University of Virginia Library

GERARD AND ISABEL

[Belle Ysabiaus, pucelle bien aprise]

Belle Ysabiaus, pucelle bien aprise,
Ama Gerart et il li en tel guise
C'ainc de folor ne fu par lui requise,
Et joie atent Gerars.

GERARD AND ISABEL

Poet of a day departed,
Who for ever in thy story
Liv'st unknown, beloved, & nameless!
To thy memory take this tribute,
Take this fancy, lightly fashioned
To the form of thy devising,
Song and tale in mood alternate!
Aucassin, the flower of lovers,
Nicolette, the pearl of maidens,
Are immortal; thou art nameless.
Take my tribute, and forgive it,
If a hand too rash be twining
Tinsel leaves with thy true roses!

[Mary spake, the Mother]

Mary spake, the Mother,
Maid, and Queen of Heaven:
‘Who art thou who weepest
In the bliss of Heaven?’
Isabel made answer:
‘Ah, dear Maid and Mother!
Be not angered with me!
On my grave lies Gerard;
He is weeping, weeping;
And I may not call him,
Send him help or comfort.
Weep I must to see him,
Lonely, broken-hearted,
Weeping there and dying,
Even as the flowers
Laid by friend and lover
On my grave are dying.’

[As the gentle murmur]

As the gentle murmur
Of the wind at even
Sighing through the forest
Far away is tempest
Shaking earth and ocean,
So the word low-spoken
By the mild-eyed Mother
Stirred in Earth and Heaven
Many a mighty Power,
Angels of the record,
Watchers of the gateway,
Death and Hell and Devil.
And the gentle spirit
Passing Heaven's portal
Lightly floated earthward.
Earth resumed her power,
Death his dark dominion,
Hell its expectation.

[In the heart's young sorrow]

In the heart's young sorrow
What can bring assuaging,
What but Hope, Hope only?
Hope, thou dearest angel
In the host of Heaven,
What were earth without thee?
In the Spring thou shinest,
In the opening flower,
In the evening rainbow.
What were man without thee?
Death had no defeating,
Grief no counter-vailing,
Youth no heart for living,
Age no cheer in dying.
Therefore do men hail thee,
Hope, the dearest angel
In the host of Heaven,
And of Heaven's mercies
First and best and greatest.

[Ah, you should have seen him]

Ah, you should have seen him,
Ye that read my story,
Seen him spring to saddle,
Seen him sit the warhorse,
In his gleaming armour,
In his plumèd helmet,
In his curving cuisses!
And his father gave him
Gold to give in largesse,
Gold to spend in pleasure,
Servants to attend him,
Steeds for chase or combat,
Hawk and hound and palfrey.
All the country people
Gazed as he rode by them.
All the city people
Said, What Prince may this be?
All the Court and courtiers
Watched with jealous glances,
Saying, Shall this stranger
Oust us from our honours,
Push us from our places?
All the maidens whispered,
Oh, the goodly lover!
Who shall be his lady?

[Mighty is the hero]

Mighty is the hero
On the field of battle,
In the hour of combat,
In the clash of onset.
When his might is broken,
And his armour useless,
And in vain his valour,
In the hour of sickness,
In despair and sorrow,
In wanhope and weakness,
He must seek one weaker,
Ask the aid of woman.
Mighty is the statesman
In the Court and Council,
In the royal favour
And the people's praises.
When his glory waneth,
And his power passes,
In his hour of weakness,
He must seek one weaker,
Win the help of woman.

[Happy is the vessel]

Happy is the vessel
Ere it leave the haven,
Ere it seek the ocean.
Happy is the young heart
Ere it learn of evil,
Ere it find how cruel,
False and traitor-hearted
Are the smiling faces
Fawning on one favoured
By the King and fortune.
Youth and health and gladness,
Honour and high instinet,
Guileless heart and goodwill—
Many a shaft of evil
Is by these averted.
But the tireless serpent,
Jealously unsleeping,
In a careless hour
Snares the simple-hearted
When he thinks no evil;
Coils about his heart-strings,
Steals from him his secret,
Suddenly betrays him.

[Lovely was the valley]

Lovely was the valley,
Fair the day, the sunlight,
Fair the flowers, the forest,
Very fair the lady.
Gerard urged her lightly:
‘Rise! The day is passing.
On my horse I'll set you,
Lead him through the forest
Till we reach the highway,
Find some habitation,
And a hand to tend you
Better than a hunter's.’
‘Stay a while!’ she answered.
‘Hardly am I rested.
Far away is evening.
Every hour that passes
Here in peace and stillness,
With your voice so gentle,
And your aid so courteous,
Strengthens me to bearing
All the long way homeward.’
So she soothed and snared him,
With her words cajoling,
And her looks so simple,
And her glance so kindling.
Thus they lingered, couching
On the moss and grasses,
'Neath the oak-tree branches;
While the brook below them
Made a dream-like music.
Nor the space between them
Lessened in their converse,
Though their hearts drew nearer.
Just so far the fair one
Lay that all her beauty,
Grace of form and feature,
Fell within one eye-glance;
Just so far that never
Need was to speak loudly;
And her voice so flute-like
Sounded low and sweetly,
While the streamlet's murmur
Made an under-music;
As when harp or viol
Follows in soft echo
What the singer singeth.

[Love is woman's master.]

Love is woman's master.
Vain is all her struggling
If she once allow him;
Vain her resolution,
Vain her pride, her purpose.
In Love's net is Clarisse,
Snared and foiled and helpless
As some simple maiden
In whose eyes a lover
Gazes for the first time.
Heavily the day went
When she saw not Gerard.
And the night was sleepless
When he smiled not on her.
Many a wile well-practised
Knew she, many a love-way
Sweetly coy and secret,
Yet with power as deadly
As the subtle poison
Iseult drank and Tristan.
But the simple-hearted
Bear a triple armour,
Faith and truth and honour,
Strong against all weapons
By a woman wielded.
Failed her amorous glances,
Failed her languid poses,
Lovely arms uplifted,
Snowy bosom heaving,
Floating hair unbanded.
Till desire grew maddened,
And her whole heart's fortune
Threw she on one hour,
To achieve or perish.

[Oh, the joy of loving]

Oh, the joy of loving
On a night of summer
In the month of roses!
Bright as day the garden
Lay beneath the moonlight.
Lightly came the lover
Through the shine and shadow,
Came below her chamber,
Looked and saw it lighted,
Saw her golden tresses
In the moonbeams shining,
Saw her white arms gleaming
And her fair face blushing
At the opened casement.
There was none to hear them,
And she called him softly:
‘Gerard, do you love me?’
And he murmured quickly:
‘Long time have I loved you,
Loved you but I knew not.
Clarisse, do you love me?’
Low she breathed her answer
As a waft from heaven:
‘Long time have I loved you,
Loved you and you knew not.
Climb now to my window!
You shall know I love you!’

[Oh, the joy, half shame, of waking]

Oh, the joy, half shame, of waking
From the heats & chills of passion
To the light of love unfevered,
Glowing as the sun in heaven!
As one waking from a madness,
Or from wine within him working,
Half-remembering and shame-faced
In remembrance, sorely wonders
At his own unfaith and weakness:
As the mariner emerging
From the cloudy mist to clearness
And the starry heaven to steer by:
So from blinding mists of madness
Gerard woke, with joy returning
To his light-abandoned love-star.
As a dream of empty sweetness
Seemed the memory of Clarisse,
Worthless, not to be regarded
In broad day, with life in living
And true love from heaven shining.

[Love, art thou more happy]

Love, art thou more happy
Dreaming or possessing?
Cometh e'er fulfilment
Glad as the forecasting
Of the dreams of lovers?
Clarisse in her chamber
Dreamed her dream of rapture,
Love and love's attaining.
Ah, poor shallow-hearted
Butterfly of pleasure!
In whose breast un worthy
Love the cruel master
Such a sting had planted!
This his keenest arrow,
Strongest, deepest-wounding,
Surely had found fitter
Mark and prize more precious
In a breast more noble,
In a heart unfathomed,
In a soul immortal!
Ah, poor day-lived dreamer,
All thy golden treasure
Pledged on this life only!
What shall be the ending
If thy dream be broken,
If thy hope be scattered?

[Gentle Death, supreme deliverer]

Gentle Death, supreme deliverer,
Loosener of the iron fetters,
Life has bound but cannot loosen
Round the feet of those that stumble!
Who shall wonder if the weary,
Sore perplexed or broken-hearted,
Turn to thee to seek assuaging
Of the gnawing cares and anguish
That like marish-snakes have fastened
On their limbs and suck their life-blood?
So the Devil sings as siren,
Luring souls in hours of weakness
To Hell-gate and the dark whirlpool
Where despair eternal waiteth.
Ah, when once the soul has harkened,
Turning to the Devil-siren,
Little hope is left to save him!
As the needle to the lode-stone
Nearing ever firmer pointeth,
So the soul to self-destruction.
Oh, what hand can save thee, Gerard?
This is past the help of flowers,
Past the help of living creature.
Is there any now can save thee?

[Longer grew the shadows]

Longer grew the shadows
As they talked together,
And the sun declining
Sank behind the cliff-tops.
‘Come, my love!’ said Gerard;
‘Rise, and let us hasten
Far from hence ere nightfall;
Find some priest in chapel
Who shall join for ever
Our two lives in wedlock.
We will fare to-morrow
To some far-off country,
Where no King can find us,
Nor no wrath pursue us,
Nor derision wound us.
Love shall make an Eden
Round us like that Heaven
That you left to seek me.’

[Leave we now these lovers]

Leave we now these lovers,
Sad to part, yet joyful
In sure hope and certain
Faith of love's abiding.
Leave we in his castle
Gerard, ever shunning
Court and city pleasures.
Leave we in her cloister
Isabel, the white-souled
Pure warm-blooded woman
Blithe in daily duties,
Yet in spirit feeding
Ever on the one day
When her punctual lover
Riding to the gateway
Yearly claimed her greeting.
Till one day in summer
Came he for the last time;
Came with happy tidings
Telling of her freedom;
Came to bear her with him
Far through field and forest
Many a long day's riding
To his own fair castle,
Where the twain were wedded
Never more to sever.
Now the storms are over,
And the ships in haven,
And my story ended.