The golden cap, that prankt the crispèd locks,

The short, square beard, new-oiled and barbered--

But, in a flash,

A heavy blow

Fell on my head,

And struck me to my knees

Before the sleek, indifferent king.

And then, on either hand,

With gripping palms upon my shoulders set,

The Nubians towered above me

Like mighty men of stone.

And savagely I struggled,

Half-stunned, to rise again;

When, as I vainly battled

In their unrelenting clutch,

My eyes lit for the first time on the Queen,

Who sat upon the daïs, by her lord

Half-shadowed, on a throne of ivory,

And all the hate died in me, as I saw

The face that hovered over me in dream,

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