God said, “I am tired of kings,”— But that was a long while… - Henry van Dyke

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God said, “I am tired of kings,”—
But that was a long while ago!
And meantime man said, “No,—
I like their looks in their robes and rings.”
So he crowned a few more,
And they went on playing the game as before,
Fighting and spoiling things. Man said, “I am tired of kings!
Sons of the robber-chiefs of yore,
They make me pay for their lust and their war;
I am the puppet, they pull the strings;
The blood of my heart is the wine they drink.
I will govern myself for awhile I think,
And see what that brings!” Then God, who made the first remark,
Smiled in the dark.

Henry van Dyke

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About Henry van Dyke

Henry van Dyke (10 November 1852 – 10 April 1933) was an American author, educator, poet, playwright, and clergyman.

Also Known As

Alternative Names: Henry Van Dyke • Henry Jackson van Dyke • Henry van Dyke Jr.

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Originators like Henry van Dyke:

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Alfred Tennyson Robert Browning Lord Byron John Greenleaf Whittier

Additional quotes by Henry van Dyke

I heard through the night
The rush and the clamour;
The pulse of the fight
Like blows of Thor's hammer;
The pattering flight
Of the leaves, and the anguished
Moan of the forest vanquished.

The lintel low enough to keep out pomp and pride:
The threshold high enough to turn deceit aside.

So in the heart,
When, fading slowly down the past,
Fond memories depart,
And each that leaves it seems the last;
Long after all the rest are flown,
Returns a solitary tone,—
The after-echo of departed years,—
And touches all the soul to tears.

God said, “I am tired of kings,”— But that was a long while ago! And meantime man said, “No,— I like their looks in their robes and rings.” So he cro… - Henry van Dyke

About Henry van Dyke

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