There stood two glasses, filled to the brim,

On a rich man's table, rim to rim,

One was ruddy and red as blood,

And one as clear as the crystal flood.

Said the glass of wine to the paler brother:

"Let us tell the tales of the past to each other.

I can tell of banquet, revel and mirth,

And the proudest and grandest souls on earth

Fell under my touch as though struck by blight,

Where I was a king, for I ruled in night.