countenance! 
Out burst all with one accord,
  “This is Paradise for Hell! 
    Let France, let France’s King
    Thank the man that did the thing!”
What a shout, and all one word,
    “Herve Riel!”
As he stepped in front once more, 100
  Not a symptom of surprise
  In the frank blue Breton eyes,
Just the same man as before.

Then said Damfreville, “My friend,
I must speak out at the end,
  Tho’ I find the speaking hard. 
Praise is deeper than the lips: 
You have saved the King his ships,
  You must name your own reward,
’Faith our sun was near eclipse! 110
Demand whate’er you will,
France remains your debtor still. 
Ask to heart’s content and have! or my name’s not Damfreville.”

Then a beam of fun outbroke
On the bearded mouth that spoke,
As the honest heart laughed through
Those frank eyes of Breton blue: 
“Since I needs must say my say,
  Since on board the duty’s done,
  And from Malo Roads to Croisic Point, what is it but a run?—­ 120
Since ’tis ask and have, I may—­
Since the others go ashore—­
Come!  A good whole holiday! 
  Leave to go and see my wife, whom I call the Belle Aurore!”
That he asked and that he got,—­nothing more.

Name and deed alike are lost: 
Not a pillar nor a post
  In his Croisic keeps alive the feat as it befell;
Not a head in white and black
On a single fishing smack, 130
In memory of the man but for whom had gone to wrack
  All that France saved from the fight whence England bore the bell. 
Go to Paris:  rank on rank. 
  Search, the heroes flung pell-mell
On the Louvre, deg. face and flank! deg.135
  You shall look long enough ere you come to Herve Riel. 
So, for better and for worse,
Herve Riel, accept my verse! 
In my verse, Herve Riel, do thou once more
Save the squadron, honour France, love thy wife the Belle Aurore! 140

* * * * *

PHEIDIPPIDES

[Greek:  Chairete, nikomen] deg.

First I salute this soil of the blessed, river and rock! 
Gods of my birthplace, daemons and heroes, honour to all! 
Then I name thee, claim thee for our patron, co-equal in praise
—­Ay, with Zeus deg. the Defender, with Her deg. of the aegis and spear! deg.4
Also, ye of the bow and the buskin, deg. praised be your peer, deg.5