Alas, my love, if I could you live And from the page forth and sit beside me Or better still, bestride the I gave you Wrapped within the cloak I lent to hide thee Perhaps I'd venture forth to ask thy Since while thou liest my pen honour given which the poorest claim Unjustly was withheld. But if I held captive as I did ere now Stalling to pass my fingers the last Of midnight tendrils, or peruse thy In fear of off what heaven cast Too for my insufficient mind To grasp the detail and retain The presence that your left behind That in all thy glory should remain I fear my oversight I not mend For now upon I confess secretly I never did intend With title long or surname to bless But let in my imagination Run wild the thoughts of who perhaps you Before soul demanded your creation And deigned my and willing heart to stir For such a noble and impassioned well be but newborn unto this sphere But sure among a distant race hast known more than all who dwelleth here And could tell much of places thou seen And battles for honours won and lost And how each service done a faerie Becomes a brighter jewel than it The ladies of your world, you may Desire to be over-graced Nor in the art Of living, where their lips were meant to A sort of feline stealth they wear them And while a of innocence they hold In forests you fear to be without them For knights of maler kinds are so bold Yes, in thy orb a may be a knight (Thou knew'st a would make upon this news) Without a whisper or censure slight For lords are not afeared stock to lose Where no stock may be taken or be No property be granted, nor no No maiden may be stolen she slept Nor robbed of her freedom to What suits her best. No county's law is To cut the of violence from the stem No for the law to go unheeded For acts as these do not occur to The gentlemen you raise are rarer For in eyes, as in the depths of thine Such soft and thrilling mysteries The darkest corners of their design Their arrows, much like those I gave to not but graze the flank of yonder cow Without making him laugh. much to see Them their prey. I know not how They do encapture what they eat Save that perhaps their bright brains Have learned that what grows underneath feet And in the trees above better A intent on living well tomorrow But how, I ask thee, endearing fiend Do lords and love where is no sorrow No strife to overcome, no soul Of ardor long worn out its stay, Betrothal to a mortal divine that who stole thy blushing breath away No hot kisses for to pine No heart affixed to age where heart is No ill suitors to evade? "Still madam! Would'st kindly hold thy tongue!" Thou sayest. "Your mistake has rash been In living long in combat with your Thou see'st no obstacle but these Thy are careworn that have yet to find The hands first should hold them. Yet to please The hierarchy which you unwitting Thou dost that love in fighting grows happiness in love is not befitting But in thy sadness thou mak'st light of For even there ne'er a cloudy day No to divide what love had bound The galley the moon holds in her sway not but stir the peace it finally found The wound is deeper the sea about thee The upon my doublet you have drawn May my homeward path, but how, without me Wilt thou escape the fate thou on?" And in way and more my paper spoke O, fierce, savage, beauty bright Thou who I've given breath my has broke You had authority but not the Could I but see the lips dare not breathe They are so beautiful and pressing Could I but the wings that underneath Are so soft thy heart forgets to beat Perhaps I should have for which to strive You came to my domain and despair For I be the chastest heart alive The you speak of will not take me there Have you no pity? Can'st not perceive That I, a beast, had but the eyes To see I would love? Dost thou believe That ere you I was but vain disguise? I know the of music reveals The things no heart could comprehend I render'st thou for all torment feels And longed to be thy lordship's friend Yea, as a mushroom did I wait I willed to my form to overtake I shivered at each passing horse's And so I to suddenly awake Alas, my love, wilt kiss me goodbye? The lingering night will aid thee on thy I'll craft but one more, a crow to fly to tell me how thy tale unravels I say, thou art and free to go What holds thee here save one who no longer? For I have given thee the life you The weaker I become, art the stronger And in your antique words clear intent Was that once thou art gone I should Quothe thee, "Your thought me, for I meant To leave thee not but to stay. For true, I never did in my own Partake of that love of which I told thee But be my guide and me at the helm And I shall, in the cloak you wrought, enfold And to the ends of all the earth For thou hast proved generous and wise all we faeries, moons and stars are worth For we not but living in your eyes." Dear nameless knight, if would'st be mine own And leave thy dragons for a while thou Find in these arms which thou hast grown A better reason than the which say'st But with your hand you swear I so And 'tis not to me, though I did draw it Which way dost intend for us to go Sure in the it is of she who saw it Yet still I made thee to discover What one would do if one were asked to 'Tween back and forwards. Be thee or lover Perhaps you to be my favorite muse feel'st thy armor; fight but when you must Thou see'st the blade of truth below thy Use against all whom you mistrust But when thou my way, aim one at me Your world is yours as ere it was Your time beneath my busy hand well I've made a I love; I ask no more And never shall redeem the heart I Me in my and thyself in thine Two petals on the same and flower And evermore I'll thee in mine Your dear creation was my finest