Oracles

THE EARL’S QUEST I53 Began to gather flesh, to breathe, to stir. Such was the path, yet hard should find the work Glamour, to weave her web of gossamer Over such eyesight as the Earl’s for murk. He had watched for larvæ by the midnight roads, The stake-transpiercèd corpse, the caves where lurk The demon spiders, and the shapeless toads Fed by their lovers duly on the draught That bloats and blisters, blackens and corrodes. These had he seed of old ; so now he laughed, Not without bitterness deep-lying, that erst He had esteemed such foolish devil’s craft Part of his quest, his qest when fair and first He flung the last, the strongest horseman back With such a buffet that no skill amerced Its debt but headlong in his charger’s track He must be hurled, rib-shattered by the shock ; And the loud populace exclaimed “ Alack ! ”, Their favourite foiled. But oh ! the royal stock Of holy kings from Christ to Charlemagne Hailed him, anointed him, fair lock by lock, With oil that drew incalculable gain From those six olives in the midst whereof Christ prayed the last time, ere the fatal Wain