 | Three Hundred Sonnets |  |
236
MALIGNED GREATNESS.
Go on in spite of slander, noble heart!And still, as heretofore, by doing good
Silence the folly and ingratitude
Of those who ought to know how true thou art,
How true and wise, though thus misunderstood:
For thine exalted yet most delicate part
Thou hast play'd well; so dignified, so kind,
So pure in heart, so liberal in mind,
So innocent a mark for envy's dart:
Bear with our people; love is ever blind,
Jealous and sensitive; they love thee well,
Ay, next to Her! and when to England's shame
False tongues of thee sheer falsehoods dared to tell,
Honest affection vexed itself in blame.
| Three Hundred Sonnets | |