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My first digital painting. XD No references.

Edward Rowland Sill. 1841–1887

1. The Fool's Prayer

THE ROYAL feast was done; the King
Sought some new sport to banish care,
And to his jester cried: "Sir Fool,
Kneel now, and make for us a prayer!"

The jester doffed his cap and bells, And stood the mocking court before;
They could not see the bitter smile
Behind the painted grin he wore.

He bowed his head, and bent his knee
Upon the monarch's silken stool; His pleading voice arose: "O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!

"No pity, Lord, could change the heart
From red with wrong to white as wool;
The rod must heal the sin: but, Lord, Be merciful to me, a fool!

"'T is not by guilt the onward sweep
Of truth and right, O Lord, we stay;
'T is by our follies that so long
We hold the earth from heaven away.

"These clumsy feet, still in the mire,
Go crushing blossoms without end;
These hard, well-meaning hands we thrust
Among the heart-strings of a friend.

"The ill-timed truth we might have kept— Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung?
The word we had not sense to say—
Who knows how grandly it had rung?

"Our faults no tenderness should ask,
The chastening stripes must cleanse them all; But for our blunders—oh, in shame
Before the eyes of heaven we fall.

"Earth bears no balsam for mistakes;
Men crown the knave, and scourge the tool
That did his will; but Thou, O Lord, Be merciful to me, a fool!"

The room was hushed; in silence rose
The King, and sought his gardens cool,
And walked apart, and murmured low,
"Be merciful to me, a fool!"

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August 7, 2009
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:iconhoktauri:
~hoktauri Apr 30, 2012  Hobbyist General Artist
Lovely! I love the play of light and shadow, and her costume is gorgeous.
Reply
:iconmidsneypixels:
~midsneypixels Dec 17, 2011  Hobbyist Digital Artist
why wasn't this in my favorites? the colors are beautiful.
Reply
:iconlishego:
Mood: Wow! *Lishego Feb 7, 2011  Hobbyist General Artist
great piece!
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:iconspoofdecator:
~spoofdecator Sep 7, 2010  Professional General Artist
I agree with :iconlinuscat07: everything about this is inciting!
Reply
:iconlinuscat07:
An astonishing creation. The costume is highly erotic and the lady's body is all that a man could desire, yet her cool, contemptuous expression is at odds with all that - which to me makes even more desirable. The soft background blends in so well with the lady. She is a jester for the gods.
Reply
:iconsirfool:
~SirFool Mar 7, 2010  Hobbyist General Artist
funny :rofl: to me that you say "sir fool" :juggle: :jester: being as my name is sir fool. :rofl: and i've used this name for close to 30 years.
Reply
:iconhurricane-jeanne:
~Hurricane-Jeanne Jan 20, 2010  Hobbyist Traditional Artist
Gorgeous and I'm so envious of this idea, it's genius! :heart:
Reply
:iconkohaku-dono:
Beautiful! I love her costume, and the color scheme.
Reply
:iconlithriel:
Thank you! I think I captured a great atmosphere here I hope I can capture again.
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