Playful Poems | Page 8

holdeth he dalliance.
3.
"Say somewhat now, since other folks have said;
Tell us a tale o'
mirth, and that anon."
"Host," quoth I then, "be not so far misled,


For other tales except this know I none;
A little rime I learned in
years agone."
"Ah! that is well," quoth he; "now we shall hear

Some dainty thing, methinketh, by thy cheer."
THE RIME OF SIR THOPAS.
FYTTE THE FIRST. {30}
1.
Listen, lordlings, in good intent,
And I will tell you verament

Of mirth and chivalry,
About a knight on glory bent,
In battle and
in tournament;
Sir Thopas named was he.
2.
And he was born in a far countrey,
In Flanders, all beyond the
sea,
At Popering in the place;
His father was a man full free,
And
of that country lord was he,
Enjoyed by holy grace.
3.
Sir Thopas was a doughty swain,
Fair was his face as pain de
Maine,
His lips were red as rose;
His ruddy cheeks like scarlet grain;

And I tell you in good certaine,
He had a seemly nose.
4.
His hair and beard like saffron shone,
And to his girdle fell
adown;
His shoes of leather bright;
Of Bruges were his hose so
brown,
His robe it was of ciclatoun -
He was a costly wight:
5.
Well could he hunt the strong wild deer,
And ride a hawking for
his cheer
With grey goshawk on hand;
His archery filled the woods
with fear,
In wrestling eke he had no peer, -
No man 'gainst him
could stand.
6.
Full many a maiden bright in bower
Was sighing for him par
amour
Between her prayers and sleep,
But he was chaste, beyond
their power,
And sweet as is the bramble flower
That beareth the
red hip.
7.
And so it fell upon a day,
Forsooth, as I now sing and say,
Sir

Thopas went to ride;
He rode upon his courser grey,
And in his
hand a lance so gay,
A long sword by his side.
8.
He rode along a forest fair,
Many a wild beast dwelling there;

(Mercy in heaven defend!)
And there was also buck and hare;
And
as he went, he very near
Met with a sorry end.
9.
And herbs sprang up, or creeping ran;
The liquorice, and valerian,

Clove-gillyflowers, sun-dressed;
And nutmeg, good to put in ale,

Whether it be moist or stale, -
Or to lay sweet in chest,
10.
The birds all sang, as tho' 'twere May;
The spearhawk, and the
popinjay, {32}
It was a joy to hear;
The throstle cock made eke his
lay,
The wood-dove sung upon the spray,
With note full loud and
clear.
11.
Sir Thopas fell in love-longing
All when he heard the throstle
sing,
And spurred his horse like mad,
So that all o'er the blood did
spring,
And eke the white foam you might wring:
The steed in foam
seemed clad.
12.
Sir Thopas eke so weary was
Of riding on the fine soft grass,

While love burnt in his breast,
That down he laid him in that place

To give his courser some solace,
Some forage and some rest.
13.
Saint Mary! benedicite!
What meaneth all this love in me,

That haunts me in the wood?
This night, in dreaming, did I see
An
elf queen shall my true love be,
And sleep beneath my hood.
14.
An elf queen will I love, I wis,
For in this world no woman is

Worthy to be my bride;

All other damsels I forsake,
And to an elf
queen will I take,
By grove and streamlet's side.
15.
Into his saddle be clomb anon,
And pricketh over stile and stone,

An elf queen to espy;
Till he so long had ridden and gone,
That

he at last upon a morn
The fairy land came nigh.
16.
Therein he sought both far and near,
And oft he spied in
daylight clear
Through many a forest wild;
But in that wondrous
land I ween,
No living wight by him was seen,
Nor woman, man,
nor child.
17.
At last there came a giant gaunt,
And he was named Sir
Oliphaunt,
A perilous man of deed:
And he said, "Childe, by
Termagaunt,
If thou ride not from this my haunt,
Soon will I slay
thy steed
With this victorious mace;
For here's the lovely Queen of
Faery,
With harp and pipe and symphony,
A-dwelling in this
place."
18.
Childe Thopas said right haughtily,
"To-morrow will I combat
thee
In armour bright as flower;
And then I promise 'par ma fay'

That thou shalt feel this javelin gay,
And dread its wondrous power.

To-morrow we shall meet again,
And I will pierce thee, if I may,

Upon the golden prime of day; -
And here you shall be slain."
19.
Sir Thopas drew aback full fast;
The giant at him huge stones
cast,
Which from a staff-sling fly;
But well escaped the Childe
Thopas,
And it was all through God's good grace,
And through his
bearing high.
20.
Still listen, gentles, to my tale,
Merrier than the nightingale; -

For now I must relate,
How that Sir Thopas rideth o'er
Hill and dale
and bright sea-shore,
E'en to his own estate.
21.
His merry men commandeth he

To make for him the game and
glee;
For needs he must soon fight
With a giant fierce, with strong
heads three,
For paramour and jollity,
And chivalry so bright.
22.
"Come forth," said he, "my minstrels fair,
And tell me tales
right debonair,
While I am clad and armed;
Romances, full of real

tales,
Of dames, and popes, and cardinals,
And maids by wizards
charmed."
23.
They bore to