the author. Personally, I thought panty raids were primarily a 1950s thing. Anyone have any insight on the history of the panty raid? All that aside, a better question would be how and why this ended up in the yearbook. Oh, the wild days of the late 70s.
posted by Yax at 6:40 PM
3 Comments:
I don't know anything about panty raids. As far as I know, they were a thing of folklore when I was in college. Of course, when I was in college, women had locks on their doors, which I would think would do more than shaving cream and baby powder to thwart the onslaught of just about any would-be band of panty raiders.
panty raid!!!!! let's go.
I have it on good authority from at least one professor who attended the Grove for his undergrad that this was a common occurance. According to him, it was often done by just a hall of two of lads, and only infrequently en masse with most of the male population. He seemed to think that Grovers had grown boring, studious, and prudish in recent years. This amused me greatly.
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