Poems (Procter)/The Three Rulers
THE THREE RULERS.
SAW a Ruler take his standAnd trample on a mighty land;The People crouched before his beck,His iron heel was on their neck, His name shone bright through blood and pain,His sword flashed back their praise again.I saw another Ruler rise:His words were noble, good, and wise;With the calm sceptre of his penHe ruled the minds and thoughts of men:Some scoffed, some praised,—while many heard,Only a few obeyed his word.
Another Ruler then I saw:Love and sweet Pity were his law;The greatest and the least had part(Yet most the unhappy) in his heart:The People, in a mighty band,Rose up, and drove him from the land!