 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
410
II.
Thus spake King Brian, by his tentKneeling, with sceptred hands that leant
Upon that altar which, where'er
He marched, kept pure his path with prayer;
For after all his triumphs past
That made him wondrous 'mid his peers
On the blind King God's will had cast
The burden of his fourscore years:
And therefore when that morn, at nine
He rode along the battle's van
No sword he lifted but the Sign
Of Him Who died for man.
King Brian's fleshly strength decayed,
Three times in puissance waxed his spirit
And tall like oak-trees towered his merit,
And like a praying host he prayed:—
From nine to twelve, with crown on head,
Full fifty prayers the King had said;
And unto each such power was given
It shook the unopening gates of heaven.
| The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere | |