Alfred An Heroic Poem, in Twenty-Four Books. By Joseph Cottle: 4th ed. |
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 | Alfred |  |
Now grasping Oddune's hand,
Alfred, in silence gave the parting look—
Well-understood; when, with a spirit firm,
He to explore the Danish camp, set off,
Clothed in his new attire, and on his back
Bearing the harp: yet could he not conceal—
What nature told. His was no common look.—
To him who in the face the soul could read,
There was an aspect, dignified, yet mild,
That told the monarch; and tho' half obscured
By poverty's plain garb, yet what appear'd,—
The truth reveal'd.—As doth the broken bow,
Shining in heaven's wide vault, when some dark cloud,
Dividing, glides between, which, to the eye,
Yields but a partial glory.
Alfred, in silence gave the parting look—
Well-understood; when, with a spirit firm,
He to explore the Danish camp, set off,
Clothed in his new attire, and on his back
Bearing the harp: yet could he not conceal—
What nature told. His was no common look.—
To him who in the face the soul could read,
There was an aspect, dignified, yet mild,
That told the monarch; and tho' half obscured
By poverty's plain garb, yet what appear'd,—
The truth reveal'd.—As doth the broken bow,
Shining in heaven's wide vault, when some dark cloud,
Dividing, glides between, which, to the eye,
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| Alfred | |