"Yea also at my full heart's strong command, See through my long throat how the words go up In ripples to my mouth; how in my hand. "The shadow lies like wine within a cup Of marvelously colored gold; yea now This little wind is rising, look you up, "And wonder how the light is falling so Within my moving tresses; will you dare When you have looked a little on my brow, "To say this thing is vile? or will you care For any plausible lies of cunning woof, When you can see my face with no lie there "For ever? am I not a gracious proof? – "When a queen says with gentle queenly sound: “Unwavering, also well I love to see That gracious smile light up your face, and hear ""The thing they seem to mean: good friend, so dear To me in everything, come here to-night, Or else the hours will pass most dull and drear; "If you come not, I fear this time I might ""For no man cares now to know why I sigh; ""So thick in the gardens; therefore one so longs To see you, Launcelot; that we may be Like children once again, free from all wrongs "Just for one night.' Did he not come to me? "In my quiet room that night, and we were gay; Till sudden I rose up, weak, pale, and sick, Because a bawling broke our dream up, yea "I looked at Launcelot's face and could not speak, For he looked helpless too, for a little while; Then I remember how I tried to shriek, "And could not, but fell down; from tile to tile The stones they threw up rattled o'er my head And made me dizzier; till within a while "My maids were all about me, and my head On Launcelot's breast was being soothed away From its white chattering, until Launcelot said ... "By God! I will not tell you more to-day, Judge any way you will: what matters it? You know quite well the story of that fray, "How Launcelot stilled their bawling, the mad fit That caught up Gauwaine, all, all, verily, But just that which would save me; these things flit. "Nevertheless you, O Sir Gauwaine, lie, Whatever may have happened these long years, God knows I speak truth, saying that you lie! "All I have said is truth, by Christ's dear tears." His brother's trumpet sounding through the wood At last hear something really; joyfully William Morris 19 Q GUINEVERE UEEN GUINEVERE had fled the court, and sat Weeping, none with her save a little maid, A novice. One low light betwixt them burned Beneath a moon unseen albeit at full, For hither had she fled, her cause of flight For thus it chanced one morn when all the court, Green-suited, but with plumes that mocked the May, Had been their wont-a-maying and returned, That Modred still in green, all ear and eye, The wiliest and the worst; and more than this Spied where he couched, and as the gardener's hand But when he knew the prince tho' marred with dust, Made such excuses as he might, and these And he was answered softly by the King And all his Table. So Sir Lancelot holp To raise the prince, who rising twice or thrice Full sharply smote his knees, and smiled, and went; Rankled in him and ruffled all his heart, On the bare coast. But when Sir Lancelot told To vex and plague her. Many a time for hours, In the dead night, grim faces came and went |