This poem has never struck me as addressing the qualities of a good leader; rather, it seems to outline the qualities of a rather bad leader, one who is more concerned with retaining his power and authority than caring for and helping to raise his people up. The fact that the eagle is "Close to the sun in lonely lands," seems to show that he, alone (or the supreme leader he represents), has power and...
This poem has never struck me as addressing the qualities of a good leader; rather, it seems to outline the qualities of a rather bad leader, one who is more concerned with retaining his power and authority than caring for and helping to raise his people up. The fact that the eagle is "Close to the sun in lonely lands," seems to show that he, alone (or the supreme leader he represents), has power and authority, and it seems to be his prerogative to keep it this way. He is "lonely" because he has isolated himself from his subjects who, if represented by the sea that "crawls" beneath him, are completely powerless while he retains all authority over them. Generally, a good ruler wants to know his subjects in order to learn how best to serve them, but this is not a leader who is interested in serving anyone or anything but himself.
In watching from his "mountain walls," we see just how much power he has versus how low his subjects are: again, depriving one's subjects of basic freedoms or dignity does not generally make for a respected and beloved leader. Finally, if he does need to come down from his mountain walls for any reason, he does so like a "thunderbolt," violently and destructively. I certainly wouldn't want to be ruled by a leader who cares so little about me, who keeps me purposely without power or control over my own life, or who would punish me severely without understanding my position in some matter.
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