Part 2 (1/2)

Warm'd by such names, well may we then, Though dwindled sons of little men, 285 Essay to break a feeble lance In the fair fields of old romance; Or seek the moated castle's cell, Where long through talisman and spell, While tyrants ruled, and damsels wept, 290 Thy Genius, Chivalry, hath slept: There sound the harpings of the North, Till he awake and sally forth, On venturous quest to p.r.i.c.k again, In all his arms, with all his train, 295 s.h.i.+eld, lance, and brand, and plume, and scarf, Fay, giant, dragon, squire, and dwarf, And wizard with his wand of might, And errant maid on palfrey white.

Around the Genius weave their spells, 300 Pure Love, who scarce his pa.s.sion tells; Mystery, half veil'd and half reveal'd; And Honour, with his spotless s.h.i.+eld; Attention, with fix'd eye; and Fear, That loves the tale she shrinks to hear; 305 And gentle Courtesy; and Faith, Unchanged by sufferings, time, or death; And Valour, lion-mettled lord, Leaning upon his own good sword.

Well has thy fair achievement shown, 310 A worthy meed may thus be won; Ytene's oaks--beneath whose shade Their theme the merry minstrels made, Of Ascapart, and Bevis bold, And that Red King, who, while of old, 315 Through Boldrewood the chase he led, By his loved huntsman's arrow bled-- Ytene's oaks have heard again Renew'd such legendary strain; For thou hast sung, how He of Gaul, 320 That Amadis so famed in hall, For Oriana, foil'd in fight The Necromancer's felon might; And well in modern verse hast wove Partenopex's mystic love; 325 Hear, then, attentive to my lay, A knightly tale of Albion's elder day.

CANTO FIRST.

THE CASTLE.

I.

Day set on Norham's castled steep, And Tweed's fair river, broad and deep, And Cheviot's mountains lone: The battled towers, the donjon keep, The loophole grates, where captives weep, 5 The flanking walls that round it sweep, In yellow l.u.s.tre shone.

The warriors on the turrets high, Moving athwart the evening sky, Seem'd forms of giant height: 10 Their armour, as it caught the rays, Flash'd back again the western blaze, In lines of dazzling light.

II.

Saint George's banner, broad and gay, Now faded, as the fading ray 15 Less bright, and less, was flung; The evening gale had scarce the power To wave it on the Donjon Tower, So heavily it hung.

The scouts had parted on their search, 20 The Castle gates were barr'd; Above the gloomy portal arch, Timing his footsteps to a march, The Warder kept his guard; Low humming, as he paced along, 25 Some ancient Border gathering-song.

III.

A distant trampling sound he hears; He looks abroad, and soon appears, O'er Horncliff-hill a plump of spears, Beneath a pennon gay; 30 A horseman, darting from the crowd, Like lightning from a summer cloud, Spurs on his mettled courser proud, Before the dark array.

Beneath the sable palisade, 35 That closed the Castle barricade, His buglehorn he blew; The warder hasted from the wall, And warn'd the Captain in the hall, For well the blast he knew; 40 And joyfully that knight did call, To sewer, squire, and seneschal.

IV.

'Now broach ye a pipe of Malvoisie, Bring pasties of the doe, And quickly make the entrance free 45 And bid my heralds ready be, And every minstrel sound his glee, And all our trumpets blow; And, from the platform, spare ye not To fire a n.o.ble salvo-shot; 50 Lord MARMION waits below!'

Then to the Castle's lower ward Sped forty yeomen tall, The iron-studded gates unbarr'd, Raised the portcullis' ponderous guard, 55 The lofty palisade unsparr'd, And let the drawbridge fall.

V.

Along the bridge Lord Marmion rode, Proudly his red-roan charger trode, His helm hung at the saddlebow; 60 Well by his visage you might know He was a stalworth knight, and keen, And had in many a battle been; The scar on his brown cheek reveal'd A token true of Bosworth field; 65 His eyebrow dark, and eye of fire, Show'd spirit proud, and prompt to ire; Yet lines of thought upon his cheek Did deep design and counsel speak.

His forehead by his casque worn bare, 70 His thick mustache, and curly hair, Coal-black, and grizzled here and there, But more through toil than age; His square-turn'd joints, and strength of limb, Show'd him no carpet knight so trim, 75 But in close fight a champion grim, In camps a leader sage.

VI.

Well was he arm'd from head to heel, In mail and plate of Milan steel; But his strong helm, of mighty cost, 80 Was all with burnish'd gold emboss'd; Amid the plumage of the crest, A falcon hover'd on her nest, With wings outspread, and forward breast; E'en such a falcon, on his s.h.i.+eld, 85 Soar'd sable in an azure field: The golden legend bore aright, Who checks at me, to death is dight.

Blue was the charger's broider'd rein; Blue ribbons deck'd his arching mane; 90 The knightly housing's ample fold Was velvet blue, and trapp'd with gold.

VII.

Behind him rode two gallant squires, Of n.o.ble name, and knightly sires; They burn'd the gilded spurs to claim: 95 For well could each a warhorse tame, Could draw the bow, the sword could sway, And lightly bear the ring away; Nor less with courteous precepts stored, Could dance in hall, and carve at board, 100 And frame love-ditties pa.s.sing rare, And sing them to a lady fair.

VIII.

Four men-at-arms came at their backs, With halbert, bill, and battle-axe: They bore Lord Marmion's lance so strong, 105 And led his sumpter-mules along, And ambling palfrey, when at need Him listed ease his battle-steed.

The last and trustiest of the four, On high his forky pennon bore; 110 Like swallow's tail, in shape and hue, Flutter'd the streamer glossy blue, Where, blazon'd sable, as before, The towering falcon seem'd to soar.