ELAINE'S SONG.

The little rift within the lover's lute, Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit, That rotting inward slowly moulders all.

It is not worth the keeping: let it go: But shall it? answer, darling, answer, no. And trust me not at all or all in all.

17

ELAINE'S SONG.

WEET is true love though given in vain, in vain ;

SWE

And sweet is death who puts an end to pain:

I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.

Love, art thou sweet? then bitter death must be:
Love, thou art bitter; sweet is death to me.
O Love, if death be sweeter, let me die.

Sweet love, that seems not made to fade away, Sweet death that seems to make us loveless clay, I know not which is sweeter, no, not I.

I fain would follow love, if that could be; I needs must follow death, who calls for me; Call and I follow, I follow! let me die.

2

SONG OF THE NOVICE TO QUEEN

L

GUINEVERE.

ATE, late, so late! and dark the night and chill!

Late, late, so late! but we can enter still.

Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now.

No light had we: for that we do repent; And learning this, the bridegroom will relent. Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now.

No light so late! and dark and chill the night; O let us in, that we may find the light!

Too late, too late: ye cannot enter now.

Have we not heard the bridegroom is so sweet?
O let us in, though late, to kiss his feet!
No, no, too late! ye cannot enter now.

R

RING OUT, WILD BELLS.

ING out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

RING OUT, WILD BELLS.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go:
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

The faithless coldness of the times;

Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be.

19

BREAK, BREAK, BREAK.

BREAK, break, break,

On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me.

O well for the fisherman's boy,

That he shouts with his sister at play!

O well for the sailor lad,

That he sings in his boat on the bay!

COME NOT, WHEN I AM DEAD.

And the stately ships go on

To their haven under the hill;

But O for the touch of a vanished hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still !

Break, break, break,

At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!

But the tender grace of a day that is dead

Will never come back to me.

COME NOT, WHEN I AM DEAD.

OME not, when I am dead,

COM

To drop thy foolish tears

upon my grave,

To trample round my fallen head,

And vex the unhappy dust thou would'st not save.
There let the wind sweep and the plover cry;
But thou, go by.

Child, if it were thine error or thy crime,

I care no longer, being all unblest;

Wed whom thou wilt, but I am sick of Time,
And I desire to rest.

Pass on, weak heart, and leave me where I lie:

Go by, go by.

21