{
 "id": "george-macdonald/sir-lark-and-king-sun",
 "title": "Sir Lark and King Sun",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "George MacDonald",
 "poet_slug": "george-macdonald",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "The Disciple and Other Poems",
 "book_slug": "the-disciple-and-other-poems",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 2,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1867,
  "venue": "The Disciple and Other Poems (1867)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/discipleandothe02macdgoog",
   "https://archive.org/metadata/discipleandothe02macdgoog"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/george-macdonald_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
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   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8949",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9543",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9984",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10578",
   "https://archive.org/details/bookofstrifeinfo00macd",
   "https://archive.org/details/discipleandothe02macdgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/hiddenlifeandoth00macduoft",
   "https://archive.org/details/discipleandothe02macdgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/rampolli00macd",
   "https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102955776",
   "https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011821572"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 42,
  "n_stanzas": 7,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 55,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "“Good morrow, my lord!” in the sky alone",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sang the lark as the sun ascended his throne.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“Shine on me, my lord: I only am come,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of all your servants, to welcome you home!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I have shot straight up, a whole hour, I swear,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To catch the first gleam of your golden hair.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“Must I thank you then,” said the king, “sir Lark,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For flying so high and hating the dark?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "You ask a full cup for half a thirst:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Half was love of me, half love to be first.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Some of my subjects serve better my taste:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Their watching and waiting means more than your haste.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "King Sun wrapt his head in a turban of cloud;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sir Lark stopped singing, quite vexed and cowed;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But higher he flew, for he thought, “Anon",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The wrath of the king will be over and gone;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And, scattering his head-gear manifold,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He will change my brown feathers to a glory of gold!”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "He flew, with the strength of a lark he flew,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But as he rose the cloud rose too;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And not one gleam of the flashing hair",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Brought signal of favour across the air;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And his wings felt withered and worn and old,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For their feathers had had no chrism of gold.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Outwearied at length, and throbbing sore,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The strong sun-seeker could do no more;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He faltered and sank, then dropped like a stone",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Beside his nest, where, patient, alone,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sat his little wife on her little eggs,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Keeping them warm with wings and legs.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Did I say alone? Ah, no such thing!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "There was the cloudless, the ray-crowned king!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“Welcome, sir Lark!⁠—You look tired!” said he;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“Up is not always the best way to me:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "While you have been racing my turban gray,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I have been shining where you would not stay!”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "He had set a coronet round the nest;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Its radiance foamed on the wife’s little breast;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And so glorious was she in russet gold",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That sir Lark for wonder and awe grew cold;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He popped his head under her wing, and lay",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "As still as a stone till king Sun went away.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}