Poems and Ballads and Atalanta in Calydon

Home > Fantasy > Poems and Ballads and Atalanta in Calydon > Page 22
Poems and Ballads and Atalanta in Calydon Page 22

by Algernon Swinburne


  Too weak to alter its one word.

  The wet leaves next the gentle fruit

  50

  Felt smoother, and the brown tree-root

  Felt the mould warmer: I too felt

  (As water feels the slow gold melt

  Right through it when the day burns mute)

  The peace of time wherein love dwelt.

  There were four apples on the tree,

  Gold stained on red that all might see

  The sweet blood filled them to the core:

  The colour of her hair is more

  Like stems of fair faint gold, that be

  60

  Mown from the harvest’s middle floor.

  A Christmas Carol1

  Three damsels in the queen’s chamber,

  The queen’s mouth was most fair;

  She spake a word of God’s mother

  As the combs went in her hair.

  Mary that is of might,

  Bring us to thy Son’s sight.

  They held the gold combs out from her,

  A span’s length off her head;

  She sang this song of God’s mother

  10

  And of her bearing-bed.

  Mary most full of grace,

  Bring us to thy Son’s face.

  When she sat at Joseph’s hand,

  She looked against her side;

  And either way from the short silk band

  Her girdle was all wried.

  Mary that all good may,

  Bring us to thy Son’s way.

  Mary had three women for her bed,

  20

  The twain were maidens clean;

  The first of them had white and red,

  The third had riven green.

  Mary that is so sweet,

  Bring us to thy Son’s feet.

  She had three women for her hair,

  Two were gloved soft and shod;

  The third had feet and fingers bare,

  She was the likest God.

  Mary that wieldeth land,

  30

  Bring us to thy Son’s hand.

  She had three women for her ease,

  The twain were good women:

  The first two were the two Maries,

  The third was Magdalen.

  Mary that perfect is,

  Bring us to thy Son’s kiss.

  Joseph had three workmen in his stall,

  To serve him well upon;

  The first of them were Peter and Paul,

  40

  The third of them was John.

  Mary, God’s handmaiden,

  Bring us to thy Son’s ken.

  ‘If your child be none other man’s,

  But if it be very mine,

  The bedstead shall be gold two spans,

  The bedfoot silver fine.’

  Mary that made God mirth,

  Bring us to thy Son’s birth.

  ‘If the child be some other man’s,

  50

  And if it be none of mine,

  The manger shall be straw two spans,

  Betwixen kine and kine.’

  Mary that made sin cease,

  Bring us to thy Son’s peace.

  Christ was born upon this wise,

  It fell on such a night,

  Neither with sounds of psalteries,

  Nor with fire for light.

  Mary that is God’s spouse,

  60

  Bring us to thy Son’s house.

  The star came out upon the east

  With a great sound and sweet:

  Kings gave gold to make him feast

  And myrrh for him to eat.

  Mary, of thy sweet mood,

  Bring us to thy Son’s good.

  He had two handmaids at his head,

  One handmaid at his feet;

  The twain of them were fair and red,

  70

  The third one was right sweet.

  Mary that is most wise,

  Bring us to thy Son’s eyes. Amen.

  The Masque of Queen Bersabe

  A MIRACLE-PLAY

  KING DAVID

  Knights mine, all that be in hall,

  I have a counsel to you all,

  Because of this thing God lets fall

  Among us for a sign.

  For some days hence as I did eat

  From kingly dishes my good meat,

  There flew a bird between my feet

  As red as any wine.

  This bird had a long bill of red

  10

  And a gold ring above his head;

  Long time he sat and nothing said,

  Put softly down his neck and fed

  From the gilt patens fine:

  And as I marvelled, at the last

  He shut his two keen eyën fast

  And suddenly woxe big and brast

  Ere one should tell to nine.

  PRIMUS MILES

  Sir, note this that I will say;

  That Lord who maketh corn with hay

  20

  And morrows each of yesterday,

  He hath you in his hand.

  SECUNDUS MILES(Paganus quidam)

  By Satan I hold no such thing;

  For if wine swell within a king

  Whose ears for drink are hot and ring,

  The same shall dream of wine-bibbing

  Whilst he can lie or stand.

  QUEEN BERSABE

  Peace now, lords, for Godis head,

  Ye chirk as starlings that be fed

  And gape as fishes newly dead;

  30

  The devil put your bones to bed,

  Lo, this is all to say.

  SECUNDUS MILES

  By Mahound, lords, I have good will

  This devil’s bird to wring and spill;

  For now meseems our game goes ill,

  Ye have scant hearts to play.

  TERTIUS MILES

  Lo, sirs, this word is there said,

  That Urias the knight is dead

  Through some ill craft; by Poulis head,

  I doubt his blood hath made so red

  40

  This bird that flew from the queen’s bed

  Whereof ye have such fear.

  KING DAVID

  Yea, my good knave, and is it said

  That I can raise men from the dead?

  By God I think to have his head

  Who saith words of my lady’s bed

  For any thief to hear.

  Et percutiat eum in capite.

  QUEEN BERSABE

  I wis men shall spit at me,

  And say, it were but right for thee

  That one should hang thee on a tree;

  50

  Ho! it were a fair thing to see

  The big stones bruise her false body;

  Fie! who shall see her dead?

  KING DAVID

  I rede you have no fear of this,

  For, as ye wot, the first good kiss

  I had must be the last of his;

  Now are ye queen of mine, I wis,

  And lady of a house that is

  Full rich of meat and bread.

  PRIMUS MILES

  I bid you make good cheer to be

  60

  So fair a queen as all men see.

  And hold us for your lieges free;

  By Peter’s soul that hath the key,

  Ye have good hap of it.

  SECUNDUS MILES

  I would that he were hanged and dead

  Who hath no joy to see your head

  With gold about it, barred on red;

  I hold him as a sow of lead

  That is so scant of wit.

  Tunc dicat NATHAN propheta

  O king, I have a word to thee;

  70

  The child that is in Bersabe

  Shall wither without light to see;

  This word is come of God by me

  For sin that ye have done.

  Because herein ye
did not right,

  To take the fair one lamb to smite

  That was of Urias the knight;

  Ye wist he had but one.

  Full many sheep I wot ye had,

  And many women, when ye bade,

  80

  To do your will and keep you glad,

  And a good crown about your head

  With gold to show thereon.

  This Urias had one poor house

  With low-barred latoun shot-windows

  And scant of corn to fill a mouse;

  And rusty basnets for his brows,

  To wear them to the bone.

  Yea the roofs also, as men sain,

  Were thin to hold against the rain;

  90

  Therefore what rushes were there lain

  Grew wet withouten foot of men;

  The stancheons were all gone in twain

  As sick man’s flesh is gone.

  Nathless he had great joy to see

  The long hair of this Bersabe

  Fall round her lap and round her knee

  Even to her small soft feet, that be

  Shod now with crimson royally

  And covered with clean gold.

  100

  Likewise great joy he had to kiss

  Her throat, where now the scarlet is

  Against her little chin, I wis,

  That then was but cold.

  No scarlet then her kirtle had

  And little gold about it sprad;

  But her red mouth was always glad

  To kiss, albeit the eyes were sad

  With love they had to hold.

  SECUNDUS MILES

  How! old thief, thy wits are lame;

  110

  To clip such it is no shame;

  I rede you in the devil’s name,

  Ye come not here to make men game;

  By Termagaunt that maketh grame,

  I shall to-bete thine head.

  Hìc Diabolus capiat eum.

  This knave hath sharp fingers, perfay;

  Mahound you thank and keep alway,

  And give you good knees to pray;

  What man hath no lust to play,

  The devil wring his ears, I say;

  120

  There is no more but wellaway,

  For now am I dead.

  KING DAVID

  Certes his mouth is wried and black,

  Full little pence be in his sack;

  This devil hath him by the back,

  It is no boot to lie.

  NATHAN

  Sitteth now still and learn of me;

  A little while and ye shall see

  The face of God’s strength presently.

  All queens made as this Bersabe,

  130

  All that were fair and foul ye be,

  Come hither; it am I.

  Et hìc omnes cantabunt.

  HERODIAS

  I am the queen Herodias.

  This headband of my temples was

  King Herod’s gold band woven me.

  This broken dry staff in my hand

  Was the queen’s staff of a great land

  Betwixen Perse and Samarie.

  For that one dancing of my feet,

  The fire is come in my green wheat,

  140

  From one sea to the other sea.

  AHOLIBAH

  I am the queen Aholibah.

  My lips kissed dumb the word of Ah

  Sighed on strange lips grown sick thereby.

  God wrought to me my royal bed;

  The inner work thereof was red,

  The outer work was ivory.

  My mouth’s heat was the heat of flame

  For lust towards the kings that came

  With horsemen riding royally.

  CLEOPATRA

  150

  I am the queen of Ethiope.

  Love bade my kissing eyelids ope

  That men beholding might praise love.

  My hair was wonderful and curled;

  My lips held fast the mouth o’ the world

  To spoil the strength and speech thereof.

  The latter triumph in my breath

  Bowed down the beaten brows of death,

  Ashamed they had not wrath enough.

  ABIHAIL

  I am the queen of Tyrians.

  160

  My hair was glorious for twelve spans,

  That dried to loose dust afterward.

  My stature was a strong man’s length:

  My neck was like a place of strength

  Built with white walls, even and hard.

  Like the first noise of rain leaves catch

  One from another, snatch by snatch,

  Is my praise, hissed against and marred.

  AZUBAH

  I am the queen of Amorites.

  My face was like a place of lights

  170

  With multitudes at festival.

  The glory of my gracious brows

  Was like God’s house made glorious

  With colours upon either wall.

  Between my brows and hair there was

  A white space like a space of glass

  With golden candles over all.

  AHOLAH

  I am the queen of Amalek.

  There was no tender touch or fleck

  To spoil my body or bared feet.

  180

  My words were soft like dulcimers,

  And the first sweet of grape-flowers

  Made each side of my bosom sweet.

  My raiment was as tender fruit

  Whose rind smells sweet of spice-tree root,

  Bruised balm-blossom and budded wheat.

  AHINOAM

  I am the queen Ahinoam.

  Like the throat of a soft slain lamb

  Was my throat, softer veined than his:

  My lips were as two grapes the sun

  190

  Lays his whole weight of heat upon

  Like a mouth heavy with a kiss:

  My hair’s pure purple a wrought fleece,

  My temples therein as a piece

  Of a pomegranate’s cleaving is.

  ATARAH

  I am the queen Sidonian.

  My face made faint the face of man,

  And strength was bound between my brows.

  Spikenard was hidden in my ships,

  Honey and wheat and myrrh in strips,

  200

  White wools that shine as colour does,

 

‹ Prev