The Harp of Alfred

I heard the harp of Alfred As I went o'er the downs, When thorn-trees stood at even Like monks in dusky gowns; I heard the music Guthrum heard Beside the wasted towns:

When Alfred, like a peasant, Came harping down the hill, And the drunken danes made merry With the man they sought to kill, And the Saxon king laughed in their beards And bent them to his will.

I heard the harp of Alfred As the twilight waned to night; I heard ghost armies tramping As the dim stars flamed white; And Guthrum walked at my left hand, And Alfred at my right.