"THE DEAD KING."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 71, 2 July 1910, Page 10

" THE DEAD KING."

RUDYARD KIPLING'S GGMAT NEW POEM. It will be remembered that amongst the items cabled from London immediately after King Edward's death was the interesting news that Rudyard Kipling, whose pen has been idle of late years, had written a poem worthy of the occasion. The following is the full poem:—

Who in the Realm to-day lays down dear life ■For the sake of a laud more dear? And, unconcerned for his own estate, toils till the last grudged sand* have have run? Let him approach! It is proved here Our King asks nothing of any man more than our King himself has done.

For to him, above all, was life good; Above all he commanded her abundance

full handed. The peculiar treasure of Kings was his for the taking, All that men come to in dreams he inherited waking.

His marvel of world-gathered armies, one heart and all races: His seas 'neath his keels when his warcastles foamed to their places. The thundering foreshores that answered his heralded landing: The huge, lighted cities adoring, the assemblies upstanding,

The councils of Kings is called in haste, to learn how he was minded: The Kingdoms, the Powers, and the glories, he dealt with unblinded.

To him came all captains of men, all achievers of glory. Hot from the press of their battle, they told their story.

They revealed him a life in an hour, and, saluting, departed, Joyful to Tabor afresh: He had made them new-hearted. And since he weighed men from his youth, and no lie 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 welling love of his peoples, that daily accrued to him. Honor and service we gave him, rejoicing and fearless. Faith absolute, trust beyond speech, and a friendship as peerless.

And since he was master and servant of all that we asked him, We leaned'hard on his wisdom in all thinks, knowing not how we tasked

him. For on him each day laid command, every tyrannous hour, To confront, or conform, or make smooth some dread issue of power;

To deliver true judgment aright at instant," unaided, In the strict, level, ultimate phrase, that allowed or dissuaded; To foresee, to allay, to avertfrojjuus .perils unnumbered; "~~ _Jo_ *taml guard on our gates when he guessed that our watchmen aad 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; Earth's peace is the proof of them, God gave him great works to fulfil, and to us the behoof of them.

We accepted his toil as our right, none spared, none excused him. When lie was bowed by his burden, his rest was refused him. We troubled his age with our weakness; the blacker our shame to us. He heard that his people had need of him; straightway he came to us.

As he received, so he gave—nothing grudged, nothing denying; Not even the last gasp of his breath, when he strove for us, dying. "For our sakes, without question, he put from him all that he cherished. Simply, as any that serve him, he served and he perished.

All that kings covet was his, and he flung it aside for us; Simply, as any that die in his service, he died for us. Who in the Realm to-day has choice of his easy road or the hard road to tread?

And much concerned for his own estate, would sell his soul to remain in the sun? . .' . Let him depart, nor look on our dead. * Our King asks nothing of any man more than our King himself has done.