The complete poetical works of John Hay including many poems now first collected |
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ESSE QUAM VIDERI |
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 | The complete poetical works of John Hay |  |
134
ESSE QUAM VIDERI
The knightly legend of thy shield betraysThe moral of thy life; a forecast wise,
And that large honor that deceit defies,
Inspired thy fathers in the elder days,
Who decked thy scutcheon with that sturdy phrase,
To be rather than seem. As eve's red skies
Surpass the morning's rosy prophecies,
Thy life to that proud boast its answer pays.
Scorning thy faith and purpose to defend
The ever-mutable multitude at last
Will hail the power they did not comprehend,—
Thy fame will broaden through the centuries;
As, storm and billowy tumult overpast,
The moon rules calmly o'er the conquered seas.
| The complete poetical works of John Hay | |