Here we have the suggestion of emotions known to us all, when looking into a beautiful sunset sky in which there appeared to be landscapes of gold and purple and other wonderful colours, like some glimpse of a heavenly world. Notice the double suggestion of this verse. The knight, having bidden the Queen good-bye, is riding home, looking, as he rides, into the sunset and over the same plain where he must fight to-morrow. Looking, he sees such landscapes--strangely beautiful, more beautiful than anything in the real world. Then he thinks that heaven might be like that. At the same time he has a premonition that he is going to be killed the next day, and this thought comes to him: "Perhaps I shall ride into that heaven to-morrow." Next day till dark the women pray'd; Nor any might know there How the fight went; the Queen has bade That there do come to her No messenger. The Queen is pale, her maidens ail; And to the organ-tones They sing but faintly, who sang well The matin-orisons, The lauds and nones. _Orison_ means a prayer; _matin_ has the same meaning as the French word, spelled in the same way, for morning. Matin-orisons are morning prayers, but special prayers belonging to the ancient church services are intended; these prayers are still called matins. _Lauds_ is also the name of special prayers of the Roman morning service; the word properly means "praises." _Nones_ is the name of a third special kind of prayers, intended to be repeated or sung at the ninth hour of the morning--hence, nones. Lo, Father, is thine ear inclin'd, And hath thine angel pass'd? For these thy watchers now are blind With vigil, and at last Dizzy with fast. Weak now to them the voice o' the priest As any trance affords; And when each anthem failed and ceas'd, It seemed that the last chords Still sang the words. By _Father_ is here meant God--probably in the person of Christ. To incline the ear means to listen. When this expression is used of God it always means listening to prayer. In the second line angel has the double signification of spirit and messenger, but especially the latter. Why is the expression "at last" used here? It was the custom when making special prayer both to remain without sleep, which was called "keeping vigil" or watch, and to remain without food, or "to fast." The evening has come and the women have not eaten anything all day. At first they were too anxious to feel hungry, but _at last_ as the night advances, they become too weak. "Oh, what is the light that shines so red? 'Tis long since the sun set"; Quoth the youngest to the eldest maid: "'Twas dim but now, and yet The light is great."