I have been all men known to history, br Wondering at the world and at time passing; br I have seen evil, and the light blessing br Innocent love under a spring sky. br br I have been Merlin wandering in the woods br Of a far country, where the winds waken br Unnatural voices, my mind broken br By a sudden acquaintance with man's rage. br br I have been Glyn Dwr set in the vast night, br Scanning the stars for the propitious omen, br A leader of men, yet cursed by the crazed women br Mourning their dead under the same stars. br br I have been Goronwy, forced from my own land br To taste the bitterness of the salt ocean; br I have known exile and a wild passion br Of longing changing to a cold ache. br br King, beggar and fool, I have been all by turns, br Knowing the body's sweetness, the mind's treason; br Taliesin still, I show you a new world, risen, br Stubborn with beauty, out of the heart's need.