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.