Classic Poem

THE DOG AND THE ADDER

There was a knight,
A rich man of great might,
And had a good woman to wife,
And a woman of good life.
Between them there came an heir;
A good child and a fair,
And young age it was,
A twelvemonth old it was.
There was no thing such
That the knight loved so much.
The knight had another jewel
That he loved so well.
A greyhound that was good and snel,
And the knight loved it well.

In the court there was wrought
An old tower that served of nought,
And in a crevice there was bred
An adder, and had therein a bed.
Then the adder woke and heard
All the people how it fared,
Trump, tabor, and melody,
And heraldis loud cry,
The adder sought way over all
Till she came out of the wall.
Out of the wall she came,
Into the hall that way she name,
And drove him toward the cradle near
To slay the child that was there.
Toward the cradle as he did slide,
The good greyhound lay and spied,
And was so wroth withal
That he came into the hall.
The greyhound stood up anon,
And to the adder he 'gan goon;
There they foughten together long,
And either wounded other strong.
As they foughten, hear ye moun,
The cradle went upside down;
The cradle upon the pommels stood —
The child had naught but good;
It no woke; nor it no weep
But all still and sleep.
The greyhound went the worm so nigh
That into the yard the worm did fly;
The greyhound followed him so fast,
That he slew him at the last.
Then the adder was fall,
The greyhound laid him in the hall,
Evil wounded over all,
And forsooth he lay and yal.

" Sir," she said, " surely,
The child that thou lovedst so dearly
Thy greyhound has waxen wood,
And has eaten him flesh and blood."
Then was the lord sorry i-nowe;
In toward the hall he him drowe,
And the lady with him name.
Into the hall soon he came:
The greyhound his lord did spy,
And set both his feet on high
Upon his breast to make solas;
And the more harm was.
The knight drew out his sword anon,
And smote out the rygge bone.
The knight commanded anon right,
Bear the cradle out of his sight.
There stood a man that was glad
To do that the knight bade,
And bear the cradle out in his arm,
And saw the child had no harm.
In his arm the child he hent,
And into the hall he went,
And said, " Alas, thy good greyhound!
Here is thy son whole and sound."
Then they that were in the hall
Hadden great wonder all
That the child alive was,
And said it was a wonder case.
At the last they founden all
How the case was befall,
How the adder was y-slew
That the greyhound had y-drew.
" Alas!" quoth the knight tho',
" My good greyhound is a-goo."
The knight was sorry therefore.
That his greyhound was forlore;
Into his orchard the way he nome
And to a fish-pool he come,
And for dole of his hound,
He leapt in, and sank to ground.