Coronation—To King Edward VII

If thou be crowned, or if thou be not crownedWith that imperial roundThy forbears from the distant ages wore,Sorrow and suffering for thee have earnedA guerdon fairer than thy hope discerned;And through renunciation, thou hast foundA cirque of sovereignty not dreamed before.

If thou be crowned? Nay, thou art crowned now;For, lo! upon thy brow,So lately shadowed by Death's mournful wing,A mighty people's sympathy has laidAn aureole whose brightness shall not fade:Whose light, more worth than chrism, or seal, or vow,Sceptre or throne, makes thee, indeed, a King!