10 "O Alice, 'twas all for thy locks so bright, "Now must I teach to hew the beech The hand that held the glave, 15 For leaves to spread our lowly bed, And stakes to fence our cave. 20 "And for vest of pall, thy fingers small, That wont on harp to stray, A cloak must shear from the slaughter'd deer, "O Richard! if my brother died, 25 "If pall and vair no more I wear, Nor thou the crimson sheen, 30 As warm, we'll say, is the russet grey, "And, Richard, if our lot be hard, And lost thy native land, Still Alice has her own Richard, And he his Alice Brand." XIII. 'Tis merry, 'tis merry, in good greenwood, 35 On the beech's pride, and oak's brown side, Lord Richard's axe is ringing. 40 Up spoke the moody Elfin King, Who won'd within the hill, Like wind in the porch of a ruin'd church, "Why sounds yon stroke on beech and oak, Or who comes here to chase the deer, 45 Or who may dare on wold to wear 50 "Up, Urgan, up! to yon mortal hie, "Lay on him the curse of the wither'd heart, Till he wish and pray that his life would part, XIV. 55 'Tis merry, 'tis merry, in good greenwood, 60 65 Up Urgan starts, that hideous dwarf, But out then spoke she, Alice Brand, "Now loud thou liest, thou bold of mood! It cleaves unto his hand, 70 The stain of thine own kindly blood, The blood of Ethert Brand." 75 Then forward stepp'd she, Alice Brand, "And if there's blood on Richard's hand, "And I conjure thee, Demon elf, XV. 80 ""Tis merry, 'tis merry, in Fairy-lanů, When fairy birds are singing, 85 When the court doth ride by their monarch's side, "And gaily shines the Fairy-land But all is glistening show, Like the idle gleam that December's beam Can dart on ice and snow. "And fading, like that varied gleam, Is our inconstant shape, 90 Who now like knight and lady seem, And now like dwarf and ape. "It was between the night and day, When the Fairy King has power, That I sunk down in a sinful fray, 95 And, 'twixt life and death, was snatch'd away, To the joyless Elfin bower. 100 "But wist I of a woman bold, Who thrice my brow durst sign, She cross'd him once-she cross'd him twice- The fouler grew his goblin hue, The darker grew the cave. 105 She cross'd him thrice, that lady bold; He rose beneath her hand 110 10 The fairest knight on Scottish mold, Merry it is in good greenwood, When the mavis and merle are singing, But merrier were they in Dunfermeline gray When all the bells were ringing. EDMUND'S SONG (From Rokeby, 1812) CANTO III. XVI. O, Brignall banks are wild and fair, 5 And as I rode by Dalton-hall, A Maiden on the castle wall CHORUS "O, Brignall banks are fresh and fair, I'd rather rove with Edmund there, Than reign our English queen." "If, maiden, thou wouldst wend with me, To leave both tower and town, 15 Thou first must guess what life lead we, That dwell by dale and down? 20 And if thou canst that riddle read, Then to the greenwood shalt thou speed, CHORUS Yet sung she, "Brignall banks are fair, 25 "I read you, by your bugle-horn, And by your palfrey good, 30 I read you for a Ranger sworn, His blast is heard at merry morn, CHORUS Yet sung she, “Brignall banks are fair, 35 I would I were with Edmund there, 40 "With burnish'd brand and musketoon, So gallantly you come, I read you for a bold dragoon, That lists the tuck of drum." |