Page:Arthur Machen, The Secret Glory, 1922.djvu/114

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The Secret Glory

Thy rivers are like precious golden streams of Paradise,
Thy hills are as the Mount Syon—
Better a grave on Twyn Barlwm than a throne in the palace of the Saxons at Caer-Ludd."


And then, by the face of contrast, he thought of the first verse of the great school song, "Rocker," one of the earliest of the many poems: which his uncle had consecrated to the praise of the dear old school:


"Once on a time, in the books that bore me,
I read that in olden days before me
Lupton town had a wonderful game,
It was a game with a noble story
(Lupton town was then in its glory,
Kings and Bishops had brought it fame).
It was a game that you all must know,
And 'rocker' they called it, long ago.

Chorus.


Look out for 'brooks,' or you're sure to drown,
Look out for 'quarries,' or else you're down—
That was the way
'Rocker' to play—
Once on a day
That was the way,
Once on a day,

That was the way that they used to play in Lupton town."

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