The Dictator

Today my hand was at the helm
   Of a great ship of state;
I ruled a vast and varied realm,
   My law inviolate.
I bade men come, and, lo, they came,
   To sing, to speak of war or peace
Till I grew weary of the game,
   And bade them cease.

First came a politiciam who
   Poured forth a flood in verbal streams.
With honeyed phrases first he'd sue
   My sovereign favor for his schemes,
Then, primed with ills thro' all my land,
   He proffered me a bitter cup.
He made me tired. I raised my hand,
   And shut him up.

Next came a governor who spoke
   Suave words. As I gave audience,
I slept a while. Then I awoke.
   And, with a getsure, sent him hence.
Came then a scholar to beseech
   For some dry theory my support;
But in the middle of his speech
   I cut him short.
 
Oh, I was emperor today,
   Power rested at my finger's tip.
I'd but to move it and, straighway,
   Seal on the instant every lip.
My sway was absolute. At choice
   I bade them speak or else be still
And not a man might raise his voice
   Against my will.

"Let there be music!" I decreed;
   And minstrelsy swelled everywhere,
Now this, now that, to serve my need,
   With themes melodious filled the air.
But came a mournful wight who moaned
   With sorrow of a lover's lot.
I gestured, as I sat enthroned;
   And he was not.

So, as my royal fancy turned,
   There came musicians great and small;
And some were welcomed, some were spurned,
   Till I grew weary of it all.
My regal robes I fain would doff
   And rest awhile my august head,
And so I turned the wireless off
   And went to bed.