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The King's Sabbath.

Topics: classic

Once idly in his hall king Olave sat     Pondering, and with his dagger whittled chips;     And one drew near to him with austere lips,     Saying, "To-morrow is Monday," and at that     The king said nothing, but held forth his flat     Broad palm, and bending on his mighty hips,     Took up and mutely laid thereon the slips     Of scattered wood, as on a hearth, and gat     From off the embers near, a burning brand.     Kindling the pile with this, the dreaming Dane     Sat silent with his eyes set and his bland     Proud mouth, tight-woven, smiling, drawn with pain,     Watching the fierce fire flare, and wax, and wane,     Hiss and burn down upon his shrivelled hand.

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"Once idly in his hall king Olave sat..."

Archibald Lampman's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "The King's Sabbath."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

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"Long hours ago, while yet the morn was blithe,    ..."

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