And loved her, as he loved the light of Heaven

And as the light of Heaven varies, now

At sunrise, now at sunset, now by night

With moon and trembling stars, so loved Geraint

To make her beauty vary day by day,

In crimsons and in purples and in gems.

And Enid, but to please her husband's eye,

Who first had found and loved her in a state

Of broken fortunes, daily fronted him

In some fresh splendour; and the Queen herself, Grateful to Prince Geraint for service done,

Loved her, and often with her own white hands

Array'd and deck'd her, as the loveliest,

Next after her own self, in all the court.

And Enid loved the Queen, and with true heart

Adored her, as the stateliest and the best

And loveliest of all women upon earth.

And seeing them so tender and so close,
Long in their common love rejoiced Geraint.

But when a rumour rose about the Queen,

Touching her guilty love for Lancelot,

Tho' yet there lived no proof, nor yet was heard

The world's loud whisper breaking into storm,

Not less Geraint believed it; and there fell

A horror on him, lest his gentle wife,

Thro' that great tenderness for Guinevere,

Had suffer'd, or should suffer any taint

In nature wherefore going to the king,

He made this pretext, that his princedom lay

Close on the borders of a territory,

Wherein were bandit earls, and caitiff knights,

Assassins, and all flyers from the hand

Of Justice, and whatever loathes a law:

And therefore, till the king himself should please

To cleanse this common sewer of all his realm,

He craved a fair permission to depart,

And there defend his marches; and the king

Mused for a little on his plea, but, last,

Allowing it, the Prince and Enid rode,

And fifty knights rode with them, to the shores

Of Severn, and they past to their own land;
Where, thinking, that if ever yet was wife

True to her lord, mine shall be so to me,

He compass'd her with sweet observances
And worship, never leaving her, and grew

Forgetful of his promise to the king,

Forgetful of the falcon and the hunt,

Forgetful of the tilt and tournament,

Forgetful of his glory and his name,

Forgetful of his princedom and its cares.

And this forgetfulness was hateful to her.

by and by the people, when they met