953 
 
 K57 
 
 dea 
 
 I9IO 
 
 UC-NRLF 
 
•THE- 
 
 DEAD ■ KING 
 
 RUDYARD 
 KIPLING 
 
>h 
 
 THE DEAD KING 
 
THE 
 
 DEAD KING 
 
 BY 
 
 mdYMd KIPLING' 
 
 
 
 Q^ 
 
 LOISTDON 
 HODDER 5c Mi 
 STOUGHTON 
 
^53 
 
 ^/^<9 in the realm to-day lays down dear life 
 for the sake of a land more dear? 
 
 'iAnd^ unconcerned for his own estate^ toils till 
 the last grudged sands have run ? 
 
 Let him approach. It is proven here 
 
 Our I{ing as\s nothing of any man more 
 than our K^ng himself has done ! 
 
 867 
 
I 
 
1 
 

 J 
 
 His marvel ol world-gathered armies — 
 one heart and all races; 
 
 His seas neath his keels when his war- 
 castles foamed to their places; 
 
 The thundering foreshores that answered 
 his heralded landing ; 
 
 
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 »A.^i?i^* 
 
 aiM,: 
 
The huge Hghted cities adoring, the 
 assembhes upstanding; 
 
 The Councils of Kings called in haste to 
 learn how he was minded — 
 
 The Kingdoms, the Powers, and the Glories 
 he dealt with unblinded. 
 
Joyful to labour afresh : he had made 
 them new-hearted. 
 
 And since he weighed men from his youth, 
 and no he long deceived him. 
 
 He spoke and exacted the truth, and the 
 basest believed him. 
 
 
And God poured him an exquisite wine, 
 that was daily renewed to him, 
 
 In the clear welhng love of his peoples 
 that daily accrued to him. 
 
 Honour and service we gave him, 
 rejoicingly fearless ; 
 
i. 
 
 Faith absolute, trust beyond speech and 
 a friendship as peerless. 
 
 And since he was Master and servant 4 
 of all that we asked him, S 
 
 We leaned hard on his wisdom in all things, 
 knowing not how we tasked him. 
 
 • 
 
For on him each new day laid command, 
 every tyrannous hour, 
 
 To confront, or confirm, or make smooth 
 some dread issue of power: 
 
 To deliver true judgment aright at the 
 instant, unaided, 
 
 In the strict, level, ultimate phrase that 
 allowed or dissuaded : 
 
To stand guard on our gates when he guessed 
 that our watchmen had slumbered. 
 
 To win time, to turn hate, to woo folly to 
 service and, mightily schooling 
 
 His strength to the use of his Nations, to 
 rule as not ruling. 
 
 These were the works of our King ; Earths 
 peace is the proof of them. 
 
 God gave him great works to fulfil and to 
 us the behoof of them. 
 
 mm. 
 
mm 
 
 
1 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 ! 
 
 We accepted his toil as our rigKt — ^none 
 spared, none excused hint 
 
 When he was bowed by his burden his 
 rest was rehised him. 
 
 We troubled his age with our weakness — 
 the blacker our shame to us ! 
 
 He heard that his people had need ol him ; 
 straightway he came to us. 
 
 As he received so he gave — nothing 
 grudged, naught denying. 
 
zAnd, much concerned for his own estate^ 
 would sell his soul to remain in the sun ? 
 
 Let him depart nor look on our dead. 
 
 Our KJ^g ^i^s nothing of any man more 
 than our KJng himself has done ! 
 
 A 
 
Printttl at Tht Edinburgh Pr*ss, 68 Old Bailey, London^ E. C. 
 
YC159C1