Classic Poem

From each side they met, and joined
Their mailed hands o'er the altar's fire;
Then each King his head declined,
And knelt before that holy pyre.
Memory was awaked, and thought;
Their tongues loosened, yet broke not
The stillness held through dateless years;
As if stayed by human fears,
Their changed natures dared not trust
The vouched pardon of the Just .
Silence was on them a power
Felt like judgment in that hour;
But faith, strengthening hope awoke,
They essayed the power, and spoke;
Their dark speech was in a tongue
That I knew not; but peace hung
On their accents: words of prayer
And fraternal love were there.