The glory of manhood stand on his ancient height, III. And as months ran on and rumour of battle grew, That old hysterical mock-disease should die.' Till I saw the dreary phantom arise and fly IV. Let it go or stay, so I wake to the higher aims And hail once more to the banner of battle unroll'd! And noble thought be freër under the sun, And the heart of a people beat with one desire ; For the peace, that I deem'd no peace, is over and done, V. Let it flame or fade, and the war roll down like a wind, We have proved we have hearts in a cause, we are noble still, It is better to fight for the good than to rail at the ill; A A DEDICATION. THESE to His Memory-since he held Before a thousand peering littlenesses, them dear, Perchance as finding there unconsciously And indeed He seems to me Scarce other than my own ideal knight, 'Who reverenced his conscience as his king; In that fierce light which beats upon a throne, And blackens every blot : for where is he, sons Hope more for these than some inheritance Of such a life, a heart, a mind as thine, Thou noble Father of her Kings to be, Laborious for her people and her poorVoice in the rich dawn of an ampler dayFar-sighted summoner of War and Waste Who loved one only and who clave to To fruitful strifes and rivalries of peaceSweet nature gilded by the gracious gleam Whose glory was, redressing human wrong; Who spake no slander, no, nor listen'd to it; her-' Her-over all whose realms to their last Of letters, dear to Science, dear to Art, isle, Commingled with the gloom of imminent war, The shadow of His loss drew like eclipse, him he is gone : Dear to thy land and ours, a Prince indeed, Beyond all titles, and a household name, Break not, O woman's-heart, but still Break not, for thou art Royal, but endure, How modest, kindly, all-accomplish'd, Remembering all the beauty of that star wise, With what sublime repression of himself, Which shone so close beside Thee, that ye made One light together, but has past and leaves May all love, Of wing'd ambitions, nor a vantage- His love, unseen but felt, o'ershadow Thee, ground The love of all Thy sons encompass Thee, For pleasure; but thro' all this tract of The love of all Thy daughters cherish Wearing the white flower of a blameless The love of all Thy people comfort Thee, Till God's love set Thee at his side again! life, 355 THE COMING OF ARTHUR. LEODOGRAN, the King of Cameliard, And she was fairest of all flesh on earth, Came night and day, and rooted in the And wallow'd in the gardens of the King. fierce teat For many a petty king ere Arthur came Her own brood lost or dead, lent her Ruled in this isle, and ever waging war Each upon other, wasted all the land; And still from time to time the heathen host Swarm'd overseas, and harried what was left. To human sucklings; and the children, housed In her foul den, there at their meat would growl, And mock their foster-mother on four feet, And so there grew great tracts of wilder- Till, straighten'd, they grew up to wolflike men, ness, Wherein the beast was ever more and Worse than the wolves. more, Leodogran And King But man was less and less, till Arthur Groan'd for the Roman legions here again, And Cæsar's eagle: then his brother king, came. For first Aurelius lived and fought and Urien, assail'd him : last a heathen horde, Reddening the sun with smoke and earth with blood, died, And after him King Uther fought and died, But either fail'd to make the kingdom And on the spike that split the mother's But heard the call, and came: and This is the son of Gorloïs, not the King; This is the son of Anton, not the King.' Guinevere Stood by the castle walls to watch him pass; But since he neither wore on helm or shield The golden symbol of his kinglihood, But rode a simple knight among his knights, And many of these in richer arms than he, She saw him not, or mark'd not, if she saw, One among many, tho' his face was bare. But Arthur, looking downward as he past, Felt the light of her eyes into his life Smite on the sudden, yet rode on, and pitch'd His tents beside the forest. drave And Arthur, passing thence to battle, felt Travail, and throes and agonies of the life, Desiring to be join'd with Guinevere; And thinking as he rode, 'Her father said That there between the man and beast they die. Shall I not lift her from this land of beasts Up to my throne, and side by side with me? What happiness to reign a lonely king, Vext-O ye stars that shudder over me, O earth that soundest hollow under me, Then he Vext with waste dreams? for saving I be join'd The heathen, after, slew the beast, and To her that is the fairest under heaven, Are like to those of Uther whom we The smallest rock far on the faintest hill, knew. And even in high day the morning star. So when the King had set his banner So well thine arm hath wrought for me broad, to-day.' At once from either side, with trumpet-Sir and my liege,' he cried, the fire of blast, And shouts, and clarions shrilling unto Descends upon thee in the battle-field : I know thee for my King!' Whereat the blood, The long-lanced battle let their horses run. God two, For each had warded either in the fight, And now the Barons and the kings pre- Sware on the field of death a deathless vail'd, love. And now the King, as here and there And Arthur said, 'Man's word is God in Went swaying; but the Powers who walk Let chance what will, I trust thee to the And mightier of his hands with every His new-made knights, to King Leodo And leading all his knighthood threw the Saying, 'If I in aught have served thee kings Carádos, Urien, Cradlemont of Wales, The King Brandagoras of Latangor, well, Give me thy daughter Guinevere to wife.' Whom when he heard, Leodogran in heart Debating-How should I that am a However much he holp me at my need, Flying, and Arthur call'd to stay the A hoary man, his chamberlain, to whom He trusted all things, and of him required That hack'd among the flyers, 'Ho! they His counsel: Knowest thou aught of brands yield !' So like a painted battle the war stood Silenced, the living quiet as the dead, And in the heart of Arthur joy was lord. loved Arthur's birth?' Then spake the hoary chamberlain and said, He laugh'd upon his warrior whom he Sir King, there be but two old men that know : And honour'd most. 'Thou dost not And each is twice as old as I; and one Is Merlin, the wise man that ever served doubt me King, |