Why the King Wept
For the horse that died
by his hand, and the horses
swept down the river;
for the infants dead
before they reached the ford,
and the childless mothers,
and the wifeless men;
because he had spent
all his strength,
yet many died anyhow;
because they knelt to him
and called him valiant,
but he knew himself fallible;
because he wished his brother
had been king instead of him;
because he had not forgiven
his father, but had come
to understand him;
because he had run out
of strength to stop
from weeping.