CANTO III. Forsaken Truth long seeks her love, And makes the lion mild; Mars blind Devotions mart, and falls In hand of lecher vilde. I. NOUGHT is there under heav'ns wide hollowness,* Which I do owe unto all womankind, Feel my heart pierc'd with so great agony, II. And now it is empassionéd so deep, For fairest Una's sake, of whom I sing, That my frail eyes these lines with tears do steep, To think how she through guileful handeling, *Hollowness, concave. Though true as touch, though daughter of a king, Though fair as ever living wight was fair, Though nor in word nor deed ill meriting, Is from her knight divorcéd in despair, And her due loves deriv'd to that vile witch's share. III. Yet she, most faithful lady all this while Far from all people's preace,* as in exile, Through woods and wastnes wide him daily sought, IV. One day, nigh weary of the irksome way, V. It fortuned, out of the thickest wood A ramping lion rushed suddenly, Soon as the royal virgin he did spy, * Preace, throng. With gaping mouth at her ran greedily, And, with the sight amaz'd, forgat his furious force. VI. Instead thereof, he kist her weary feet, And lickt her lily hands, with fawning tongue, VII. pure affection. "The lion, lord of everie beast in field," Her, that him lov'd, and ever most ador'd As the god of my life? why hath he me abhorr'd ?" VIII. Redounding tears did choke th' end of her plaint, The kingly beast upon her gazing stood; With pity calmd, down fell his angry mood. To seek her strayed champion if she might attain. IX. The lion would not leave her desolate, But with her went along, as a strong guard Of her chaste person, and a faithful mate Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard; Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward; X. Long she thus travelled through deserts wide, Till that at length she found the trodden grass, In which the track of peoples footing was, Under the steep foot of a mountain hoar; XI. To whom approaching, she to her gan call, Till, seeing by her side the lion stand, With sudden fear her pitcher down she threw, Face of fair lady she before did view, And that dread lion's look her cast in deadly hue. XII. Full fast she fled, nor ever look'd behind, And home she came, whereas her mother blind Gan shut the door. By this arrived there XIII. Which when none yielded, her unruly page Nine hundred Pater nosters every day, And thrice nine hundred Aves, she was wont to say.* 66 *Those who love to trace the allegory in the Faëry Queen will find nothing more exquisite than this of Truth, in all her native lovelinessmaking a sunshine in a shady place,"-and accompanied by that noble strength or courage which renders her irresistible, breaking into the dismal abode of Superstition, who in vain strives to bar the entrance against her. |