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The Defence of Guenevere, and Other Poems. Repr
The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems Repr Author:William Morris General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1903 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: OLD LOVE YOU must be very old, Sir Giles, I said ; he said : Yea, very old ! Whereat the mournfullest of smiles Creased his dry skin with many a fold. They hammer'd out my basnet point Into a round salade, he said, The basnet being quite out of joint, Natheless the salade rasps my head. He gazed at the great fire awhile: And you are getting old, Sir John ; (He said this with that cunning smile That was most sad) we both wear on ; Knights come to court and look at me, With eyebrows up ; except my lord, And my dear lady, none I see That know the ways of my old sword. (My lady! at that word no pang Stopp'd all my blood). But tell me, John, Is it quite true that Pagans hang So thick about the east, that on The eastern sea no Venice flag Can fly unpaid for ? True, I said, And in such way the miscreants drag Christ's cross upon the ground, I dread That Constantine must fall this year. Within my heart, these things are small; This is not small, that things outwear I thought were made for ever, yea, all, All things go soon or late, I said. I saw the duke in court next day ; Just as before, his grand great head Above his gold robes dreaming lay, Only his face was paler ; there I saw his duchess sit by him ; And she, she was changed more; her hair Before my eyes that used to swim, And make me dizzy with great bliss Once, when I used to watch her sit, Her hair is bright still, yet it is As though some dust were thrown on it. Her eyes are shallower, as though Some grey glass were behind ; her brow And cheeks the straining bones show through. Are not so ...« less