Dion

by William Wordsworth — a poem card from Justes Mots

This opening section of the Dion narrative presents the Sicilian leader at his height—graced by Platonic wisdom and commanding universal reverence—before his moral decline. Wordsworth establishes the tragic arc of a noble figure undone by circumstance. This excerpt suits meditations on how greatness is fragile and shaped by forces beyond individual control.

Serene, and fitted to embrace,
Where'er he turned, a swan-like grace[175]
Of haughtiness without pretence,
And to unfold a still magnificence,
Was princely Dion, in the power
And beauty of his happier hour.
And what pure homage *then* did wait
On Dion's virtues, while the lunar beam[176]…

Themes: sympathy · grief · reflection