Volume II Part 14 (1/2)

Oh, the little birds sang east, and the little birds sang west-- _Toll slowly._ On the tower the castle's lord leant in silence on his sword, With an anguish in his breast.

XL.

With a spirit-laden weight did he lean down pa.s.sionate: _Toll slowly._ They have almost sapped the wall,--they will enter therewithal With no knocking at the gate.

XLI.

Then the sword he leant upon, s.h.i.+vered, snapped upon the stone-- _Toll slowly._ ”Sword,” he thought, with inward laugh, ”ill thou servest for a staff When thy n.o.bler use is done!

XLII.

”Sword, thy n.o.bler use is done! tower is lost, and shame begun!”-- _Toll slowly._ ”If we met them in the breach, hilt to hilt or speech to speech, We should die there, each for one.

XLIII.

”If we met them at the wall, we should singly, vainly fall”-- _Toll slowly._ ”But if _I_ die here alone,--then I die who am but one, And die n.o.bly for them all.

XLIV.

”Five true friends lie for my sake in the moat and in the brake”-- _Toll slowly._ ”Thirteen warriors lie at rest with a black wound in the breast, And not one of these will wake.

XLV.

”So, no more of this shall be! heart-blood weighs too heavily”-- _Toll slowly._ ”And I could not sleep in grave, with the faithful and the brave Heaped around and over me.

XLVI.

”Since young Clare a mother hath, and young Ralph a plighted faith”-- _Toll slowly._ ”Since my pale young sister's cheeks blush like rose when Ronald speaks, Albeit never a word she saith--

XLVII.

”These shall never die for me: life-blood falls too heavily”: _Toll slowly._ ”And if _I_ die here apart, o'er my dead and silent heart They shall pa.s.s out safe and free.

XLVIII.

”When the foe hath heard it said--'Death holds Guy of Linteged'”-- _Toll slowly._ ”That new corse new peace shall bring, and a blessed, blessed thing Shall the stone be at its head.

XLIX.

”Then my friends shall pa.s.s out free, and shall bear my memory”-- _Toll slowly._ ”Then my foes shall sleek their pride, soothing fair my widowed bride Whose sole sin was love of me:

L.

”With their words all smooth and sweet, they will front her and entreat”-- _Toll slowly._ ”And their purple pall will spread underneath her fainting head While her tears drop over it.

LI.

”She will weep her woman's tears, she will pray her woman's prayers”-- _Toll slowly._ ”But her heart is young in pain, and her hopes will spring again By the suntime of her years.

LII.

”Ah, sweet May! ah, sweetest grief!--once I vowed thee my belief”-- _Toll slowly_-- ”That thy name expressed thy sweetness,--May of poets, in completeness!

Now my May-day seemeth brief.”