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 | The Poetical Works of Frances Ridley Havergal |  |
239
Enigma No. 1.
An army of Cyclops, fair reader, are we,
Yet your servants especially ought we to be;
The outposts of England, 'mid ocean's roar,
We have stood since the deluge, and perhaps before.
Yet your servants especially ought we to be;
The outposts of England, 'mid ocean's roar,
We have stood since the deluge, and perhaps before.
From Parry, and Cook, and Columbus too,
A vote of thanks to ourselves is due;
But to Solomon's ships, when to Ophir sent,
Our aid, not asked, was of course not lent.
A vote of thanks to ourselves is due;
But to Solomon's ships, when to Ophir sent,
Our aid, not asked, was of course not lent.
To Matilda of Flanders' assistance we came,
When she toiled to emblazon the Conqueror's fame;
And the lasting memorials we are seen,
In a summer clime, of a swarthier queen.
When she toiled to emblazon the Conqueror's fame;
And the lasting memorials we are seen,
In a summer clime, of a swarthier queen.
The records of ancient days we bear,
And Time to erase us doth not dare,
Yet the poorest girl in our native land
Hath held us fast in her weary hand.
And Time to erase us doth not dare,
Yet the poorest girl in our native land
Hath held us fast in her weary hand.
We steadily turn from the tropical glow
To the dreary regions of ice and snow,
For we're firmly bound with a magic spell,
Which none may loose, or its meaning tell.
To the dreary regions of ice and snow,
For we're firmly bound with a magic spell,
Which none may loose, or its meaning tell.
240
Woe to the man who hath dared to wed
A woman who us and our use hath fled!
If you find us out, you may claim to be
As bright and as sharp as ever are we!
A woman who us and our use hath fled!
If you find us out, you may claim to be
As bright and as sharp as ever are we!
| The Poetical Works of Frances Ridley Havergal | |