'In this poor gown my dear lord found me first,And loved me serving in my father's hall:
In this poor gown I rode with him to court,And there the Queen arrayed me like the sun:
In this poor gown he bad me clothe myself,When now we rode upon this fatal quest Of honour,where no honour can be gained:
And this poor gown I will not cast aside Until himself arise a living man,And bid me cast it.I have griefs enough:
Pray you be gentle,pray you let me be:
I never loved,can never love but him:
Yea,God,I pray you of your gentleness,He being as he is,to let me be.'
Then strode the brute Earl up and down his hall,And took his russet beard between his teeth;Last,coming up quite close,and in his mood Crying,'I count it of no more avail,Dame,to be gentle than ungentle with you;Take my salute,'unknightly with flat hand,However lightly,smote her on the cheek.
Then Enid,in her utter helplessness,And since she thought,'He had not dared to do it,Except he surely knew my lord was dead,'
Sent forth a sudden sharp and bitter cry,As of a wild thing taken in the trap,Which sees the trapper coming through the wood.
This heard Geraint,and grasping at his sword,(It lay beside him in the hollow shield),Made but a single bound,and with a sweep of it Shore through the swarthy neck,and like a ball The russet-bearded head rolled on the floor.
So died Earl Doorm by him he counted dead.
And all the men and women in the hall Rose when they saw the dead man rise,and fled Yelling as from a spectre,and the two Were left alone together,and he said:
'Enid,I have used you worse than that dead man;Done you more wrong:we both have undergone That trouble which has left me thrice your own:
Henceforward I will rather die than doubt.
And here I lay this penance on myself,Not,though mine own ears heard you yestermorn--You thought me sleeping,but I heard you say,I heard you say,that you were no true wife:
I swear I will not ask your meaning in it:
I do believe yourself against yourself,And will henceforward rather die than doubt.'
And Enid could not say one tender word,She felt so blunt and stupid at the heart:
She only prayed him,'Fly,they will return And slay you;fly,your charger is without,My palfrey lost.''Then,Enid,shall you ride Behind me.''Yea,'said Enid,'let us go.'
And moving out they found the stately horse,Who now no more a vassal to the thief,But free to stretch his limbs in lawful fight,Neighed with all gladness as they came,and stooped With a low whinny toward the pair:and she Kissed the white star upon his noble front,Glad also;then Geraint upon the horse Mounted,and reached a hand,and on his foot She set her own and climbed;he turned his face And kissed her climbing,and she cast her arms About him,and at once they rode away.
And never yet,since high in Paradise O'er the four rivers the first roses blew,Came purer pleasure unto mortal kind Than lived through her,who in that perilous hour Put hand to hand beneath her husband's heart,And felt him hers again:she did not weep,But o'er her meek eyes came a happy mist Like that which kept the heart of Eden green Before the useful trouble of the rain:
Yet not so misty were her meek blue eyes As not to see before them on the path,Right in the gateway of the bandit hold,A knight of Arthur's court,who laid his lance In rest,and made as if to fall upon him.
Then,fearing for his hurt and loss of blood,She,with her mind all full of what had chanced,Shrieked to the stranger 'Slay not a dead man!'
'The voice of Enid,'said the knight;but she,Beholding it was Edyrn son of Nudd,Was moved so much the more,and shrieked again,'O cousin,slay not him who gave you life.'
And Edyrn moving frankly forward spake:
'My lord Geraint,I greet you with all love;
I took you for a bandit knight of Doorm;
And fear not,Enid,I should fall upon him,Who love you,Prince,with something of the love Wherewith we love the Heaven that chastens us.
For once,when I was up so high in pride That I was halfway down the slope to Hell,By overthrowing me you threw me higher.
Now,made a knight of Arthur's Table Round,And since I knew this Earl,when I myself Was half a bandit in my lawless hour,I come the mouthpiece of our King to Doorm (The King is close behind me)bidding him Disband himself,and scatter all his powers,Submit,and hear the judgment of the King.'
'He hears the judgment of the King of kings,'
Cried the wan Prince;'and lo,the powers of Doorm Are scattered,'and he pointed to the field,Where,huddled here and there on mound and knoll,Were men and women staring and aghast,While some yet fled;and then he plainlier told How the huge Earl lay slain within his hall.
But when the knight besought him,'Follow me,Prince,to the camp,and in the King's own ear Speak what has chanced;ye surely have endured Strange chances here alone;'that other flushed,And hung his head,and halted in reply,Fearing the mild face of the blameless King,And after madness acted question asked:
Till Edyrn crying,'If ye will not go To Arthur,then will Arthur come to you,'
'Enough,'he said,'I follow,'and they went.
But Enid in their going had two fears,One from the bandit scattered in the field,And one from Edyrn.Every now and then,When Edyrn reined his charger at her side,She shrank a little.In a hollow land,From which old fires have broken,men may fear Fresh fire and ruin.He,perceiving,said:
'Fair and dear cousin,you that most had cause To fear me,fear no longer,I am changed.
Yourself were first the blameless cause to make My nature's prideful sparkle in the blood Break into furious flame;being repulsed By Yniol and yourself,I schemed and wrought Until I overturned him;then set up (With one main purpose ever at my heart)My haughty jousts,and took a paramour;
