He Who Hath Loved

He who hath loved hath borne a vassal’s chain, And worn the royal purple of a king; Hath shrunk beneath the icy Winter’s sting, Then revelled in the golden Summer’s reign; He hath within the dust and ashes lain, Then soared o’er mountains on an eagle’s wing; A hut hath slept in, worn with wandering, And hath been lord of castle-towers in Spain. He who hath loved hath starved in beggar’s cell, Then in Aladdin’s jewelled chariot driven; He hath with passion roamed a demon fell, And had an angel’s raiment to him given; His restless soul hath burned with flames of hell, And winged through ever-blooming fields of heaven.

Collection: 
English
Walter Malone

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