When in the wailful winds of autumn tide
This maiden sought her love in jeopardy,
What thing then met she in her hasty ride
Bodeful of evil and calamity?
Sith never yet came evil without sign,
If to the eye be given that to see,
Though love and hope but little can divine.
— Upon a thorn a corby black of blee
She saw, who turned about his curious eyne:
Full big he sat upon the little tree,
Balancing in the wind his heavy form:
But, on her coming, flew off heavily
— Far flew he down the thickness of the storm,
And she his look no more in memory held,
But most of her long voyage did perform:
When, lo, another thing that she beheld!
Which was a stake new planted in the ground,
Or else a tree whose boughs the axe had felled:
On whose smooth top that bird a perch had found,
Which to maintain his mighty wings he waved,
Till she drew nigh, when them to flight he wound,
Losing by wings what he by wings had saved
Then wonder rose in her, and shaking doubt,
While down the wind slow went the bird depraved
Now she beholds the castle square and stout
Wherein Sir Mano lay — her journey's end;
And still that fowl afar the air did flout:
But when she took it in her eyelids' bend,
He vanished from her sight with darkest note:
And the strong castle gan his mass protend
High were the walls in view, and broad the moat,
And many towers on either flank she sees
Whose flags upon the tossed sky wave and float
The leaden roofs arose like terraces
Behind the battlements; and many knights
Were moving in those airy galleries
And when she came more close beneath their heights,
With warning of her coming even then
The trumpet sounded in the armed sites.
But the awakened tumult ceased again,
As through the crowded gate anon she passed,
And lodge, which swarmed with idle laughing men
She entered thus into the courtyard vast,
And for the captive Mano did require,
Whom soon she found in lonely dungeon cast,
(The way being opened at her fierce desire,)
And on her knees she flung herself beside
The enchained knight, with heart and eyes of fire;
Being all amazed, but not yet terrified
To see him in such case. " Mano, " she said,
" Why dost thou yet in prison's dark abide?
" Hath then the messenger so idly sped,
Bearing thy pardon and thy life to thee,
To raise thee from this floor to honour's head?
" Then first am I (as fitteth in love's gre)
To tell thee of the dawning happy day
That lifts thee up. " — " Joanna, " answered he,
" Nothing know I of that thou seemest to say:
But now, thy face to see, thy hand to press,
Drives questioning with misery away:
" And all my heart is filled with happiness
For so I love thee that I seem ere now
Not to have loved before. " — " Nevertheless, "
So answered she with tears, " answer me thou
That which I ask, ere I that love shall tell
Which holds me wholly, and to thee avow:
" For dreadful fear in me begins to dwell,
Seeing thee thus, who thought to find thee free. "
— " I only know that from this darksome cell, "
He answered, " doom to-morrow carries me:
And sad it seemed, before thy lovely face
Made darkness light, and prison liberty! "
Then she in agony began to trace
of Gerbert's actions all the history,
Since she at first in Rouen sought his grace: —
How she before him laid her misery,
In hope that he to Mano would declare
And make it known: ( " No whit of this, " quoth he,
" Ere this dear moment ever reached mine ear. " )
How then he sent her into nunnery,
Where long the time she lingered in despair
Till his own death; what thence there came to be, —
The unsealed writing, the Archbishop's share,
Her journey hither made in secrecy,
To find him free from peril and from care. —
All this with gasps, and twisted hands she told:
Such pain such tender bosom ill might bear.
Then Mano said, " For what thou dost unfold,
Oh more than sister, loved and honoured more,
Concerning Gerbert, I my speech withhold;
" (For he is dead, and was my friend of yore)
But little hope I from my brother new;
He has deceived thee, or this prison door
" Would never hold me now if he were true.
Therefore in thy sweet converse let me live
Tenfold the hours that still to life are due. "
Hereat Joanna a great cry did give,
And sprang from him: in haste was she to go
And from the castellan demand reprieve,
Ere the next morning brought the instant blow
But Mano stayed her: " Sweet Joanna, stay.
Hear yet the sequel which I shall bestow:
" Diantha, Thurold's child, shares my sad day,
Caught in the pagan weald along with me:
She who from Richard's court did whilom stray
" Her have I yet in charge to Italy
To render back: whereto an oath I sware,
And, seeking her, fell in this jeopardy
" If therefore thou canst aught, be it for her:
Set her in freedom, let her home retire.
But if thou canst no way to safety steer,
" Because the fire is bitter (yea, the fire,
As I must say, for both of us decreed)
Give her this poisoned ring at my desire,
" Which well shall serve her at the utmost need.
I had it from a man, a forester,
Found dying in the woods from savage deed.
" He gave it: whom being dead did I inter.
Virtuous it is to end the life at once
Without one pain, he being the answerer. "
Thereto Joanna uttered no response:
But flung herself from him, and thence she went:
And to the courtyard of the castle runs,
As frantic by the danger imminent.
This maiden sought her love in jeopardy,
What thing then met she in her hasty ride
Bodeful of evil and calamity?
Sith never yet came evil without sign,
If to the eye be given that to see,
Though love and hope but little can divine.
— Upon a thorn a corby black of blee
She saw, who turned about his curious eyne:
Full big he sat upon the little tree,
Balancing in the wind his heavy form:
But, on her coming, flew off heavily
— Far flew he down the thickness of the storm,
And she his look no more in memory held,
But most of her long voyage did perform:
When, lo, another thing that she beheld!
Which was a stake new planted in the ground,
Or else a tree whose boughs the axe had felled:
On whose smooth top that bird a perch had found,
Which to maintain his mighty wings he waved,
Till she drew nigh, when them to flight he wound,
Losing by wings what he by wings had saved
Then wonder rose in her, and shaking doubt,
While down the wind slow went the bird depraved
Now she beholds the castle square and stout
Wherein Sir Mano lay — her journey's end;
And still that fowl afar the air did flout:
But when she took it in her eyelids' bend,
He vanished from her sight with darkest note:
And the strong castle gan his mass protend
High were the walls in view, and broad the moat,
And many towers on either flank she sees
Whose flags upon the tossed sky wave and float
The leaden roofs arose like terraces
Behind the battlements; and many knights
Were moving in those airy galleries
And when she came more close beneath their heights,
With warning of her coming even then
The trumpet sounded in the armed sites.
But the awakened tumult ceased again,
As through the crowded gate anon she passed,
And lodge, which swarmed with idle laughing men
She entered thus into the courtyard vast,
And for the captive Mano did require,
Whom soon she found in lonely dungeon cast,
(The way being opened at her fierce desire,)
And on her knees she flung herself beside
The enchained knight, with heart and eyes of fire;
Being all amazed, but not yet terrified
To see him in such case. " Mano, " she said,
" Why dost thou yet in prison's dark abide?
" Hath then the messenger so idly sped,
Bearing thy pardon and thy life to thee,
To raise thee from this floor to honour's head?
" Then first am I (as fitteth in love's gre)
To tell thee of the dawning happy day
That lifts thee up. " — " Joanna, " answered he,
" Nothing know I of that thou seemest to say:
But now, thy face to see, thy hand to press,
Drives questioning with misery away:
" And all my heart is filled with happiness
For so I love thee that I seem ere now
Not to have loved before. " — " Nevertheless, "
So answered she with tears, " answer me thou
That which I ask, ere I that love shall tell
Which holds me wholly, and to thee avow:
" For dreadful fear in me begins to dwell,
Seeing thee thus, who thought to find thee free. "
— " I only know that from this darksome cell, "
He answered, " doom to-morrow carries me:
And sad it seemed, before thy lovely face
Made darkness light, and prison liberty! "
Then she in agony began to trace
of Gerbert's actions all the history,
Since she at first in Rouen sought his grace: —
How she before him laid her misery,
In hope that he to Mano would declare
And make it known: ( " No whit of this, " quoth he,
" Ere this dear moment ever reached mine ear. " )
How then he sent her into nunnery,
Where long the time she lingered in despair
Till his own death; what thence there came to be, —
The unsealed writing, the Archbishop's share,
Her journey hither made in secrecy,
To find him free from peril and from care. —
All this with gasps, and twisted hands she told:
Such pain such tender bosom ill might bear.
Then Mano said, " For what thou dost unfold,
Oh more than sister, loved and honoured more,
Concerning Gerbert, I my speech withhold;
" (For he is dead, and was my friend of yore)
But little hope I from my brother new;
He has deceived thee, or this prison door
" Would never hold me now if he were true.
Therefore in thy sweet converse let me live
Tenfold the hours that still to life are due. "
Hereat Joanna a great cry did give,
And sprang from him: in haste was she to go
And from the castellan demand reprieve,
Ere the next morning brought the instant blow
But Mano stayed her: " Sweet Joanna, stay.
Hear yet the sequel which I shall bestow:
" Diantha, Thurold's child, shares my sad day,
Caught in the pagan weald along with me:
She who from Richard's court did whilom stray
" Her have I yet in charge to Italy
To render back: whereto an oath I sware,
And, seeking her, fell in this jeopardy
" If therefore thou canst aught, be it for her:
Set her in freedom, let her home retire.
But if thou canst no way to safety steer,
" Because the fire is bitter (yea, the fire,
As I must say, for both of us decreed)
Give her this poisoned ring at my desire,
" Which well shall serve her at the utmost need.
I had it from a man, a forester,
Found dying in the woods from savage deed.
" He gave it: whom being dead did I inter.
Virtuous it is to end the life at once
Without one pain, he being the answerer. "
Thereto Joanna uttered no response:
But flung herself from him, and thence she went:
And to the courtyard of the castle runs,
As frantic by the danger imminent.