The Defence of Guenevere and Other PoemsMorris, William
General
The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems
Morris, William
Arthurian romances -- Adaptations; English poetry -- 19th century
God pity me though, if I miss'd
The telling, how along her wrist
The veins creep, dying languidly
_Beata mea Domina!_
Inside her tender palm and thin.
Now give me pardon, dear, wherein
My voice is weak and vexes thee.
_Beata mea Domina!_
All men that see her any time,
I charge you straightly in this rhyme,
What, and wherever you may be,
_Beata mea Domina!_
To kneel before her; as for me,
I choke and grow quite faint to see
My lady moving graciously.
_Beata mea Domina!_
SUMMER DAWN
Pray but one prayer for me 'twixt thy closed lips;
Think but one thought of me up in the stars.
The summer night waneth, the morning light slips,
Faint and grey 'twixt the leaves of the aspen, betwixt the
cloud-bars,
That are patiently waiting there for the dawn:
Patient and colourless, though Heaven's gold
Waits to float through them along with the sun.
Far out in the meadows, above the young corn,
The heavy elms wait, and restless and cold
The uneasy wind rises; the roses are dun;
They pray the long gloom through for daylight new born,
Round the lone house in the midst of the corn.
Speak but one word to me over the corn,
Over the tender, bow'd locks of the corn.
IN PRISON
Wearily, drearily,
Half the day long,
Flap the great banners
High over the stone;
Strangely and eerily
Sounds the wind's song,
Bending the banner-poles.
While, all alone,
Watching the loophole's spark,
Lie I, with life all dark,
Feet tether'd, hands fetter'd
Fast to the stone,
The grim walls, square letter'd
With prison'd men's groan.
Still strain the banner-poles
Through the wind's song,
Westward the banner rolls
Over my wrong.
THE END
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
Edinburgh & London
Transcriber's Note
Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without
note, whilst archaic spellings have been retained.
Many single- and double-quotation marks were omitted in the original
publication. Logical corrections, made from this text alone, would
only compound any discrepancies and therefore such punctuation
remains as printed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account