Classic Poem

Grim Fate henceforth her quarry gan to ply
In sterner sort; more earnest looking now,
Her prey she faced, whitherso it would fly:
Her eye that had but glanced began to glow:
And now her ending stroke did she prepare,
After her play, which wrought but wounds and woe
Meanwhile Diantha in the prison where
She lay immured, expected the same end:
And yet in truth she felt but little care:
For by her beauty she had gained for friend
The ruler of the castle, that young lord,
Who mad with love vowed death from her to fend.
He now was come, obedient to his word,
To lead her forth from dreadful death to light,
What time Joanna wildly sped abroad.
In secret came he in the midst of night,
And passed by stealth toward her high-towered cell
By countless steps that reached the castle's height
He found her soft hand in the stony well,
Drew sweetly her long arm through his own hand,
Till round her yielded form his strong arm fell
Thus on the topmost turret stairs they stand;
Then down they steal in hush of silence deep.
Alas! in vain their care: an armed band
Awaited them below the stairway steep,
When at the bottom they arrived were,
And in the dusk abroad began to peep.
Then an old knight full stern his hand did rear
Against this lord's breast, whispering, " Madness great
Is on thee, sure, Eustace, my nephew dear
" How many scores of knights within thy gate
Upon this grave occasion are met,
And this exemplar punishment await?
" If of to-morrow's promise they be let,
If traitor to thy order thee they find,
How will they rage, what vengeance will they whet!
" But fear not that: for here with faithful mind
Thy kinsmen only stand: none other, lo!
If but this folly be betimes resigned. "
Thus said he: and the other did forego
His promised prize, with bitter raging pain:
No other might be: many stood below
So was Diantha back to prison ta'en —
Who then their meditated flight betrayed?
The Fool of Robert 'twas that wrought their bane.
For he, who for the most part wait had laid
By Mano's door, keeping malignant watch,
And with shrill yells and laughter his ears brayed,
Nevertheless some moments found to snatch
To jeer Diantha with his wondrous tongue;
And thus her plot of flight in mind gan catch
He saw Sir Eustace, that castellan young,
Nigh hand: and carried this to that old knight,
His uncle stern, to whom the song he sung
That was the time, before the fall of night,
When he was busy in his meddling spleen,
That poor Joanna came to Mano's sight,
Nor was by that malicious antic seen:
And when she left the imprisoned knight again,
He went back thither with his gibings keen
So chanced it that she never came in ken
But she went forth into the sanded yard,
And heard the angry voices of those men:
And after found Sir Eustace panting hard,
And raging idly with his lossful gain:
Him in the dark her eyes with care regard. —
She knew him for the gentle lord, certain,
Who had not letted her from Mano's cell;
And hope rose in her, aid from him to gain.
Therefore her voice, softer than silver bell,
Stole to his ear, while she for pity pled,
Almost invisible, scarce audible.
The sore man thereupon being comforted,
She promised him that he his love should win
If only to her counsel he obeyed:
To which he well agreed: then, to begin,
Her in Diantha's cell she bade him place: —
And he led her up the stair the tower within
A soldier there, whose feet they heard to pace,
Refused her not, nor would her passage stay,
For him she won by largess and mere grace,
Saying, that nought she meant him to betray,
Nor cause him scath, if but for moments few
With the condemned maid she might delay
— But ere she went, her step she yet withdrew
Unto Sir Eustace, and into his hand
Laid Mano's ring, saying, " As thou art true
" I charge thee; yea, as thou to God shalt stand,
Bear this to Mano: bid him use it so
As he to other's use did it remand. "
Then up the narrower stairway did she go,
Leaving him there to wait her quick return:
Nor long he waited in his place below,
Where the steep windings left a shady turn,
When forth she issued on the downward way,
And in his hand he felt her touch to burn.
Full well he seemed to know, the truth to say,
That tender yielding hand, the which he pressed:
Yes, 'twas Diantha's hand in his that lay.
Then gasping joy rose in him, when he guessed:
But horror soon and pity swelled his tide
For her by whose undoing he was blessed.
But in that place not long might they abide:
He led, and set her on Joanna's beast;
And to the gate in courtesy did guide;
And saw her soon into the world released;
The warders knowing nought of all the thing,
And seeing but their master speed his guest
And, to make short this story's wandering,
In foreign lands Sir Eustace went to her
After the day that Mano's death did bring.
He went to her, and was the messenger
Of Mano's and Joanna's tragedy;
But he had lost the love that was whilere,
For he was changed by all that misery,
And to have married her, or otherwise
Enjoyed her love, he deemed mere infamy.
And he so wrought with her, that she likewise
Was changed in heart, and all her follies old
With scorpion whip her conscience did chastise
Wherefore their course most chastely they did hold
To Italy: where she her father met,
Whom she had left so long, the Count Thurold
And thus Sir Mano did discharge his debt,
If not in person, yet by deputy,
Her in her father's house again to set.
And not long thence Count Thurold fell to die,
And in her arms he died: and she thereon
To convent went, and lived in sanctity,
Till eke by her the better world was won
And Eustace, he became a hermit great,
Of blessed memory for alms deeds done:
Unto the poor he parted his estate,
Lived in the wild, and was of people sought
For his wise redes and heart compassionate.
And thus with these it ended as it ought.