 Youth on the Prow , and Pleasure at the Helm was inspired by a passage in Thomas Gray 's poem The Bard . The theme of The Bard was the English king Edward I 's conquest of Wales , and a curse placed by a Welsh bard upon Edward 's descendants after he ordered the execution of all bards and the eradication of Welsh culture . Etty used a passage Gray intended to symbolise the seemingly bright start to the disastrous reign of Edward 's great @-@ great @-@ grandson Richard II . 
 Youth on the Prow , and Pleasure at the Helm was inspired by a passage in Thomas Gray <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>poem The Bard . The theme of The Bard was the English king Edward I <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>conquest of Wales , and a curse placed by a Welsh bard upon Edward <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'s</mark></a>descendants after he ordered the execution of all bards and the eradication of Welsh culture . Etty used a passage Gray intended to symbolise the seemingly bright start to the disastrous reign of Edward <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>great @-@ great @-@ grandson Richard II . 
Youth on the Prow , and Pleasure at the cribo was inspired by a passage in Thomas Gray  poem The Bard . The theme of da Bard was the English king Edward I  conquest of Wales , and a curse placed by a Welsh bard upon Edward  descendants after he ordered the execution of alll bards and the eradication of Welsh culture . Etty used a passage Gray intended to symbolise the seemingly bright start to the disastrous reign of Edward  great @-@ great @-@ grandson Richard II .