Page:Writings of Oscar Wilde - Volume 01.djvu/66

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
52
THE WRITINGS OF OSCAR WILDE.
The strong sea-lion of England's wars  Hath left his sapphire cave of sea, To battle with the storm that mars  The star of England's chivalry.
The brazen-throated clarion blows  Across the Pathan's reedy fen, And the high steeps of Indian snows  Shake to the tread of armèd men.
And many an Afghan chief, who lies  Beneath his cool pomegranate-trees, Clutches his sword in fierce surmise  When on the mountain-side he sees
The fleet-foot Marri scout, who comes  To tell how he hath heard afar The measured roll of English drums  Beat at the gates of Kandahar.
For southern wind and east wind meet  Where, girt and crowned by sword and fire, England with bare and bloody feet  Climbs the steep road of wide empire.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.