The year of shame by William Watson With an introduction by the Bishop of Hereford |
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| XX. | XX TO THE SULTAN |
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 | The year of shame by William Watson |  |
59
XX
TO THE SULTAN
Caliph, I did thee wrong. I hailed thee late
“Abdul the Damned,” and would recall my word.
It merged thee with the unillustrious herd
Who crowd the approaches to the infernal gate—
Spirits gregarious, equal in their state
As is the innumerable ocean bird,
Gannet or gull, whose wandering plaint is heard
On Ailsa or Iona desolate.
60
The merely damned are legion: with such souls
Is not each hollow and cranny of Tophet crammed?
Thou with the brightest of Hell's aureoles
Dost shine supreme, incomparably crowned,
Immortally, beyond all mortals, damned.
| The year of shame by William Watson | |