Alfred An Heroic Poem, in Twenty-Four Books. By Joseph Cottle: 4th ed. |
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 | Alfred |  |
He watch'd the king,
'Till in the mellowed distance he was lost.
And when he thought of all the secret snares,
The dangers and dismays that throng'd his path.—
His sorrow bore resemblance to the sire
Who, many a long year to the son beloved,
Has told of virtue and her charms, and mark'd
Upon his cheek, the glow of kindling worth;
Then, at the hour of separation, sees
His son go forth into an evil world,
Where quick-sands spread, and where the whirlpool deep
Lurks to o'erwhelm the innocent.
'Till in the mellowed distance he was lost.
And when he thought of all the secret snares,
The dangers and dismays that throng'd his path.—
His sorrow bore resemblance to the sire
Who, many a long year to the son beloved,
Has told of virtue and her charms, and mark'd
Upon his cheek, the glow of kindling worth;
Then, at the hour of separation, sees
His son go forth into an evil world,
Where quick-sands spread, and where the whirlpool deep
Lurks to o'erwhelm the innocent.
| Alfred | |