Lays of the round table Author:Ernest Rhys Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ALICE LA BELLE PILGRIM "Then came Queen Morgan le Fay to Alisander, and bade him arise, and put him in a horse-litter, and gave him such a drink that in three... more » days and three nights he waked never, but slept: and so she brought him to her own castle that at that time was called La Beale Regard." "sixteen wounds should slay a knight, Alisander le Orphelin ! But where is the faery-leech shall say If you will live till morning light ?" "Ask Morgan le Fay," said Alisander, "ask Morgan le Fay." "The sixteenth wound is very deep, Alisander le Orphelin" Said Morgan le Fay, " would you be whole, Or are you ready for mortal sleep ?" " Who would be sick," said Alisander, " if he might be whole." " If I search your wounds, and make you well, Alisander le Orphelin, Will you be mine ?" said Morgan le Fay. " I would if it were not for Alice la Belle— "I dream of her," said Alisander, "dream of her night and day." " For Alice la Belle, steel glaives you need, Alisander le Orphelin, But you lie close in the linen-bands : What shall she say, when your wounds do bleed?" " With her white hands," said Alisander, " bind them with her hands! " "But if it be I that make you well, Alisander le Orphelin, What of the fee of Morgan le Fay! " "Earth and wild fire and Alice la Belle Shall pay the fee," said Alisander, "Alice la Belle shall pay." THE BIRDS OF RfflANNON O The birds of Rhiannon They sing time away,— Seven years in their singing Are gone like a day. Eight score years are nothing While they sing to men ; But when their song's over, Oh, woe to you then! You shall know all the sorrow You had to your cost, All the loss,—yes, remember All the friends you have lost!THE RING OF TRUE LOVE I Will give you a ring, Sir Gareth, (...« less