English Poetry I: From Chaucer to Gray.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. |
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| 43. Preparations |
| | | From a Christ Church MS. |
| | | Anonymous |
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| YET if His Majesty, our sovereign lord, | |
| Should of his own accord | |
| Friendly himself invite, | |
| And say ‘I’ll be your guest to-morrow night,’ | |
| How should we stir ourselves, call and command | 5 |
| All hands to work! ‘Let no man idle stand!’ | |
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| ‘Set me fine Spanish tables in the hall; | |
| See they are fitted all; | |
| Let there be room to eat | |
| And order taken that there want no meat. | 10 |
| See every sconce and candlestick made bright, | |
| That without tapers they may give a light. | |
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| ‘Look to the presence: are the carpets spread, | |
| The dazie o’er the head, | |
| The cushions in the chairs, | 15 |
| And all the candles lighted on the stairs? | |
| Perfume the chambers, and in any case | |
| Let each man give attendance in his place!’ | |
| Thus, if a king were coming, would we do; | |
| And ’twere good reason too; | 20 |
| For ’tis a duteous thing | |
| To show all honour to an earthly king, | |
| And after all our travail and our cost, | |
| So he be pleased, to think no labour lost. | |
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| But at the coming of the King of Heaven | 25 |
| All’s set at six and seven; | |
| We wallow in our sin, | |
| Christ cannot find a chamber in the inn. | |
| We entertain Him always like a stranger, | |
| And, as at first, still lodge Him in the manger. | 30 |
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