conception of arthur

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Poems (4)

The Conception
Of Arthur

By Myself

Uther Pendragon was a passionate King,
He sought the fair Igraine;
And though she was wedded to a duke,
His love would never wane.

He consulted the wizard Merlin,
Who said "It is meant to be;
You shall give her a child of valour
That will be remembered for eternity."

That night, the duke was slain,
Though Igraine had yet to learn;
Merlin wove a strange enchantment,
Pendragon's form began to turn.

He set off for Tintagil
In the shape of Igraine's love.
And so that night he lay with her,
Until the sun shone up above.

Pendragon kissed her one last time,
And left her smiling in the bed.
Igraine thought she had been blessed with child
By the man that she had wed.

News was brought to the fair Igraine
That her husband was earlier slain.
She marvelled and thought,
"Beside whom have I lain?"

Tristram
To
Isolt

by Madison Cawein

Yea, there are some who always seek
The love that lasts an hour;
And some who in love's language speak,
Yet never know his power.

Of such was I, who knew not what
Sweet mysteries can rise
Within the heart when 'tis its lot
To love and realise.

Of such was I, Isolt! till, lo,
Your face on mine did gleam,
And changed that world, I used to know,
Into an evil dream.

That world wherein, on hill and plain,
Great blood-red poppies bloomed;
Their hot hearts thirsty for the rain,
And sleepily perfumed.

Above, below, on every part,
A crimson shadow lay;
As if the red sun streamed athwart,
And sunset was alway.

I know not how; I know not when;
I only know that there
She met me in the haunted glen,
A poppy in her hair.

Her face seemed fair as Mary's is,
That knows nor sin nor wrong;
Her presence fills the silences
As music fills a song.

And she was clad like the Mother of God,
As 'twere for Christ's sweet sake;
But when she moved and where she trod
A hiss went of a snake.

Though seeming sinless, till I die
I shall not know for sure
Why to my soul she seemed a lie
And otherwise than pure.

Now why I kissed her soon and late,
And for her felt desire,
While loathing of her passion ate
Into my heart like fire.

Was it because my soul could tell
That, like the poppy flower,
She had no soul? a thing of Hell,
That o'er mine had no power.

Or was it that your love at last,
My soul so long had craved,
From that sweet sin which held me fast
At that last moment, saved?

The First Time

by Michael Burch

The first time that I saw her,
there were flowers in the hair
of Gwenhyvar.

The first time that I saw her,
the rain fell everywhere
on Gwenhyvar.

The first time that I saw her,
I brushed away a tear
from Gwenhyvar.

The first time that I saw her,
King Leodegrance's daughter,
she knew that she was barter
for the dowry of her father -
Gwenhyvar.