Greatness is effect far
more than cause. Each hero is the servant of his fate, On whom is laid the sacrificial
weight Reserved for those who would heed higher
laws. Given peace, I would have shunned
applause, Electing to remain a farmer, great With long-gestating plans for my
estate, A much-loved labor lost to much-loathed
wars. So was I the father of a nation, Having given over life and love, Instrument of some far greater hand, Not by choice but of necessity. Glory was the means by which to
fashion The myth that would a king's
replacement prove: Only I would do, and that demand Narrowed, deepened, scoured, chastened
me.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon
Video and Audio Music: Vanity Reprise. By Text Me Records/Leviathe. Music free to use at YouTube.