| |
| LITTLE Ellie sits alone | |
| ’Mid the beeches of a meadow | |
| By a stream-side on the grass, | |
| And the trees are showering down | |
| Doubles of their leaves in shadow | 5 |
| On her shining hair and face. | |
| |
| She has thrown her bonnet by, | |
| And her feet she has been dipping | |
| In the shallow water’s flow: | |
| Now she holds them nakedly | 10 |
| In her hands, all sleek and dripping, | |
| While she rocketh to and fro. | |
| |
| Little Ellie sits alone, | |
| And the smile she softly uses | |
| Fills the silence like a speech | 15 |
| While she thinks what shall be done, | |
| And the sweetest pleasure chooses | |
| For her future within reach. | |
| |
| Little Ellie in her smile | |
| Chooses—“I will have a lover, | 20 |
| Riding on a steed of steeds: | |
| He shall love me without guile, | |
| And to him I will discover | |
| The swan’s nest among the reeds. | |
| |
| “And the steed shall be red-roan, | 25 |
| And the lover shall be noble, | |
| With an eye that takes the breath: | |
| And the lute he plays upon | |
| Shall strike ladies into trouble, | |
| As his sword strikes men to death. | 30 |
| |
| “And the steed it shall be shod | |
| All in silver, housed in azure, | |
| And the mane shall swim the wind; | |
| And the hoofs along the sod | |
| Shall flash onward and keep measure, | 35 |
| Till the shepherds look behind. | |
| |
| “But my lover will not prize | |
| All the glory that he rides in, | |
| When he gazes in my face: | |
| He will say, ‘O Love, thine eyes | 40 |
| Build the shrine my soul abides in, | |
| And I kneel here for thy grace!’ | |
| |
| “Then, ay, then he shall kneel low, | |
| With the red-roan steed anear him | |
| Which shall seem to understand, | 45 |
| Till I answer, ‘Rise and go! | |
| For the world must love and fear him | |
| Whom I gift with heart and hand.’ | |
| |
| “Then he will arise so pale, | |
| I shall feel my own lips tremble | 50 |
| With a yes I must not say, | |
| Nathless maiden-brave, ‘Farewell,’ | |
| I will utter, and dissemble— | |
| ‘Light to-morrow with to-day!’ | |
| |
| “Then he’ll ride among the hills | 55 |
| To the wide world past the river, | |
| There to put away all wrong; | |
| To make straight distorted wills, | |
| And to empty the broad quiver | |
| Which the wicked bear along. | 60 |
| |
| “Three times shall a young foot-page | |
| Swim the stream and climb the mountain | |
| And kneel down beside my feet— | |
| ‘Lo, my master sends this gage, | |
| Lady, for thy pity’s counting! | 65 |
| What wilt thou exchange for it?’ | |
| |
| “And the first time I will send | |
| A white rosebud for a guerdon, | |
| And the second time, a glove; | |
| But the third time—I may bend | 70 |
| From my pride, and answer—’Pardon, | |
| If he comes to take my love.’ | |
| |
| “Then the young foot-page will run, | |
| Then my lover will ride faster, | |
| Till he kneeleth at my knee: | 75 |
| ‘I am a duke’s eldest son, | |
| Thousand serfs do call me master, | |
| But, O Love, I love but thee!’ | |
| |
| “He will kiss me on the mouth | |
| Then, and lead me as a lover | 80 |
| Through the crowds that praise his deeds: | |
| And, when soul-tied by one troth, | |
| Unto him I will discover | |
| That swan’s nest among the reeds.” | |
| |
| Little Ellie, with her smile | 85 |
| Not yet ended, rose up gaily, | |
| Tied the bonnet, donned the shoe, | |
| And went homeward, round a mile, | |
| Just to see, as she did daily, | |
| What more eggs were with the two. | 90 |
| |
| Pushing through the elm-tree copse, | |
| Winding up the stream, light-hearted, | |
| Where the osier pathway leads, | |
| Past the boughs she stoops—and stops. | |
| Lo, the wild swan had deserted, | 95 |
| And a rat had knawed the reeds! | |
| |
| Ellie went home sad and slow. | |
| If she found the lover ever, | |
| With his red-roan steed of steeds, | |
| Sooth I know not; but I know | 100 |
| She could never show him—never, | |
| That swan’s nest among the reeds! | |
| |
