"Mercian Hymn I" by Geoffrey Hill

                                        I

King  of  the  perennial holly-groves,  the  riven  sand-

      stone:  overlord  of  the  M5:   architect of  the his-

      toric  rampart and ditch,  the citadel at  Tamworth, 

      the summer hermitage in Holy Cross: guardian of 

      the Welsh Bridge and  the Iron Bridge:  contractor 

      to  the  desirable new estates:  saltmaster:  money-

      changer:  commissioner  for oaths:  martyrologist: 

      the friend of Charlemagne.

‘I liked that,’ said Offa, ‘sing it again.’

Source of the text - Geoffrey Hill, Mercian Hymns.  London: Andrew Deutcsch, 1971.

TJB: Trochaic, sprung, this naming-poem for the medieval warrior/builder king combines timeless, historical, & new, creating mythical space for Offa.