Alas, my love, if I make you live And from the page step and sit beside me Or still, bestride the steed I gave you Wrapped close within the cloak I to hide thee Perhaps I'd venture forth to ask thy while thou liest underneath my pen That honour given which the poorest was withheld. But if again I held thee as I did ere now Stalling to pass my fingers the last Of tendrils, or peruse thy brow In fear of sending off what heaven Too for my insufficient mind To the fullest detail and retain The that your image left behind That thou in all thy should remain I my oversight I would not mend For now upon I confess That secretly I never did With title long or surname to bless But rather let in my Run wild the of who perhaps you were Before your soul demanded your And deigned my mind and heart to stir For such a and impassioned face well be but newborn unto this sphere But among a distant beauteous race Thou hast known more than all who here And could tell much of places thou hast And battles for honours won and lost And how each service a faerie Queen Becomes a jewel than it cost The ladies of world, you may impart Desire to be over-graced Nor in the art Of living, where their lips were meant to A sort of feline stealth they wear about And while a flame of innocence hold In dark you fear to be without them For knights of maler are ne'er so bold Yes, in thy orb a maid may be a (Thou knew'st a would make upon this news) Without a whisper loud or slight For are not afeared their stock to lose no stock 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 suits her best. No county's law is needed To cut the weed of violence from the No for the law to go unheeded For acts as these do not occur to The gentlemen you raise are rarer For in their eyes, as in the depths of Such soft and mysteries fulfill The corners of their heart's design Their arrows, much like those I gave to not but graze the flank of yonder cow Without making him laugh. much to see tickling their prey. I know not how They ever do what they eat Save that perhaps their bright unfettered Have learned what grows underneath their feet And in the trees above sustains A life intent on living well But how, I ask thee, endearing fiend Do lords and ladies love where is no No strife to overcome, no soul Of crushing long worn out its stay, Betrothal to a less divine Than that who stole thy breath away No hot forbidden for to pine No heart affixed to age heart is young No ill intentioned suitors to "Still madam! thou kindly hold thy tongue!" Thou sayest. "Your has rash been made In long in combat with your kind Thou no other obstacle but these Thy are careworn that have yet to find The hands that first hold them. Yet to please The hierarchy which you unwitting Thou dost believe that love in fighting That in love is not befitting But in thy thou mak'st light of woes For even there ne'er a cloudy day No tempest to divide love had bound The galley the moon holds in her sway not but stir the peace it finally found The is deeper than the sea about thee The stars upon my doublet you drawn May light my homeward path, but how, me Wilt escape the fate thou tremblest on?" And in this way and more my paper O, fierce, savage, gentle beauty Thou who I've breath my soul has broke You had authority but not the Could I but see the that dare not breathe They are so and pressing sweet Could I but touch the wings underneath Are made so soft thy heart forgets to Perhaps I should have for which to strive You came to my domain and brought For though I be the chastest heart The realm you speak of not take me there Have you no pity? Can'st thou not I, a blinded beast, had but the eyes To see where I would love? thou believe That ere you came I was but disguise? I know the murmur of reveals The things no human could comprehend I render'st thou for all torment feels And longed to be thy lordship's faithful Yea, as a mushroom did I wait I willed to my form to overtake I shivered at passing horse's gait And so I to suddenly awake Alas, my love, wilt thou me goodbye? The lingering night will aid thee on thy I'll craft but one thing more, a to fly to tell me how thy tale unravels I say, thou art complete and to go What holds thee here save one who lives no For I have given thee the life you The weaker I become, art the stronger And in antique words 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 of which I told thee But be my guide and me at the helm And I shall, in the you wrought, enfold thee And journey to the of all the earth For thou hast proved more generous and all we faeries, moons and stars are worth For live we not but in your eyes." Dear knight, if thou would'st be mine own And leave thy for a while thou may'st Find in these within which thou hast grown A reason than the which thou say'st But with hand you pointeth; swear I so And 'tis not plain to me, though I did it way thou dost intend for us to go Sure in the it is of she who saw it Yet still perhaps I made to discover What one would do if one were to choose 'Tween back and forwards. Be thee or lover Perhaps you were to be my muse feel'st thy armor; fight but when you must Thou the blade of truth below thy knee Use arrows all whom you mistrust But thou ride'st my way, aim one at me Your world is yours as ere it was Your beneath my busy hand well spent I've made a I love; I ask no more And never shall the heart I lent Me in my world and in thine Two petals on the and silent flower And evermore welcome thee in mine Your dear was my finest hour