Page:Early poems of William Morris.djvu/107

 Upon this grass for yours; fair knight, although,

He knowing all things knows this thing too, well,

Yet when you see his face some short time hence,

Tell him I tried to save you.

I cannot say this is as good as life,

But yet it makes me feel far happier now,

And if at all, after a thousand years,

I see God's face, I will speak loud and bold,

And tell Him you were kind, and like Himself;

Sir, may God bless you!

Fell weeping just now? pray you, do not think

That Lambert's taunts did this, I hardly heard

The base things that he said, being deep in thought

Of all things that have happen'd since I was

A little child; and so at last I thought

Of my true lady: truly, sir, it seem'd

No longer gone than yesterday, that this

Was the sole reason God let me be born

Twenty-five years ago, that I might love

Her, my sweet lady, and be loved by her;

This seem'd so yesterday, to-day death comes,

And is so bitter strong, I cannot see

Why I was born.

I pray you, O kind Clisson, send me some man,

Some good man, mind you, to say how I died,

And take my last love to her: fare-you-well,

And may God keep you; I must go now, lest

I grow too sick with thinking on these things;