 | [Poems by Payne in] John Howard Payne ... his life and writings |  |
III.
The king gave the courtier his throne and descended;He long'd for delights of retirement to prove,
And now for the first time around him there blended
The smiles of contentment, and friendship, and love
But the courtier soon came to the king in his cot;
“Oh, no!” said the king, “I'll no more change my lot!
Think not, that, once freed from the diadem's sting,
I'll give up my cottage and stoop to be king!”
| [Poems by Payne in] John Howard Payne ... his life and writings | |