And I sat there and trembled, from my shining boots to my crown,
And wished that the floor might open and quietly let me down.
“At length I mounted the platform, but how, I never knew,
I knew they had called upon me, and somehow I must get through.
I made my bow, I know I did, I raised my head to speak,
Then the people swam around me, I felt my knees grow weak—
“‘Blaze! with your serried columns!’ ’twas to sound like a clarion’s call,
I opened my mouth, and formed the words, but I didn’t blaze at all.
My throat was parched and swollen, there was ringing in my ears,
There was blackness all around me, I forgot my awful fears.