The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-27
THE HOLY GRAIL.

Inc phantom Oh cup Jnat comes ana ROeSF
'Nay, monk what phantom?" answered Perci-
vale. ~
'The cup, the cup ITSELF from which our Lord
Drank at the last sad supper with His own.
This, from the blessed land of Aromat-
After the day of darkness, when the dead
Went wandering DER Moriah, the good saint,
Arimath@an Joseph, journeying brought
To Glastonbury, where the winter thorn
Blossoms at Christmas, mindful of our Lord.
And there awhile it bode; and If a man
Could touch or see it, he was heal'd at once
BY faith, of all his ills; but then the times
Grew to such evil that the Holy cup
Was caught away to Heaven and DISAPPEARED"
To whom the monk-'From our old books l
know
That Joseph came of old TO Glastonbury,
And there the heather Prince Arviragus,
Gave him an isle of marsh whereon to build,
And there he built with wattles from the marsh
A little lonely church in days of yore,
For SO they say, these books of ours, but seem
Mute OF this miracle, far as have read.
But who first saw the holy thing to-day"
ga woman" answered Percivale, "a nun,
And one 20 further off in blood from me
Than sister; and if ever holy maid
With knees of alteration wore the stone,
4 holy maid; tho never maiden glowd,
DuL LnaJ was III ner eaTlleT
With such fervent flame of human love,
Which being rudely blunted glanced and sho
Only to holy things: to prayer and praise
She gave herself, to fast and alms and yet
Nun as she was, the scandal of the Court,
Sin against Arthur and the Table Round,
And the strange sound of an adulterous race
Across the iron grating of her cell
Beat, and she pray'd and tasted all the more.
"And he to whom she told her sins, or what
Her all but utter whiteness held for sin,
A man well-nigh a hundred winters old,
Spake often with her of the Holy Grail,
A legend handed down thro' five or six,
And each of these hundred winters old,
From our Lords time: and when King Arthur
made
His table round, and all mems hearts became
Clean for a season. surely he had thought
That now the Holy Grail would come again;
But sin broke out. All, Christ, that it would
come,
And heal the world of all their wickedness!
90 Father asked the maiden, might it come
To me by prayer and fasting? Nay said he,
q know not, for thy heart is pure as snow
And SO she pray'd and tasted, till the sun
Shone, and the wind blew thro' her, and 1
thought
She might have risen and hoated when l saw
her.
ssFor on day she sent to speak with me.
And when she came to speak, behold her eyes
Beyond my knowing of them, beautiful,
Beyond all knowing of them, wonderful,
Beautiful in the light of holiness.
And % my brother, Percivae, she sad
Sweet brother, have seen the Holy Grail:
For, walked at dead of night heard sound
AS of o silver horn from DER the hills
Blown, and thought it is not.Arthur's use
To hunt by moonlight, and the slender sonnd
AS from distance beyond distance grew
Coming upon me-O never harp nor horn,
Nor aught we blow with breadth, or touch with
hand,
Was like that music as it came; and then
Stream'd thro' my cell cold and silver beam,
And down the long beam stole the Holy Grail,
Rose-red with beatings in it, as if alive,
Till all the white walls of my cell were dyed
With rosy colors leaping on the wall;
And then the music faded and the Grail
Passed, and the beam decayed, and from the walls
The rosy quiverings died into the night
So now the Holy Thing is here again
Among US, brother, fast thou too and pray,
And tell thy brother knights to fast and pray,
That so perchance the vision may be seen
BY thee and those, and all the world be heald.'
s'Then leaving the pale nun, spake of this
To all men; and myself tasted and prayd
Always, and many among us many week
Tasted and pray'd even to the uttermost,
Expectant of the wonder that would be.
sand one there was among us, ever moved
Among us in white armor, Galahad.
God make thee good as thou art beautiful
Said Arthur when he dubb'd him knight; ant
none,
In so young youth, was ever made knight
Till Galahad; and this Galahad, when he heard
My sisters vision, filled me with amaze;
His eyes became so like her own, they seem'd
Hers, and himself her brother more than l.
s'Sister or brother none had he but some
Calld him son of Lancelot, and some said
Begotten by Observation-Disclosures they,
Like birds of passage piping up and down
That cape for hies-We know not whence the
come;
For when was Lancelot wanderingly lewd?
''But she, the wan, sweet maiden shore away
Clean from her forehead all that wealth of ha
Which made silken mat-work for her feet;
And out of this she plated broad and long
A strong sword-belt and woye with silver threa
A crimson in the belt q strange device,
And crimson grail within a silver beam;
And saw the bright boy-knight, and bound it O
him
Saying My knight, my love- my knight
heaven.
o thou, my love, whose love is one with mine,
/, maiden, round thee, mbiden, bind my belt
Go forth for thou shalt see wha have seen,
And break thro' all, till one will crown thee kir
Far in the spiritual city and as she spake
She sent the deathless passion in her eyes
Thro' him and made him hers. and laid hI