Page:Romance of the Rose (Ellis), volume 1.pdf/263

Rh

Brave, manly hearts do not disgrace

Their souls with woe-worn maudlin face;

To puny boys, and women weak,

Leave it through sobs and sighs to speak

Their griefs, poor feeble willow wands—

But thou—stand firm with hard-clenched hands,

When see’st thou Fortune near thee reel

Her aye-revolving, changeful wheel.

Dost thou imagine thou canst stay

Its turning e’en for one short day?

Nay! never since first rose heaven’s sun,

Hath rich or poor that marvel done.

Nero, of whom I lately spake,

And whose mere frown sufficed to shake

The world, o’er which he held such sway

As never tyrant till his day

Had known, had yet no power to check

Fortune, but bowed before her beck,

If history lie not, for ’tis said

Most wretchedly he perishèd.

So did he fire the people’s hate,

That rose they all infuriate

Against this monster. Then he sent

Envoys to all his friends, intent

To save his worthless life, but not

A single man he found, I wot,

To give him refuge. Then while rocked

His craven heart with fear, he knocked

With frantic strokes at many a portal,

But, to his thundering, not a mortal

Replied, and he aback returned,

While helpless rage his vitals burned.”