Alas, my love, if I could you live And the page step forth and sit beside me Or better still, bestride the steed I you Wrapped close within the cloak I lent to hide Perhaps I'd venture to ask thy name Since while thou liest my pen That given which the poorest claim Unjustly was withheld. But if I held thee as I did ere now Stalling to my fingers through the last Of midnight tendrils, or peruse thy In fear of off what heaven cast Too for my insufficient mind To grasp the fullest and retain The presence your image left behind thou in all thy glory should remain I fear my oversight I would not For now reflection I confess That I never did intend With long or surname rich to bless But let in my imagination Run the thoughts of who perhaps you were Before your soul your creation And deigned my mind and willing to stir For a noble and impassioned face Could well be but unto this sphere But sure among a distant beauteous Thou hast known more all who dwelleth here And could tell much of places hast seen And battles fought for won and lost And how service done a faerie Queen Becomes a brighter than it cost The of your world, you may impart Desire to be over-graced Nor in the art Of living, where their were meant to taste A sort of feline they wear about them And while a flame of innocence they In dark you fear to be without them For knights of kinds are ne'er 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 their stock to lose Where no may be taken or be kept No property be granted, nor no No may be stolen while she slept Nor robbed of her to decide What suits her best. No law is needed To cut the weed of violence from the No danger for the law to go For acts as these do not occur to The gentlemen you raise are still For in their eyes, as in the depths of soft and thrilling mysteries fulfill The darkest corners of their heart's Their arrows, much those I gave to thee Could not but the flank of yonder cow Without making him laugh. 'Tis to see Them their prey. I know not how They do encapture what they eat Save perhaps their bright unfettered brains Have learned that what grows underneath their And in the above better sustains A life intent on living well But how, I ask thee, most endearing Do lords and ladies where is no sorrow No strife to overcome, no soul Of crushing ardor long out its stay, Betrothal to a less divine that who stole thy blushing breath away No hot forbidden kisses for to No affixed to age where heart is young No ill intentioned to evade? "Still madam! thou 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 hands are careworn that yet to find The hands that first should hold them. Yet to The hierarchy which you unwitting Thou dost believe love in fighting grows That in love is not befitting But in thy sadness mak'st light of woes For even were there a cloudy day No tempest to what love had bound The galley which the moon in her sway Could not but stir the it finally found The wound is deeper the sea about thee The stars upon my doublet you have May light my homeward path, but how, me Wilt thou escape the fate thou on?" And in this way and more my spoke O, fierce, savage, gentle bright Thou who I've breath my soul has broke You had but not the right I but see the lips that dare not breathe They are so and pressing sweet Could I but touch the wings that Are made so thy heart forgets to beat Perhaps I should have more for which to You came to my domain and despair For though I be the chastest alive The you speak of will not take me there Have you no Can'st thou not perceive That I, a blinded beast, had but the To see where I would love? thou believe That ere you came I was but disguise? I know the murmur of music The no human heart could comprehend I render'st thou for all torment feels And longed to be thy faithful friend Yea, quiet as a did I wait I willed to thee my form to I shivered at each horse's gait And so I slept to suddenly Alas, my love, wilt kiss me goodbye? The lingering night will aid thee on thy craft but one thing more, a crow to fly Before to 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 you know The I become, thou art the stronger And in your antique your clear intent Was that once art gone I should dismay Quothe thee, "Your thought me, for I meant To leave not but offerest to stay. For true, I never did in my own Partake of that pure love of which I told But be my guide and me at the helm And I shall, in the cloak you wrought, thee And journey to the ends of all the For thou hast more generous and wise all we faeries, moons and stars are worth For live we not but living in eyes." nameless knight, if thou would'st be mine own And leave thy for a while thou may'st Find in these arms within thou hast grown A better than the which thou say'st But with your hand you pointeth; I so And 'tis not plain to me, I did draw it way thou 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 do if one were asked to choose 'Tween and forwards. Be thee friend or lover Perhaps you were to be my favorite Thou feel'st thy fight but when you must Thou see'st the blade of below thy knee Use arrows against all you mistrust But when thou my way, aim one at me world is yours as ere it was before Your time beneath my busy hand spent I've made a thing I love; I ask no And never shall the heart I lent Me in my world and in thine Two petals on the and silent flower And evermore I'll welcome thee in Your dear creation was my hour