at the bottom of the steps is a bronze statue of a horseman, "physical energy" by george frederic watts. eight bronze lions by john macallan swan flank the steps leading up to the memorial, with a bust of rhodes (also by jm swan). the inscription on the monument is "to the spirit and life work of cecil john rhodes who loved and served south africa." inscribed below the bust of rhodes are the last four lines of the last stanza from the 1902 poem "burial" by rudyard kipling in honour of rhodes: