# Early poems of William Morris

"… In that garden fair Came Launcelot walking; this is true, the kiss Wherewith we kissed in meeting that spring day, I scarce dare talk of the remember'd bliss."
—The Defence of Guenevere, p. 8.
| | PAGE |
| THE DEFENCE OF GUENEVERE | 1 |
| KING ARTHUR'S TOMB | 15 |
| SIR GALAHAD, A CHRISTMAS MYSTERY | 32 |
| THE CHAPEL IN LYONESS | 41 |
| SIR PETER HARPDON'S END | 47 |
| RAPUNZEL | 80 |
| THE BLUE CLOSET | 97 |
| CONCERNING GEFFRAY TESTE NOIRE | 101 |
| A GOOD KNIGHT IN PRISON | 111 |
| GOLDEN WINGS | 119 |
| THE EVE OF CRECY | 128 |
| OLD LOVE | 133 |
| FATHER JOHN'S WAR SONG | 136 ​ |
| THE GILLIFLOWER OF GOLD | 139 |
| THE JUDGMENT OF GOD | 142 |
| SHAMEFUL DEATH | 148 |
| THE SAILING OF THE SWORD | 150 |
| THE LITTLE TOWER | 153 |
| THE WIND | 156 |
| SPELLBOUND | 160 |
| THE TUNE OF SEVEN TOWERS | 166 |
| TWO RED ROSES ACROSS THE MOON | 168 |
| THE HAYSTACK IN THE FLOODS | 170 |
| WELLAND RIVER | 176 |
| RIDING TOGETHER | 182 |
| SIR GILES' WAR SONG | 185 |
| NEAR AVALON | 186 |
| PRAISE OF MY LADY | 189 |
| SUMMER DAWN | 193 |
| IN PRISON | 194 |
| | PAGE |
| "… In that garden fair Came Launcelot walking; this is true, the kiss Wherewith we kissed in meeting that spring day, I scarce dare talk of the remember'd bliss " | Frontispiece8 |
| "And one of these strange choosing cloths was blue, Wavy and long, and one cut short and red ; No man could tell the better of the two" | 2 |
| "Guenevere! Guenevere! Do you not know me, are you gone mad?' | 22 |
| "Rise up, and look and listen, Galahad" | 36 |
| How thief! thief! thief! so there, fair thief, so there | 58 |
| Suppose this had not happen'd after all; I will lean out again and watch for news | 78 ​ |
| My mother taught me prayers To say when I had need | 86 |
| "O, sisters, cross the bridge with me, My eyes are full of sand. What matter that I cannot see, If ye take me by the hand?" | 100 |
| Fair Jehane du Castel beau Wore her wreath till it was dead | 122 |
| But she is a housewife good and wary, And a great steel key hangs bright From her gown, as red as the flowers in corn | 136 |
| Beneath an apple-tree our heads Stretched out toward the sea | 150 |
| "Wind, wind! thou art sad, art thou kind? Wind, wind, unhappy! thou art blind, Yet still thou wanderest the lily-seed to find" | 156 |
| No one walks there now; Except in the white moonlight The white ghosts walk in a row | 166 |
| Then Godmar turn'd again and said: "So, Jehane, the first fitte is read! Take note, my lady, that your way Lies backward to the Chatelet!" | 174 ​ |
| My prison-bars are thick and strong, I take no heed of any weather, The sweet Saints grant I live not long | 182 |
| Pray but one prayer for me 'twixt thy closed lips, Think but one thought of me up in the stars | 192 |
| | PAGE |
| "Nevertheless you, O Sir Gauwaine, lie" | 5 |
| "And by him Palomydes, helmet off He fought" | 27 |
| No long time hence, also I see Thy wasted fingers twine Within the tresses of her hair That shineth gloriously | 43 |
| I will run fast, leap adown The slippery sea-stairs, where the crabs fight | 71 |
| A sweet bow'd-down face with yellow hair | 91 |
| And over it they lay, with stone-white hands Clasped fast together | 109 |
| I kiss the Lady Mary's head, Her lips, and her hair golden red, Because to-day we have been wed | 115 ​ |
| Ah! qu'elle est belle La Marguerite | 129 |
| "and in The order'd garden you would seek The biggest roses—any sin" | 143 |
| I hear the tinkling of the bell, I see the cross against the sky | 161 |
| O, why does yon pale face look at me From out the golden cloth? | 179 |
| Six maidens round the mast, A red-gold crown on every one, A green gown on the last | 187 |
One or more copyright licenses apply to this work.
Text by William Morris:
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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Illustrations by Florence Harrison:
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1955, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 68 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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