Oh, the little birds sang east, and the little birds sang west-- _Toll slowly._ On the tower the castle"s lord leant in silence on his sword, With an anguish in his breast.
XL.
With a spirit-laden weight did he lean down pa.s.sionate: _Toll slowly._ They have almost sapped the wall,--they will enter therewithal With no knocking at the gate.
XLI.
Then the sword he leant upon, shivered, snapped upon the stone-- _Toll slowly._ "Sword," he thought, with inward laugh, "ill thou servest for a staff When thy n.o.bler use is done!
XLII.
"Sword, thy n.o.bler use is done! tower is lost, and shame begun!"-- _Toll slowly._ "If we met them in the breach, hilt to hilt or speech to speech, We should die there, each for one.
XLIII.
"If we met them at the wall, we should singly, vainly fall"-- _Toll slowly._ "But if _I_ die here alone,--then I die who am but one, And die n.o.bly for them all.
XLIV.
"Five true friends lie for my sake in the moat and in the brake"-- _Toll slowly._ "Thirteen warriors lie at rest with a black wound in the breast, And not one of these will wake.
XLV.
"So, no more of this shall be! heart-blood weighs too heavily"-- _Toll slowly._ "And I could not sleep in grave, with the faithful and the brave Heaped around and over me.
XLVI.
"Since young Clare a mother hath, and young Ralph a plighted faith"-- _Toll slowly._ "Since my pale young sister"s cheeks blush like rose when Ronald speaks, Albeit never a word she saith--
XLVII.
"These shall never die for me: life-blood falls too heavily": _Toll slowly._ "And if _I_ die here apart, o"er my dead and silent heart They shall pa.s.s out safe and free.
XLVIII.
"When the foe hath heard it said--"Death holds Guy of Linteged""-- _Toll slowly._ "That new corse new peace shall bring, and a blessed, blessed thing Shall the stone be at its head.
XLIX.
"Then my friends shall pa.s.s out free, and shall bear my memory"-- _Toll slowly._ "Then my foes shall sleek their pride, soothing fair my widowed bride Whose sole sin was love of me:
L.
"With their words all smooth and sweet, they will front her and entreat"-- _Toll slowly._ "And their purple pall will spread underneath her fainting head While her tears drop over it.
LI.
"She will weep her woman"s tears, she will pray her woman"s prayers"-- _Toll slowly._ "But her heart is young in pain, and her hopes will spring again By the suntime of her years.
LII.
"Ah, sweet May! ah, sweetest grief!--once I vowed thee my belief"-- _Toll slowly_-- "That thy name expressed thy sweetness,--May of poets, in completeness!
Now my May-day seemeth brief."
LIII.
All these silent thoughts did swim o"er his eyes grown strange and dim-- _Toll slowly._ Till his true men, in the place, wished they stood there face to face With the foe instead of him.
LIV.
"One last oath, my friends that wear faithful hearts to do and dare!"
_Toll slowly._ "Tower must fall and bride be lost--swear me service worth the cost!"
Bold they stood around to swear.
LV.
"Each man clasp my hand and swear by the deed we failed in there"-- _Toll slowly._ "Not for vengeance, not for right, will ye strike one blow to-night!"
Pale they stood around to swear.
LVI.
"One last boon, young Ralph and Clare! faithful hearts to do and dare!"
_Toll slowly._ "Bring that steed up from his stall, which she kissed before you all.
Guide him up the turret-stair.
LVII.
"Ye shall harness him aright, and lead upward to this height:"
_Toll slowly._ "Once in love and twice in war hath he borne me strong and far: He shall bear me far to-night."
LVIII.
Then his men looked to and fro, when they heard him speaking so-- _Toll slowly._ ""Las! the n.o.ble heart," they thought, "he in sooth is grief- distraught: Would we stood here with the foe!"
LIX.
But a fire flashed from his eye, "twixt their thought and their reply-- _Toll slowly._ "Have ye so much time to waste? We who ride here, must ride fast As we wish our foes to fly."
LX.
They have fetched the steed with care, in the harness he did wear-- _Toll slowly._ Past the court and through the doors, across the rushes of the floors, But they goad him up the stair.
LXI.
Then from out her bower chambere did the d.u.c.h.ess May repair: _Toll slowly._ "Tell me now what is your need," said the lady, "of this steed, That ye goad him up the stair?"
LXII.
Calm she stood; unbodkined through, fell her dark hair to her shoe: _Toll slowly._ And the smile upon her face, ere she left the tiring-gla.s.s, Had not time enough to go.