"'After a shivering half-hour you said, 'God help! heaven's colour, the blue;' and he said, 'hell.' Perhaps you then would roll upon your bed, "And cry to all good men that loved you well, 'Ah Christ! if only I had known, known, known;' Launcelot went away, then I could tell, "Like wisest man how all things would be, moan, And roll and hurt myself, and long to die, And yet fear much to die for what was sown. "Nevertheless you, O Sir Gauwaine, lie, Whatever may have happened through these years, God knows I speak truth, saying that you lie." Her voice was low at first, being full of tears, But as it cleared, it grew full loud and shrill, Growing a windy shriek in all men's ears, A ringing in their startled brains, until She said that Gauwaine lied, then her voice sunk, And her great eyes began again to fill, Though still she stood right up, and never shrunk, But spoke on bravely, glorious lady fair! Whatever tears her full lips may have drunk, She stood, and seemed to think, and wrung her hair, Spoke out at last with no more trace of shame, With passionate twisting of her body there: "It chanced upon a day Launcelot came To dwell at Arthur's Court; at Christmas-time This happened; when the heralds sung his name, "'Son of King Ban of Benwick,' seemed to chime Along with all the bells that rang that day, O'er the white roofs, with little change of rhyme. "Christmas and whitened winter passed away, And over me the April sunshine came, Made very awful with black hail-clouds, yea "And in the Summer I grew white with flame, And bowed my head down--Autumn, and the sick Sure knowledge things would never be the same, "However often Spring might be most thick Of blossoms and buds, smote on me, and I grew Careless of most things, let the clock tick, tick, "To my unhappy pulse, that beat right through My eager body; while I laughed out loud, And let my lips curl up at false or true, "Seemed cold and shallow without any cloud. Behold my judges, then the cloths were brought: While I was dizzied thus, old thoughts would crowd, "Belonging to the time ere I was bought By Arthur's great name and his little love, Must I give up for ever then, I thought, "That which I deemed would ever round me move Glorifying all things; for a little word, Scarce ever meant at all, must I now prove "Stone-cold for ever? Pray you, does the Lord Will that all folks should be quite happy and good? I love God now a little, if this cord "Were broken, once for all what striving could Make me love anything in earth or heaven. So day by day it grew, as if one should "Slip slowly down some path worn smooth and even, Down to a cool sea on a summer day; Yet still in slipping there was some small leaven "Of stretched hands catching small stones by the way, Until one surely reached the sea at last, And felt strange new joy as the worn head lay