There's no secret
to nobility.
Having seen it, one knows what it is:
Easy elegance, restrained but free,
Yielding grace that's more than hers or his;
Enduring loyalty to one's liege lord,
As much for love as for a sense of right;
Reverence that looks for no reward,
Out of some sweet source of inner light;
Friendship that pursues its proper end,
That needs a whole of which one can be part;
Humility, on which pride can depend,
Ever the safe refuge of the heart.
Human animals are far less able,
On the whole, to give themselves to love,
Reason being far less sure and stable,
Sensing what is real at one remove.
Even so, some few might noble
prove.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.
Audio and Video Music: Ceremonial Prelude. By Sir Cubworth. Music free to use at YouTube.
