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COUNT JULIAN, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Opas. See her, count julian: if thou lovest god
Last Line: And wars rage on, and spain at last be free


AFTER the king had smitten down the Moor,
And driven him bleeding home to Algiers,
He found the captive bishop in his tent,
Gave him good cheer, and looked upon his bonds,
And saw the length and strength of the good chain,
And said, 'I pray you, bishop, do you use
My men-at-arms thus hardly?' And he smiled;
But the bishop, mastering his agony,
Praised God for all things, and replied, 'My lord,
I am your captive, and these chains are mine;
Use them to bind my body or my soul,
They will not change my purpose. I have thought
Upon my sins, and I repent them all,
But for the cause of Christ I would return,
Fired with His love, and so complete my work.'
The king replied, 'My bishop, for your zeal
And your unworldly wisdom, I respect
Your character, and in the sight of Heaven
I honour it. You know, perhaps, how long
The Moors have wasted my unhappy land,
And murdered in the name of God and Christ.
I was a boy when they began their work,
And now that I am old, they are not tired;
And now that I am weak, they are more strong.
They have laid waste my vineyards and my fields,
Burnt down my villages and all my towns,
Sacked and destroyed the monasteries, slain
My priests and bishops, and my holy men
In multitudes beyond the count of faith.
They have pursued the living to the death,
And trampled on the dying, and cut off
The young, and ravished the defenceless maids,
And, with their hands in blood and filthiness,
Defiled the altars and the images,
And burnt the holy books, and with their lips
Blasphemed the Holy Ghost, and made a jest
Of all the things that we accounted dear.
Such have they been and are, and such will be
For ever, till we put the sword to them,
Or they convert us to Mahound.'
The bishop replied, 'My lord, I know full well
The wrongs you have received, but I beseech
Your Highness by the merits of our Lord
To use the victory which He gave to you
More mercifully, for His sake and ours.
For if your heart should fail you, if you make
This triumph of your arms the means whereby
To gain the treasure of this world, you lose
Your better treasure, and your arms will rust,
And your heart wither up, and all your deeds
Be scattered to the wind. For God's own hand
Has written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay.'
The king replied, 'My bishop, you forget
That He who said so also bade us work
His work upon the earth. You know that I
Have waged this war for Him, and if I win
I will restore His temples and His priests,
And will redeem His altars from the dust.
And if perchance the Moors should take revenge,
And fall upon me unawares, or bring
Their armies to the borders of my land,
I will contend with them again, and trust
That He who gave me strength to smite them once
Will not deny His servant his desire.'
The bishop answered, 'Sir, I cannot judge
Your purpose, or the secrets of your heart,
But let me tell you, in the name of Him
Who loved us both, and died
on the tree,
To save the world from sin and misery.
Let us remember, when we go to war,
That He who bled for us has taught us more
Than all the books of men, and that His way
Is not the way of force, but love, alway.
So let us strive, in all our deeds and words,
To follow Him who is the Lord of lords
And do His work upon the earth, and be
The servants of His love eternally."


That we should love our enemies, and pray
For those who persecute us, and forgive
Their sins against us, as we hope to be
Forgiven by our Father, and redeemed
By the pure love of Christ. If you will do
This, and will let me go back to my land,
And there preach peace and love, and strive to make
The Moors and Christians friends, and join their hands
Together in one brotherhood of peace,
I will beseech our Father to forgive
The wrongs you have received, and to vouchsafe
A blessing to your arms.'
The king replied,
'My bishop, you have spoken well, and I
Perceive that you are learned in the law,
And wise and holy. Go, and do your work,
And I will give you safe-conduct and guards
To bring you to your home.'
The bishop went,
And preached in all the cities of his land
Peace and good-will, and love and brotherhood,
And brought the Moors and Christians to one faith,
And joined their hands together in one bond
Of charity and peace. And he prevailed
With God and with the king, and was beloved
By all who knew him. And the king's strong arm
Was strengthened by his counsel, and his heart
Was softened by his love, and all his land
Was happy in his reign, and all the world
Gave praise to him for evermore.






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