第5章 The Coming of Arthur(4)

From the great deep to the great deep he goes."'So Merlin riddling angered me；but thou Fear not to give this King thy only child，Guinevere：so great bards of him will sing Hereafter；and dark sayings from of old Ranging and ringing through the minds of men，And echoed by old folk beside their fires For comfort after their wage-work is done，Speak of the King；and Merlin in our time Hath spoken also，not in jest，and sworn Though men may wound him that he will not die，But pass，again to come；and then or now Utterly smite the heathen underfoot，Till these and all men hail him for their king.'

She spake and King Leodogran rejoiced，But musing，'Shall I answer yea or nay？'

Doubted，and drowsed，nodded and slept，and saw，Dreaming，a slope of land that ever grew，Field after field，up to a height，the peak Haze-hidden，and thereon a phantom king，Now looming，and now lost；and on the slope The sword rose，the hind fell，the herd was driven，Fire glimpsed；and all the land from roof and rick，In drifts of smoke before a rolling wind，Streamed to the peak，and mingled with the haze And made it thicker；while the phantom king Sent out at times a voice；and here or there Stood one who pointed toward the voice，the rest Slew on and burnt，crying，'No king of ours，No son of Uther，and no king of ours；'

Till with a wink his dream was changed，the haze Descended，and the solid earth became As nothing，but the King stood out in heaven，Crowned.And Leodogran awoke，and sent Ulfius，and Brastias and Bedivere，Back to the court of Arthur answering yea.

Then Arthur charged his warrior whom he loved And honoured most，Sir Lancelot，to ride forth And bring the Queen；--and watched him from the gates：

And Lancelot past away among the flowers，(For then was latter April)and returned Among the flowers，in May，with Guinevere.

To whom arrived，by Dubric the high saint，Chief of the church in Britain，and before The stateliest of her altar-shrines，the King That morn was married，while in stainless white，The fair beginners of a nobler time，And glorying in their vows and him，his knights Stood around him，and rejoicing in his joy.

Far shone the fields of May through open door，The sacred altar blossomed white with May，The Sun of May descended on their King，They gazed on all earth's beauty in their Queen，Rolled incense，and there past along the hymns A voice as of the waters，while the two Sware at the shrine of Christ a deathless love：

And Arthur said，'Behold，thy doom is mine.

Let chance what will，I love thee to the death！'

To whom the Queen replied with drooping eyes，'King and my lord，I love thee to the death！'

And holy Dubric spread his hands and spake，'Reign ye，and live and love，and make the world Other，and may thy Queen be one with thee，And all this Order of thy Table Round Fulfil the boundless purpose of their King！'

So Dubric said；but when they left the shrine Great Lords from Rome before the portal stood，In scornful stillness gazing as they past；Then while they paced a city all on fire With sun and cloth of gold，the trumpets blew，And Arthur's knighthood sang before the King：--'Blow，trumpet，for the world is white with May；Blow trumpet，the long night hath rolled away！

Blow through the living world--"Let the King reign."'Shall Rome or Heathen rule in Arthur's realm？

Flash brand and lance，fall battleaxe upon helm，Fall battleaxe，and flash brand！Let the King reign.

'Strike for the King and live！his knights have heard That God hath told the King a secret word.

Fall battleaxe，and flash brand！Let the King reign.

'Blow trumpet！he will lift us from the dust.

Blow trumpet！live the strength and die the lust！

Clang battleaxe，and clash brand！Let the King reign.

'Strike for the King and die！and if thou diest，The King is King，and ever wills the highest.

Clang battleaxe，and clash brand！Let the King reign.

'Blow，for our Sun is mighty in his May！

Blow，for our Sun is mightier day by day！

Clang battleaxe，and clash brand！Let the King reign.

'The King will follow Christ，and we the King In whom high God hath breathed a secret thing.

Fall battleaxe，and flash brand！Let the King reign.'

So sang the knighthood，moving to their hall.

There at the banquet those great Lords from Rome，The slowly-fading mistress of the world，Strode in，and claimed their tribute as of yore.

But Arthur spake，'Behold，for these have sworn To wage my wars，and worship me their King；The old order changeth，yielding place to new；And we that fight for our fair father Christ，Seeing that ye be grown too weak and old To drive the heathen from your Roman wall，No tribute will we pay：'so those great lords Drew back in wrath，and Arthur strove with Rome.

And Arthur and his knighthood for a space Were all one will，and through that strength the King Drew in the petty princedoms under him，Fought，and in twelve great battles overcame The heathen hordes，and made a realm and reigned.

第一章Gareth and Lynette The last tall son of Lot and Bellicent，And tallest，Gareth，in a showerful spring Stared at the spate.A slender-shafted Pine Lost footing，fell，and so was whirled away.

'How he went down，'said Gareth，'as a false knight Or evil king before my lance if lance Were mine to use--O senseless cataract，Bearing all down in thy precipitancy--And yet thou art but swollen with cold snows And mine is living blood：thou dost His will，The Maker's，and not knowest，and I that know，Have strength and wit，in my good mother's hall Linger with vacillating obedience，Prisoned，and kept and coaxed and whistled to--Since the good mother holds me still a child！

Good mother is bad mother unto me！

A worse were better；yet no worse would I.