saint, For by the hands of Dubric, the high When crying out, Effeminate as I am, They twain were wedded with all ceremony. And this was on the last year's Whit- Hung at his belt, and hurl'd it toward suntide. the squire. So the last sight that Enid had of home Was all the marble threshold flashing, Her heart, and glancing round the waste she fear'd In every wavering brake an ambuscade. Then thought again, 'If there be such in me, I might amend it by the grace of Heaven, If he would only speak and tell me of it.' But when the fourth part of the day was gone, Then Enid was aware of three tall knights On horseback, wholly arm'd, behind a rock In shadow, waiting for them, caitiffs all; And heard one crying to his fellow, 'Look, Here comes a laggard hanging down his head, Who seems no bolder than a beaten hound; Come, we will slay him and will have his horse And thus ye keep it! Well then, look for now, Whether ye wish me victory or defeat, Long for my life, or hunger for my death, Yourself shall see my vigour is not lost.' Then Enid waited pale and sorrowful, And down upon him bare the bandit three. And at the midmost charging, Prince Geraint Drave the long spear a cubit thro' his breast And out beyond; and then against his brace Of comrades, each of whom had broken on him A lance that splinter'd like an icicle, Swung from his brand a windy buffet out Once, twice, to right, to left, and stunn'd the twain Or slew them, and dismounting like a man That skins the wild beast after slaying him, Then Enid ponder'd in her heart, and Stript from the three dead wolves of said: 'I will go back a little to my lord, And I will tell him all their caitiff talk ; For, be he wroth even to slaying me, Far liefer by his dear hand had I die, Than that my lord should suffer loss or shame.' Then she went back some paces of return, Met his full frown timidly firm, and said; My lord, I saw three bandits by the rock Waiting to fall on you, and heard them boast That they would slay you, and possess your horse And armour, and your damsel should be theirs.' He made a wrathful answer: 'Did I wish Your warning or your silence? one command I laid upon you, not to speak to me, woman born The three gay suits of armour which they wore, And let the bodies lie, but bound the suits Of armour on their horses, each on each, And tied the bridle-reins of all the three Together, and said to her, 'Drive them on Before you;' and she drove them thro' the waste. He follow'd nearer: ruth began to work Against his anger in him, while he watch'd And loosed in words of sudden fire the wrath And smoulder'd wrong that burnt him all within ; But evermore it seem'd an easier thing At once without remorse to strike her dead, Than to cry 'Halt,' and to her own Accuse her of the least immodesty : That she could speak whom his own ear : Call herself false and suffering thus he Minutes an age but in scarce longer time Whereof one seem'd far larger than her And shook her pulses, crying, 'Look, a prize! Three horses and three goodly suits of arms, And all in charge of whom? a girl : set on.' 'Nay,' said the second, 'yonder comes a knight.' 'There lurk three villains yonder in the And each of them is wholly arm'd, and one To which he flung a wrathful answer back: And if there were an hundred in the And every man were larger-limb'd than I, And Enid stood aside to wait the event, Not dare to watch the combat, only breathe Short fits of prayer, at every stroke a breath. And he, she dreaded most, bare down Aim'd at the helm, his lance err'd; but The third, 'A craven; how he hangs his A little in the late encounter strain'd, head.' The giant answer'd merrily, 'Yea, but one? Wait here, and when he passes fall upon him.' And Enid ponder'd in her heart and 'I will abide the coming of my lord, I save a life dearer to me than mine.' And she abode his coming, and said to him Struck thro' the bulky bandit's corselet home, And then brake short, and down his enemy roll'd, And there lay still; as he that tells the Saw once a great piece of a promontory, And there lie still, and yet the sapling So lay the man transfixt. His craven pair When now they saw their bulwark fallen, stood; On whom the victor, to confound them more, With timid firmness, Have I leave to Spurr'd with his terrible war-cry; for as speak?' one, He said, 'Ye take it, speaking,' and she That listens near a torrent mountainbrook, spoke. All thro' the crash of the near cataract hears The drumming thunder of the huger fall At distance, were the soldiers wont to hear Bare victual for the mowers: and Geraint Had ruth again on Enid looking pale : Then, moving downward to the meadow ground, His voice in battle, and be kindled by it, He, when the fair-hair'd youth came by And foemen scared, like that false pair him, said, His basket, and dismounting on the sward They let the horses graze, and ate themselves. And Enid took a little delicately, Ate all the mowers' victual unawares, And when he found all empty, was amazed; And Boy,' said he, 'I have eaten all, but take A horse and arms for guerdon; choose the best.' He, reddening in extremity of delight, 'My lord, you overpay me fifty-fold.' 'Ye will be all the wealthier,' cried the Prince. 'I take it as free gift, then,' said the boy, Not guerdon; for myself can easily, While your good damsel rests, return, and fetch Fresh victual for these mowers of our Earl; For these are his, and all the field is his, And I myself am his; and I will tell him How great a man thou art: he loves to know When men of mark are in his territory: And he will have thee to his palace here, And serve thee costlier than with mowers' fare.' Then said Geraint, I wish no better fare: I never ate with angrier appetite Than when I left your mowers dinnerless. Apart by all the chamber's width, and And into no Earl's palace will I go. mute I know, God knows, too much of As creatures voiceless thro' the fault of 'Yea, my kind lord,' said the glad And heel against the pavement echoing, Held his head high, and thought himself Their drowse; and either started while a knight, And up the rocky pathway disappear'd, Leading the horse, and they were left alone. But when the Prince had brought his errant eyes Home from the rock, sideways he let them glance At Enid, where she droopt: his own false doom, That shadow of mistrust should never cross Betwixt them, came upon him, and he sigh'd; Then with another humorous ruth remark'd The lusty mowers labouring dinnerless, And watch'd the sun blaze on the turning scythe, And after nodded sleepily in the heat. But she, remembering her old ruin'd hall, And all the windy clamour of the daws About her hollow turret, pluck'd the grass There growing longest by the meadow's edge, And into many a listless annulet, Now over, now beneath her marriage ring, Wove and unwove it, till the boy return'd And told them of a chamber, and they went; Where, after saying to her, 'If ye will, Call for the woman of the house,' to which She answer'd, 'Thanks, my lord;' the two remain'd the door, Push'd from without, drave backward to the wall, And midmost of a rout of roisterers, He moving up with pliant courtliness, Found Enid with the corner of his eye, And knew her sitting sad and solitary. Then cried Geraint for wine and goodly cheer To feed the sudden guest, and sumptuously According to his fashion, bad the host Call in what men soever were his friends, And feast with these in honour of their Earl; And care not for the cost; the cost is mine.' And wine and food were brought, and Earl Limours Drank till he jested with all ease, and told Free tales, and took the word and play'd upon it, And made it of two colours; for his talk, When wine and free companions kindled him, Was wont to glance and sparkle like a gem Of fifty facets; thus he moved the Prince To laughter and his comrades to applause. |