THE EMPEROR RETURNS
5/14/42

'Tis not of the conquering Caesars I sing,
Nor of Constantine - nor Charlemagne, -
Napoleon is dead; so is Alex the Great, -
But an Emperor rides home again.

He comes not with soldiers and armor and spears;
He rides not a chariot gay.
He brings - just one wife, and a daughter (not young),
And they ride in an old Chevrolet.

A conquering hero - eighty years old
Who drove from his southern abode -
Over twelve hundred miles, to raise a new tax
(Rent to you) on our poor Lilac Road.


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