Adelaide Anne Procter

The Three Rulers

I saw a Ruler take his stand
And 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 pen
He 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!