 | Later Poems |  |
42
To the Czar Nicholas II.
Czar Nicholas, whose life is sudden hurled
On the high dreadful splendours of the world;
On the high dreadful splendours of the world;
We give thee tears, because thy father lies
With Death's eternal calm upon his eyes;
With Death's eternal calm upon his eyes;
And pity, for thine heart had turned away
From all the glory and terror of that sway.
From all the glory and terror of that sway.
To him, Death's solemn gift of quietness:
To thee, life's very sorest strain and stress;
To thee, life's very sorest strain and stress;
Vigils of awe, and festivals of dread;
Care by thy throne, and trouble by thy bed.
Care by thy throne, and trouble by thy bed.
Yet to thy face the face of Hope is set,
With eyes that oft have wept, and still are wet.
With eyes that oft have wept, and still are wet.
For his the past, who lieth cold and dumb;
But thine the present, and the near-to-come.
But thine the present, and the near-to-come.
He gave the gift of Peace; oh, be it thine
To give the larger gift, and more divine!
To give the larger gift, and more divine!
Let not thine eyes, O Czar, refuse to see
No gift avails the land that is not free.
No gift avails the land that is not free.
43
Let not thine ears, O Czar, refuse to hear
The cry sent up to God from year to year:
The cry sent up to God from year to year:
Nor, if thou see and hear, shut sight and sound,
Guarded by Fear and Sloth, in night's profound.
Guarded by Fear and Sloth, in night's profound.
Thou lonely great one, set thy strenuous might
Against the clash of elemental fight.
Against the clash of elemental fight.
Dare, as the saviours of the world must dare;
Bear, as the saviours of the world must bear.
Bear, as the saviours of the world must bear.
And if thou win, of Love thy guerdon take;
And if thou perish, perish for Love's sake.
And if thou perish, perish for Love's sake.
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