The Knightly Heart, and Other Poems

The Knightly Heart, And Other Poems by James Freeman Colman. This 1873 Romantic-era collection assembles a sweeping long poem and assorted pieces that fuse myth, history, and moral meditation. At its core is The Knightly Heart, a multi-canto epic that follows crusading ideals, exile, love, and the quest for empire, moving from the Christian reconquest of Spain through Columbus’s voyages to the New World. Interwoven narratives involve Isabel, Francisco, Mahala, Dolores, and a cast of nobles, soldiers, and courtiers, whose fortunes rise and fall under the shadow of war, ambition, and faith. The volume also includes patriotic and elegiac lyrics such as Our Flag and Daniel Webster, as well as shorter pieces of narrative, lyric, and contemplative verse. The work, dense with classical allusion and moral reflection, embodies late Romanticism’s preoccupation with destiny, memory, sacrifice, and the costs of empire.