Her seer, her bard, her silver star of eve, Her God, her Merlin, the one passionate love Of her whole life; and ever overhead Bellow'd the tempest, and the rotten branch Snapt in the rushing of the river-rain Above them; and in change of glare and gloom Which first she placed where morning's earliest ray Might strike it, and awake her with the gleam; Then fearing rust or soilure fashion'd for it Her eyes and neck glittering went and And yellow-throated nestling in the nest. Nor rested thus content, but day by day, came ; Till now the storm, its burst of passion Leaving her household and good father, spent, Moaning and calling out of other lands, Had left the ravaged woodland yet once more To peace; and what should not have been had been, For Merlin, overtalk'd and overworn, Had yielded, told her all the charm, and slept. Then, in one moment, she put forth the charm Of woven paces and of waving hands, And in the hollow oak he lay as dead, And lost to life and use and name and fame. Then crying 'I have made his glory mine,' And shrieking out 'O fool!' the harlot leapt climb'd That eastern tower, and entering barr'd her door, Stript off the case, and read the naked shield, Now guess'd a hidden meaning in his arms, Now made a pretty history to herself Conjecturing when and where this cut is fresh ; That ten years back; this dealt him at Caerlyle; That at Caerleon; this at Camelot : And ah God's mercy, what a stroke was there! And here a thrust that might have kill'd, but God Broke the strong lance, and roll'd his Adown the forest, and the thicket closed Behind her, and the forest echo'd 'fool.' | And saved him : so she lived in fantasy. enemy down, LANCELOT AND ELAINE. ELAINE the fair, Elaine the loveable, Elaine, the lily maid of Astolat, How came the lily maid by that good shield Of Lancelot, she that knew not ev'n his name? High in her chamber up a tower to the He left it with her, when he rode to tilt east Guarded the sacred shield of Lancelot ; For the great diamond in the diamond jousts, Which Arthur had ordain'd, and by that Pluck'd from the crown, and show'd them name to his knights, Had named them, since a diamond was Saying, 'These jewels, whereupon I the prize. For Arthur, long before they crown'd him King, Roving the trackless realms of Lyonnesse, Had found a glen, gray boulder and black tarn. A horror lived about the tarn, and clave Like its own mists to all the mountain side: chanced Divinely, are the kingdom's, not the King's-- For public use: henceforward let there be, Once every year, a joust for one of these: For so by nine years' proof we needs must learn Which is our mightiest, and ourselves shall grow In use of arms and manhood, till we drive For here two brothers, one a king, had The heathen, who, some say, shall rule And fought together; but their names Hereafter, which God hinder.' Thus he And each had slain his brother at a blow; And eight years past, eight jousts had And down they fell and made the glen been, and still Lancelot won the diamond of the year, With purpose to present them to the Queen, When all were won; but meaning all at once To snare her royal fancy with a boon Worth half her realm, had never spoken word. Now for the central diamond and the last Brake from the nape, and from the skull And largest, Arthur, holding then his Roll'd into light, and turning on its rims Hard on the river nigh the place which Fled like a glittering rivulet to the tarn : And down the shingly scaur he plunged, and caught, And set it on his head, and in his heart Heard murmurs, 'Lo, thou likewise shalt be King.' now Is this world's hugest, let proclaim a joust At Camelot, and when the time drew nigh Spake (for she had been sick) to Guinevere, 'Are you so sick, my Queen, you cannot move Thereafter, when a King, he had the To these fair jousts?' 'Yea, lord,' she gems said, 'ye know it.' 'Then will ye miss,' he answer'd, the Then of the crowd ye took no more great deeds Of Lancelot, and his prowess in the lists, account Than of the myriad cricket of the mead, When its own voice clings to each blade of grass, Lifted her eyes, and they dwelt languidly And King. Them surely can I silence with all case. He thinking that he read her meaning But now my loyal worship is allow'd there, 'Stay with me, I am sick; my love is more Of all men many a bard, without offence, Has link'd our names together in his lay, Than many diamonds,' yielded; and a Lancelot, the flower of bravery, Guine Love-loyal to the least wish of the Queen The pearl of beauty: and our knights at (However much he yearn'd to make complete The tale of diamonds for his destined boon) Urged him to speak against the truth, and say, 'Sir King, mine ancient wound is hardly whole, feast Have pledged us in this union, while the King Would listen smiling. How then? is there more? Has Arthur spoken aught? or would yourself, Now weary of my service and devoir, And lets me from the saddle;' and the Henceforth be truer to your faultless lord?' King Glanced first at him, then her, and went his way. No sooner gone than suddenly she began: 'To blame, my lord Sir Lancelot, much to blame ! She broke into a little scornful laugh: 'Arthur, my lord, Arthur, the faultless King, That passionate perfection, my good lord- But who can gaze upon the Sun in heaven? Why go ye not to these fair jousts? the He never spake word of reproach to me, knights He never had a glimpse of mine untruth, Are half of them our enemies, and the He cares not for me: only here to-day There gleam'd a vague suspicion in his eyes : For who loves me must have a touch of earth; The low sun makes the colour: I am yours, Not Arthur's, as ye know, save by the bond. And therefore hear my words: go to the jousts: Then got Sir Lancelot suddenly to horse, Wroth at himself. Not willing to be known, He left the barren-beaten thoroughfare, Chose the green path that show'd the rarer foot, And there among the solitary downs, The tiny-trumpeting gnat can break our Full often lost in fancy, lost his way; dream When sweetest; and the vermin voices here May buzz so loud-we scorn them, but they sting.' Then answer'd Lancelot, the chief of knights: And with what face, after my pretext Shall I appear, O Queen, at Camelot, I 'Yea,' said the Queen, 'A moral child without the craft to rule, Else had he not lost me: but listen to me, If I must find you wit: we hear it said That men go down before your spear at a touch, Till as he traced a faintly-shadow'd track, Ran to the Castle of Astolat, he saw towers. Thither he made, and blew the gateway horn. Then came an old, dumb, myriad-wrinkled man, Who let him into lodging and disarm'd. And issuing found the Lord of Astolat Moving to meet him in the castle court; But knowing you are Lancelot; your great There was not some light jest among This conquers hide it therefore; go With laughter dying down as the great Win! by this kiss you will: and our true Approach'd them: then the Lord of Will then allow your pretext, O myWhence comest thou, my guest, and by knight, As all for glory; for to speak him true, Ye know right well, how meek soe'er he seem, No keener hunter after glory breathes. He loves it in his knights more than himself: what name Livest between the lips? for by thy state After the King, who eat in Arthur's halls. They prove to him his work: win and Known as they are, to me they are Then answer'd Lancelot, the chief of That some one put this diamond in her knights: hand, ‘Known am I, and of Arthur's hall, and And that it was too slippery to be held, known, And slipt and fell into some pool or stream, What I by mere mischance have brought, The castle-well, belike; and then I said my shield. But since I go to joust as one unknown I pray you lend me one, if such you have, Then said the Lord of Astolat, 'Here is Torre's: Hurt in his first tilt was my son, Sir Torre. His ye can have.' Then added plain Sir That if I went and if I fought and won it 'So ye will grace me,' answer'd Lancelot, Smiling a moment, with your fellowship O'er these waste downs whereon I lost myself, Then were I glad of you as guide and friend : And you shall win this diamond-as I hear, 'Yea, since I cannot use it, ye may have It is a fair large diamond,—if ye may, it.' And yield it to this maiden, if ye will.' Here laugh'd the father saying, 'Fie, Sir A fair large diamond,' added plain Sir Churl, Is that an answer for a noble knight? here, He is so full of lustihood, he will ride, And set it in this damsel's golden hair, me not Torre, Such be for queens, and not for simple maids.' Then she, who held her eyes upon the Elaine, and heard her name so tost about, at her, Full courtly, yet not falsely, thus return'd: 'Nay, father, nay good father, shame If what is fair be but for what is fair, And only queens are to be counted so, Before this noble knight,' said young Rash were my judgment then, who deem Lavaine, "For nothing. Torre : this maid Surely I but play'd on Might wear as fair a jewel as is on earth, He seem'd so sullen, vext he could not go : He spoke and ceased: the lily maid |