 | The Poems of A. C. Benson |  |
299
THE FOOL
Fight, said the Knight,
Fight well!
Let the sword be bright,
Flashing left and right;
Life or death, day or night,
Heaven or Hell,—
No matter, so I fight,
Fight well.
Fight well!
Let the sword be bright,
Flashing left and right;
Life or death, day or night,
Heaven or Hell,—
No matter, so I fight,
Fight well.
Sing, said the Bard,
Sing well!
Though the way be hard,
Though the joy be marred;
At the clanging of the blows,
At the whisper of a rose,
Thou shalt tell
What each knows not and yet knows;
Sing well!
Sing well!
Though the way be hard,
Though the joy be marred;
At the clanging of the blows,
At the whisper of a rose,
Thou shalt tell
What each knows not and yet knows;
Sing well!
Mark, said the Fool,
Mark well!
The minstrels will I rule,
And will set the knights to school.
Though I cannot sing nor fight,
I can judge if swords be bright;
I can tell
If the minstrel rhymeth right,
Mark ye well!
Mark well!
The minstrels will I rule,
And will set the knights to school.
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I can judge if swords be bright;
I can tell
If the minstrel rhymeth right,
Mark ye well!
The knight ran to fight
With a will;
His eye was glad and bright;
His sword flashed left and right.
In the evening on his face
He was lying in his place
Very still.
Said the Fool, “They that fight
Have their fill.”
With a will;
His eye was glad and bright;
His sword flashed left and right.
In the evening on his face
He was lying in his place
Very still.
Said the Fool, “They that fight
Have their fill.”
The minstrel rose to sing,
'Twas a strain
That he loved, a gracious thing;
And the harpers in a ring
Twanged a prelude clear and strong;
Oh, to please the listening throng
They were fain;
But the heart too full of song
Brake in twain.
'Twas a strain
That he loved, a gracious thing;
And the harpers in a ring
Twanged a prelude clear and strong;
Oh, to please the listening throng
They were fain;
But the heart too full of song
Brake in twain.
Said the Fool, “They have spent
That they had.
The Minstrel's heart is rent,
And the Knight's good sword is bent;
What remaineth, for my part,
But to keep the cheerful heart
That I had?”
So the Fool made merriment,
And was glad.
That they had.
The Minstrel's heart is rent,
And the Knight's good sword is bent;
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But to keep the cheerful heart
That I had?”
So the Fool made merriment,
And was glad.
| The Poems of A. C. Benson | |