Who stood a moment, ere his horse was brought,

Glorying; and in the stream beneath him,

shone

'Dog, thou liest.

I spring from loftier lineage than thine own.'

He spake; and all at fiery speed the two Immingled with Heaven's azure waver- Shock'd on the central bridge, and either

Then she that watch'd him, 'Wherefore Beyond his horse's crupper and the bridge, Fell, as if dead; but quickly rose and drew,

stare ye so?

Thou shakest in thy fear: there yet is time:

Flee down the valley before he get to And Gareth lash'd so fiercely with his

horse.

Who will cry shame? knight but knave.'

brand

Thou art not He drave his enemy backward down the

Said Gareth, 'Damsel, whether knave
or knight,

Far liefer had I fight a score of times
Than hear thee so missay me and revile.
Fair words were best for him who fights

for thee;

But truly foul are better, for they send
That strength of anger thro' mine arms,
I know

That I shall overthrow him.'

And he that bore The star, being mounted, cried from o'er

the bridge,

'Akitchen-knave, and sent in scorn of me! Such fight not I, but answer scorn with

scorn.

His helmet as to slay him, but she shriek'd,
Be not so hardy, scullion, as to slay

For this were shame to do him further One nobler than thyself.' 'Damsel, thy

wrong

horse

charge

Than set him on his feet, and take his Is an abounding pleasure to me. Knight, Thy life is thine at her command. Arise And quickly pass to Arthur's hall, and say His kitchen-knave hath sent thee.

Thy shield is mine-farewell; and, Gave me to guard, and such a dog am I,

The savour of thy kitchen came upon me Ay, knave, because thou strikest as a A little faintlier: but the wind hath

knight,

Being but knave, I hate thee all the more.'

'Fair damsel, you should worship me the more,

That, being but knave, I throw thine enemies.'

'Ay, ay,' she said, 'but thou shalt meet thy match.'

So when they touch'd the second riverloop,

'But thou begone, take counsel, and Huge on a huge red horse, and all in mail Burnish'd to blinding, shone the Noonday Sun

away,

For hard by here is one that guards a
ford-

The second brother in their fool's parable-
Will pay thee all thy wages, and to boot.
Care not for shame : thou art not knight
but knave.'

Beyond a raging shallow. As if the flower,
That blows a globe of after arrowlets,
Ten thousand-fold had grown, flash'd the
fierce shield,

All sun; and Gareth's eyes had flying

blots

To whom Sir Gareth answer'd, laugh- Before them when he turn'd from watchingly,

'Parables? Hear a parable of the knave. He When I was kitchen-knave among the rest Fierce was the hearth, and one of my

co-mates

ing him.

from beyond the roaring shallow

roar'd,

What doest thou, brother, in my marches here?'

Own'd a rough dog, to whom he cast his And she athwart the shallow shrill'd

"Guard it," and there was none to meddle Here is a kitchen-knave from Arthur's

his arms.'

And such a coat art thou, and thee the Hath overthrown thy brother, and hath

King

The hoof of his horse slipt in the stream, To garnish meats with? hath not our

good King

the stream Descended, and the Sun was wash'd away. Who lent me thee, the flower of kitchendom,

Then Gareth laid his lance athwart the A foolish love for flowers? what stick ye

So drew him home; but he that fought The pasty? wherewithal deck the boar's

no more,

As being all bone-batter'd on the rock,
Yielded; and Gareth sent him to the

King.

'Myself when I return will plead for thee.'
'Lead, and I follow.' Quietly she led.
'Hath not the good wind, damsel, changed
again?'

'Nay, not a point: nor art thou victor

here.

There lies a ridge of slate across the ford; His horse thereon stumbled-ay, for I saw it.

head?

Flowers? nay, the boar hath rosemaries and bay.

"O birds, that warble to the morning

sky,

O birds that warble as the day goes by,
Sing sweetly twice my love hath smiled

on me.

'What knowest thou of birds, lark,

mavis, merle,

Linnet? what dream ye when they utter forth

"O Sun" (not this strong fool whom May-music growing with the growing

thou, Sir Knave,

Hast overthrown thro' mere unhappiness),
"O Sun, that wakenest all to bliss or pain,
O moon, that layest all to sleep again,
Shine sweetly twice my love hath smiled

on me.

light,

Their sweet sun-worship? these be for the

snare

(So runs thy fancy) these be for the spit, Larding and basting. See thou have not

now

C C

Larded thy last, except thou turn and fly. But that same strength which threw the
There stands the third fool of their
Morning Star

allegory.'

For there beyond a bridge of treble bow,

Can throw the Evening.'

Then that other blew

A hard and deadly note upon the horn. All in a rose-red from the west, and all'Approach and arm me!' With slow

Naked it seem'd, and glowing in the broad Deep-dimpled current underneath, the knight,

steps from out

An old storm-beaten, russet, many-stain'd
Pavilion, forth a grizzled damsel came,

That named himself the Star of Evening, And arm'd him in old arms, and brought stood.

a helm With but a drying evergreen for crest, And Gareth, 'Wherefore waits the And gave a shield whereon the Star of

madman there

Even

Naked in open dayshine?' 'Nay,' she Half-tarnish'd and half-bright, his em

cried,

'Not naked, only wrapt in harden'd skins That fit him like his own; and so ye cleave His armour off him, these will turn the blade.'

blem, shone.

But when it glitter'd o'er the saddle-bow,
They madly hurl'd together on the bridge;
And Gareth overthrew him, lighted, drew,
There met him drawn, and overthrew him
again,

:

Then the third brother shouted o'er the But up like fire he started and as oft As Gareth brought him grovelling on his knees,

bridge,

'O brother-star, why shine ye here so low? Thy ward is higher up: but have ye slain The damsel's champion?' and the damsel cried,

So many a time he vaulted up again;
Till Gareth panted hard, and his great

heart,

Foredooming all his trouble was in vain, 'No star of thine, but shot from Arthur's Labour'd within him, for he seem'd as one

heaven

With all disaster unto thine and thee!
For both thy younger brethren have gone
down

Before this youth; and so wilt thou, Sir
Star;

Art thou not old?'

'Old, damsel, old and hard,

That all in later, sadder age begins
To war against ill uses of a life,
But these from all his life arise, and cry,
'Thou hast made us lords, and canst not
put us down!'

He half despairs; so Gareth seem'd to
strike

Vainly, the damsel clamouring all the while,

Old, with the might and breath of twenty | 'Well done, knave-knight, well stricken, boys.'

O good knight-knave

Said Gareth, 'Old, and over-bold in O knave, as noble as any of all the knights

brag!

Shame me not, shame me not. I have 'Sir,-and, good faith, I fain had prophesied added-Knight, Strike, thou art worthy of the Table But that I heard thee call thyself a Round

knave,

His arms are old, he trusts the harden'd Shamed am I that I so rebuked, reviled, Missaid thee; noble I am; and thought

skin- . Strike-strike-the wind will never

change again.'

And Gareth hearing ever stronglier smote,
And hew'd great pieces of his armour off
him,

But lash'd in vain against the harden’d skin,
And could not wholly bring him under,

more

Than loud Southwesterns, rolling ridge

on ridge,

The buoy that rides at sea, and dips and
springs

For ever; till at length Sir Gareth's brand
Clash'd his, and brake it utterly to the

hilt.

the King

Scorn'd me and mine; and now thy

pardon, friend,

For thou hast ever answer'd courteously, And wholly bold thou art, and meek withal

As any of Arthur's best, but, being knave, Hast mazed my wit: I marvel what thou art.'

‘Damsel,' he said, 'you be not all to

blame,

Saving that you mistrusted our good King
Would handle scorn, or yield you, asking,

one

'I have thee now;' but forth that other Not fit to cope your quest. You said

And, all unknightlike, writhed his wiry Mine answer was my deed. Good sooth!

To fight for gentle damsel, he, who lets
His heart be stirr'd with any foolish heat

Down to the river, sink or swim, and At any gentle damsel's waywardness.

O rainbow with three colours after rain,
Shine sweetly thrice my love hath smiled Lets down his other leg, and stretching,