Page images
PDF
EPUB

And who had Canace to wife,
That owned the virtuous ring and glass,
And of the wondrous horse of brass,

On which the Tartar King did ride.

The king of Araby sends to Cambuscan, king of Sarra, a horse and a sword of magic quality, and also to his daughter Canace, a magic glass and a ring. Mr. Urry says, much of this tale is either lost, or else it was never finished by Chaucer.

THE BRASS STEED.

And so befell, that after the third course,
While that this king sat thus in his array,
Hearing his minstrels and his harpers play
Before him at his board deliciously,
In at the hall-door lo! all suddenly
There came a knight upon a steed of brass,
That in his hand a mirror held of glass ;
Upon his thumb he had a golden ring,
And by his side a naked sword hanging ;
And up he rideth to the royal board.
In all the hall there was not spoke a word
For marvel of this knight. Him to behold
Full busily they waited, young and old.

This strange knight that appeared thus suddenly
All armed except his head, full gorgeously,
Saluteth king and queen, and nobles all,
In order as they sat within the hall,
With so high reverence and regardfulness,
Both in his word, and in his whole address
That Gawain's self, with his old courtesy,
Had left Fairy-Land, and stood thereby,
Had not improv'd him in a single thing:

And after this, straight looking at the king,
His message with a manly voice he spoke,
After the form belonging to his folk,
With not a fault of syllable or letter ;

And that his meaning might be felt the better
His cheer was suited to his words; as teach
Those learned wits, that ken the art of speech.
I may not tell it as he did: my strain
Is far too weak such rhetoric to attain.
Yet to repeat it, in a common way,

As shewing what at large he meant to say,
Thus much will I attempt to call to mind :

"My lord the king of Araby and Ind, My sovereign master, on this solemn day Saluteth you, as he best can and may, And sendeth you in honor of your feast

By me, your ready servant, though your least,
This steed of brass; which well, as in this hall,
Can in the space of a day natural,

That is to say, in four-and-twenty hours,
Where'er you list, in sunshine or in showers,
Carry your body into every place

In which it please you shew your sovereign face,
Nor stain you with a speck, through foul or fair;
Or if you list to sail as high in air

As doth an eagle, when he wills to soar,

This same good steed shall bear you evermore
Without a peril, (though you take no keep
Of bridle as ye go; nay sit and sleep ;)
Then turn again with writhing of a pin.
He, Sir, that made it, knew all arts herein,
And waited upon many a constellation,
While patiently he worked his operation,
And knew full many a seal, and many a bond.

THE MAGIC GLASS.

"This glass I hold, clear as a diamond, Hath such a power, that in it men may see When there shall happen any adversity Unto your reign, or to yourself; and know, By very sight, who is your friend or foe; And more than this, if any lady bright Have set her heart on any thankless knight And he be false, here shall the lady see His new love, and his thorough subtlety, So plain and clear, that nothing he shall hide."

THE RING.

"Wherefore against this lusty summer-tide, This glass, and this ring also, my lord, he Hath sent unto my lady Canace,

Your excellent daughter that is here;-a thing So virtuous, this simple-seeming ring,

That let her bear it, either on her hand,

Or in her purse, and she shall understand
The tongue and speech of every fowl that flies,
And answer him in his own birdly wise.
Also each herb that groweth shall she read,
And whom it may avail, though that he bleed
From dreadful wounds, never so deep and wide."

THE SWORD:

"This naked sword that hangeth by my side Such virtue hath, that whomsoe'er it smite, Clean through his armor will it carve and bite, Were it as thick as is a branched oak; And whosoe'er is wounded with the stroke, Shall never be whole man, till of your grace

It please you stroke him in the wounded place

With the flat side. The wound will then be closed.
All this is truth, Sir; nothing have I glozed.

Nor while 'tis held in hand, will the sword fail."

The knight having told his tale, alighting doffs his armor for a vest, and takes a seat as an honored guest, leaving the steed, which shone like the sun, standing in the court to the admiration and astonishment of the lords and ladies. He is governed by the trilling of a pin:

This horse anon began to trip and dance,
Soon as the knight laid hand upon the rein,
Who said, "There is no more, Sir, to explain,
Or bear in mind when we two speak alone;
Than trill a pin here, as shall then be shown;
Yet also you must name your journey's end;
Likewise must bid him when you please, descend,
And trill another pin, and then will he
Go down where'er you please full easily,
And rest, whate'er betide him, in the spot,
Though all the world be sworn that he shall not.
Trill yet this other pin, and in a wink

Vanish will he, whither, no soul may think;
And yet return, be it by day or night,

The moment he is call'd, as swift as light

Ride where you list, there's no more need be done."

When thus the king his lesson had begun,
And furthermore, when whispering with the knight,
He knew the thing and its whole form aright,
Full glad was he; then turning with his train
Repaired him to his mirth yet once again.
The bridle to a tow'r is borne, and there
Laid up among the jewels, rich and rare ;

The horse has vanish'd, I may not tell how;
And I myself awhile must vanish now,
Leaving this Cambuscan, this noble king,
Feasting his lords till day was nigh to spring.

THE FALCON'S COMPLAINT.

Though male and female animals in general were accustomed to speak of one another as men and women in the pictures of former days, yet it is perhaps to be gathered, from the length to which this license is carried in the one before us-especially in the remarkable and sorrowful use of the simile about the bird -that the falcon was a human being, in a temporary state of metamorphosis ;a circumstance very common in tales of the East. LEIGH HUNT.

"Well was I born," quoth she; "alas the day! And foster'd in a rock of marble grey

So tenderly that nothing ail'd me long ;

I knew not what misfortune was, nor wrong,
Till I could flee, under the heavens full high.

"There dwelt a tiercelet in the place, hard by,
Who seem'd a well of very crystal truth,
All were he deep in every fault of youth.
He wrapped it all so close in humble cheer,
And had a way so purely sweet and clear,
And was so pleasant, and so busy kind,
No traitor could have guess'd his traitorous mind.
Full deep in grain he dyed his pleasing powers;
Yea, as the serpent hideth under flowers

Till such time as the bite proclaimeth it,
Right so this god of love's own hypocrite

Put forth all sweets that make the shows of love:
And as on tombstones all is fair above,

But under is the corpse, such as ye wot.
Such was this hypocrite, so fair, yet not;

And in this wise he fashioned his intent,

That, save the fiend, none dreamed of what he meant,

And serv'd, and wept, and plain'd, and spoke of death,

« PreviousContinue »