Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.

By WalterMalone

1572 He Who Hath Loved

HE who hath loved hath borne a vassal’s chain,

And worn the royal purple of a king;

Hath shrunk beneath the icy Winter’s sting,

Then revelled in the golden Summer’s reign;

He hath within the dust and ashes lain,

Then soared o’er mountains on an eagle’s wing;

A hut hath slept in, worn with wandering,

And hath been lord of castle-towers in Spain.

He who hath loved hath starved in beggar’s cell,

Then in Aladdin’s jewelled chariot driven;

He hath with passion roamed a demon fell,

And had an angel’s raiment to him given;

His restless soul hath burned with flames of hell,

And winged through ever-blooming fields of heaven.