An Ancient Chess King.
Haply some Rajah first in the ages gone Amid his languid ladies fingered thee, While a black nightingale, sun-swart as he, Sang his one wife, love's passionate oraison; Haply thou may'st have pleased Old Prester John Among his pastures, when full royally He sat in tent, grave shepherds at his knee, While lamps of balsam winked and glimmered on. What doest thou here? Thy masters are all dead; My heart is full of ruth and yearning pain At sight of thee; O king that hast a crown Outlasting theirs, and tell'st of greatness fled Through cloud-hung nights of unabated rain And murmurs of the dark majestic town.
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"Haply some Rajah first in the ages gone..."
Jean Ingelow's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "An Ancient Chess King."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...