And would to none I had granted boon For haply then I should love aright, "Yet it ill suits my knightly tongue The hand that claimed it, cleared in fine "Earl Walter was a brave old earl, "Oh, calm below the marble grey His image prayed alone! The slanderer lied: the wretch was brave For, looking up the minster-nave, He saw my father's knightly glaive "Earl Walter's glaive was steel, With a brave old hand to wear it, And dashed the lie back in the mouth Which lied against the godly truth And against the knightly merit: The slanderer, 'neath the avenger's heel, From stealthy lie to brutal force- "I would mine hand had fought that fight And justified my father! I would mine heart had caught that wound And slept beside him rather! I think it were a better thing Than murdered friend and marriage-ring "Wail shook Earl Walter's house; "I came, I knelt beside her bed; Her calm was worse than strife: 'My husband, for thy father dear, A boon! Of that sweet child we make Make thou, for ours, a wife.' "I said, 'My steed neighs in the court, And the warrior's vow I am under now Jiriczek, Englische Dichter. 2 But fetch the ring and fetch the priest And rule she wide from my castle on Nyde "In the dark chambère, if the bride was fair, Ye wis, I could not see, But the steed thrice neighed, and the priest fast prayed, And wedded fast were we. Her mother smiled upon her bed As at its side we knelt to wed, And the bride rose from her knee And kissed the smile of her mother dead, "My page, my page, what grieves thee so, Was in thy lady's case: But she laid down the silks she wore To the very battle-place." And wept the page, but laughed the knight, "Well done it were for thy sister, But not for my ladye! My love, so please you, shall requite The page stopped weeping and smiled cold- That womanhood is proved the best The mincing ladies wear; Yet is it proved, and was of old, He smiled no more, he wept no more, And her little hand, defiled with blood, -"Well done it were for thy sister, But for my lady, she shall pray No casque shall hide her woman's tear— Behind her woman's veil." -“But what if she mistook thy mind Then kneeling did entreat thy love -"I would forgive, and evermore "Look up-there is a small bright cloud Alone amid the skies! So high, so pure, and so apart, A woman's honour lies." The page looked up-the cloud was sheen- Then dimly dropped his eyes away Ha! who rides there?-the page is 'ware, And the page seeth all and the knight seeth none, He speaketh calm, he speaketh low,— Or ere within the broadening dark "Now nay, now nay, ride on thy way, "Ere night I shall be near to thee,- The knight smiled free at the fantasy, Had the knight looked up to the page's face, |