Page:Poems Angier.djvu/141

In camp and in court,
 In cottage and hall,
The glory and gilding
 Have faded from all.

Ensconced in the green-room,
 I've witnessed the play;
Seen the drop rise and fall
 In the broad light of day;
Kings, they are sceptreless,
 Queens without crowns;
Grand lords and ladies
 Are peasants and clowns.

The spell is dissolved,
 The charm hath been broke;
The captive is free,
 And spurneth the yoke;
When idols are clay,
 And prove themselves dust,
How fruitless our worship,
 How vain is our trust!

This makes me not sad,
 No; I'm happier far;
For always 'tis best
 To see things as they are.