The complete poetical works of John Hay including many poems now first collected |
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ACCIDENTS |
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 | The complete poetical works of John Hay |  |
252
ACCIDENTS
A vision seen by Plato the divine:Two shuddering souls come forward, waiting doom
From Rhadamanthus in the nether gloom.
One is a slave—hunger has made him pine;
One is a king—his arms and jewels shine,
Making strange splendor in the dismal room.
“Hence!” cries the judge, “and strip them! Let them come
With nought to show if they be coarse or fine.”
Of garb and body they are swift bereft:
Such is hell's law—nothing but soul is left.
The slave, in virtue glorious, is held fit
For those blest isles of peace where just kings go.
The king, by vice deformed, is sent below
To herd with base slaves in the wailing pit.
| The complete poetical works of John Hay | |