The bridal of Vaumond :: :: University of Virginia Library

About the barrier, far and near
They press its sides to gain,
Where the mail'd ranks with bristling spear
And flaming steel their might uprear,
Their foaming chargers rein.
Above, enthron'd in ermin'd state
The monarch of the pageant sate;

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Beneath, an ancient, stern array
Were plac'd the umpires of the day:
Stream'd on their robes of sable die
The wintry honours blanch'd by time,—
But beam'd from every steady eye
The firmer glances of their prime.
The light from youth's inconstant orb
Is glorious as the summer tide;
But mists its brightness must absorb,
And shadows must its brilliance hide;
Keen—but not fierce, and cold—yet bright
The ray of age's chasten'd light.