Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-01-03
VOLUME VI.
THE BALLAD OF GOOD SIR usoAN.
Oh, blue are the hills of Faeryland,

Oh, blue are the hills of Faeryland,
And green the meadows be,
And reedy many a rivers strand,
And stately every forest tree,
And all the bride bells do ring,
As knights come riding, two and two,
Aneath the wood; and, like king,
Sir Urgan rides in arrnor blue
And loi as down the wood they rode,
The lake beyond just CLEANS in sight,
A wrinkled crone beneath load
Bewails her bones in sorry plight.
Good mother, be of better cheer;
Give me your lcad,n quoth Urgana So
Your fagots on my crupper here
VIII ease You in the path you go"
Then straightway all the knights, with jeer,
And laugh, and jest, upon him turn'd;
Yet all the kinglier was his cheer,
Though Just whit his forehead burnd-
And off they rode, the fouting train;
Behind the hill the laughter died;
With kindly face and slackened rein,
He rode the aged dame beside.
ssNow whittier ridst thou, fair Sir Knight,
By wild and waste and woody lane?'
81 ride,n quoth he. Gin ioust to fight,
Before the King in fair Mentaine."
sfNow z. Cd betide thee, fair Sir Knight;
When thou a league hast parted hence, =
The path that swerveth to the right
Sand midway down the thickets maze,
A horse and arinor thou wilt find;
Mount; leave thine own; and ride thy ways
Yon fouting train thou Ut leave behind.
Who rides him, conquers: thou shalt win
Fame at this joust, good knight and fair.
And lol the beldame old and thin
Did vanish into empty air
Right well amaz'd, Sir Urgan rode
By many bosky th;ckets edae;
A summer brook beside him flowed
With hidden laughter in the sedge.
Til, CLEANING through the dancing leaves,
A brazen charger reared on high;
With rusted lance, and helm, and greaves,
The faery armor hung thereby.
All mute upon the statue stared
Sir Urgan: 60 By my faith.' he cried.
"An thou hadst life, had not cared
To find n bier staed to ride:
who rides thee. conqrersrn Then in haste
He cast bis mail upon the gorse;
Soon, in the rusty armor laced,
He vaulted on the brazen horse
Flashed wide the chargers brazen eyes;
Ali heshly warm the metal grew;
His name began to stir and rise;
Through swelling veins his blood did rum
Sir urgan felt his pulses beat,
He reared-he plunged from off the. stone
And lighted down upon his feetl
Hold fast, Sir Urgani with such haste
Thy coursar never sped beforel
By hill and dale and windy waste,
With headlong speed, the charges bore.
As past the houting knights he burst,
"Who rides they wondered, Sin such
haste?-
A churlish knight, adorned with rust,
And in his grandsire's armor lacedn
But later, in the Journeys fight,
These scoffers somewhat changed their
>cheer;
"As1raver than this stranger knight,
In joust hath never battled here.n
Fer helms were cloven, spears were broke,
And knights and steeds of gallant course
Went down, before the charge and stroke
Or Urgan and his faery horse
Him to the King the herald brought;
Throned high he sat above the lists
Right well. Sir Stranger, have ye fought,
Though Of your name we nothing visit
His rusty helm the victor doff'd;
A murmur broke amid the CT owd,
And acclamations swelled aloft
As good Sir Urgan, kneeling, bowed.
They crowned him victor
Ye who read
With kindly eyes my story through,
Say, lives there not some victors need
For all good deeds that you shall do?
And when did Urgan kinglier showl
When glowed his breast with holier flame?
Was t when he rushed upon the foe,
Or bent to help the aged damea
e. Vinton Blake, in st. Nicholas