| |
| “OH, fill me flagons full and fair, | |
| Of red wine and of white, | |
| And, maidens mine, my bower prepare, | |
| It is my wedding night! | |
| |
| “Braid up my hair with gem and flower, | 5 |
| And make me fair and fine, | |
| The day has dawned that brings the hour | |
| When my desire is mine!” | |
| |
| They decked her bower with roses blown, | |
| With rushes strewed the floor, | 10 |
| And sewed more jewels on her gown | |
| Than ever she wore before. | |
| |
| She wore two roses in her face, | |
| Two jewels in her e’en, | |
| Her hair was crowned with sunset rays, | 15 |
| Her brows shone white between. | |
| |
| “Tapers at the bed’s foot,” she saith, | |
| “Two tapers at the head!” | |
| (It seemed more like the bed of death | |
| Than like a bridal bed.) | 20 |
| |
| He came. He took her hands in his: | |
| He kissed her on the face: | |
| “There is more heaven in thy kiss | |
| Than in Our Lady’s grace!” | |
| |
| He kissed her once, he kissed her twice, | 25 |
| He kissed her three times o’er, | |
| He kissed her brow, he kissed her eyes, | |
| He kissed her mouth’s red flower. | |
| |
| “Oh, love! What is it ails thy knight? | |
| I sicken and I pine— | 30 |
| Is it the red wine or the white, | |
| Or that sweet kiss of thine?” | |
| |
| “No kiss, no wine or white or red | |
| Can make such sickness be:— | |
| Lie down and die on thy bride-bed, | 35 |
| For I have poisoned thee! | |
| |
| “And though the curse of saints and men | |
| Be for the deed on me, | |
| I would it were to do again, | |
| Since thou wert false to me! | 40 |
| |
| “Thou shouldst have loved or one or none, | |
| Nor she nor I loved twain; | |
| But we are twain thou hast undone, | |
| And therefore art thou slain. | |
| |
| “And when before my God I stand, | 45 |
| With no base flesh between, | |
| I shall hold up my guilty hand, | |
| And He shall judge it clean!” | |
| |
| He fell across the bridal bed, | |
| Between the tapers pale. | 50 |
| “I, first, shall see our God”—he said, | |
| “And I will tell thy tale; | |
| |
| “And, if God judge thee as I do | |
| Then art thou justified: | |
| I loved thee, and I was not true, | 55 |
| And that was why I died. | |
| |
| “If I might judge thee—thou shouldst be | |
| First of the saints on high, | |
| But, ah, I fear God loveth thee | |
| Not half so dear as I!” | 60 |
| |
