Henry van Dyke Quote

God said, I am tired of kings, —
But that was a long while ago!
And meantime man said, No,—
I like their looks in their robes and rings.
So he crowned a few more,
And they went on playing the game as before,
Fighting and spoiling things. Man said, I am tired of kings!
Sons of the robber-chiefs of yore,
They make me pay for their lust and their war;
I am the puppet, they pull the strings;
The blood of my heart is the wine they drink.
I will govern myself for awhile I think,
And see what that brings! Then God, who made the first remark,
Smiled in the dark.

Remarks About Kings (October 1915).