THE TOLL OF MAJESTY
Poorsuffering king!His misery is his friend. Him doth he guestThe whole day long. His subjects want not ease,Nor eat their messes joyless round their boardsWhile he doth thrust aside the daintiest dish,Whose hardness doth the peasant’s crust exceed,Or bolts it down in tremulous haste and fear,Eyes trained for secret enemies. Who knows?Some sneak assassin’s steel may strike his heart,Or some rude bomb may rend the castle’s baseBut to attempt his life. God, save the king,That he may use his throne and sceptre right,And be not thus the nation’s trembling slave,But be its strongest power!
Poorsuffering king!His misery is his friend. Him doth he guestThe whole day long. His subjects want not ease,Nor eat their messes joyless round their boardsWhile he doth thrust aside the daintiest dish,Whose hardness doth the peasant’s crust exceed,Or bolts it down in tremulous haste and fear,Eyes trained for secret enemies. Who knows?Some sneak assassin’s steel may strike his heart,Or some rude bomb may rend the castle’s baseBut to attempt his life. God, save the king,That he may use his throne and sceptre right,And be not thus the nation’s trembling slave,But be its strongest power!
Poorsuffering king!
His misery is his friend. Him doth he guest
The whole day long. His subjects want not ease,
Nor eat their messes joyless round their boards
While he doth thrust aside the daintiest dish,
Whose hardness doth the peasant’s crust exceed,
Or bolts it down in tremulous haste and fear,
Eyes trained for secret enemies. Who knows?
Some sneak assassin’s steel may strike his heart,
Or some rude bomb may rend the castle’s base
But to attempt his life. God, save the king,
That he may use his throne and sceptre right,
And be not thus the nation’s trembling slave,
But be its strongest power!