• Robert of Sicily, brother of Pope Urbane
    And Valmond, emperor of Allemaine,
    Apparelled in magnificent attire,
    With retinue of many a knight and squire,
    On Saint John’s eve, at vespers, proudly sat
    And heard the priests chant the Magnificat.
    And as he listened o’er and o’er again
    Repeated, like a burden or refrain,
    He caught the...

  • Merrily swinging on brier and weed,
      Near to the nest of his little dame,
    Over the mountain-side or mead,
      Robert of Lincoln is telling his name:
        Bob-o’-link, bob-o’-link,
        Spink, spank, spink;
    Snug and safe is that nest of ours,
    Hidden among the summer flowers.
                    Chee, chee, chee.

    Robert of...

  • Great spirits now on earth are sojourning:
    He of the cloud, the cataract, the lake,
    Who on Helvellyn’s summit, wide awake,
    Catches his freshness from Archangel’s wing:
    He of the rose, the violet, the spring,
    The social smile, the chain for Freedom’s sake:
    And lo! whose steadfastness would never take
    A meaner sound than Raphael’s...