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THUS of old
the Douglas did:
He left his land as he was bid
With the royal heart of Robert the Bruce
In a golden
case with a golden lid,
To carry the same to the Holy
Land;
By which we see and understand
That that was
the place to carry a heart
At loyalty and love's
command,
And that was the case to carry it in.
The
Douglas had not far to win
Before he came to the land
of Spain,
Where long a holy war had been
Against
the too-victorious Moor;
And there his courage could
not endure
Not to strike a blow for God
Before he
made his errand sure.
And ever it was intended so,
That a man for God should strike a blow,
No matter
the heart he has in charge
For the Holy Land where
hearts should go.
But when in battle the foe were
met,
The Douglas found him sore beset,
With only
strength of the fighting arm
For one more battle
passage yet--
And that as vain to save the day
As
bring his body safe away--
Only a signal deed to do
And a last sounding word to say.
The heart he wore in
a golden chain
He swung and flung forth into the
plain,
And followed it crying 'Heart or death!'
And fighting over it perished fain.
So may another do
of right,
Give a heart to the hopeless fight,
The
more of right the more he loves;
So may another
redouble might
For a few swift gleams of the angry
brand,
Scorning greatly not to demand
In equal
sacrifice with his
The heart he bore to the Holy
Land.
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