{
 "id": "james-mcintyre/virtues-of-a-diamond-ring",
 "title": "Virtues of a Diamond Ring",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "James McIntyre",
 "poet_slug": "james-mcintyre",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Poems of James McIntyre",
 "book_slug": "poems-of-james-mcintyre",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 54,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1889,
  "venue": "Poems of James McIntyre (1889)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_11791"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/james-mcintyre_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_09542",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36068",
   "https://archive.org/details/cihm_11791"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 32,
  "n_stanzas": 8,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 42,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Of the strange virtues of a ring,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In simple strains we now will sing,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Brave warrior of ancient France,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Where danger was he did advance.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But he at last was struck by ball",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And on the battle field did fall,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They dug for him a shallow grave",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And slightly cover’d warrior brave.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But his servant man with warm heart,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Loathed with his master thus to part,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "So he moved soil from where he lay",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And found a lump of lifeless clay.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "He turned away in sad despair,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That could not be his master fair,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That famed brave youth of noble birth,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Now all stained o’er with blood and earth.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "As he begins to move away",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The moon reflects on brilliant ray,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "From diamond ring on dead man’s finger",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The servant now doth fondly linger.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "For he knows it’s his master’s ring,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And hopes to life he may him bring,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In finger he discovers heat",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And hopes his heart it still may beat.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Though surgeons they pronounce him dead,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For long he bathes his breast and head,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And slowly master did restore",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To fight more brave than he had before.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And now this tale to close we bring,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of warrior saved by a ring,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Full oft again to fight for king,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "His praise his countrymen they sing.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}