Page:Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1918.djvu/1091

 MARY ELIZABETH COLERIDGE 1861-1907

882 LUE is Our Lady's colour, White is Our Lord's To-morrow I will wear a knot Of blue and white cords, That you may see it, where you ride Among the flashing swords.

O banner, white and sunny blue, With prayer I wove thee! For love the white, for faith the heavenly hue, And both for him, so tender-true, Him that doth love me!  883

OTHER of God! no lady thou. Common woman of common earth Our Lady ladies call thee now, But Christ was never of gentle birth; A common man of the common earth.

For God's ways are not as our ways: The noblest lady in the land Would have given up half her days, Would have cut off her right hand, To bear the child that was God of the land. 