And there a lovely cloistered court he found,

A fountain in the midst o'erthrown and dry,
And in the cloister briers twining round
The slender shafts; the wondrous imagery
Outworn by more than many years gone by;
Because the country people, in their fear
Of wizardry, had wrought destruction here;

And piteously these fair things had been maimed;

78 There stood great Jove, lacking his head of might,

Here was the archer, swift Apollo, lamed; The shapely limbs of Venus hid from sight By weeds and shards; Diana's ankles light Bound with the cable of some coasting ship; And rusty nails through Helen's maddening lip.

84

Therefrom unto the chambers did he pass, And found them fair still, midst of their decay, Though in them now no sign of man there was, And everything but stone had passed away That made them lovely in that vanished day;

1 coat of arms

But he, when all the place he had gone o'er, And with much trouble clomb the broken stair, And from the topmost turret seen the shore And his good ship drawn up at anchor there, Came down again, and found a crypt most fair Built wonderfully beneath the greatest hall, And there he saw a door within the wall, 98

Well-hinged, close shut; nor was there in that place

Another on its hinges, therefore he

Stood there and pondered for a little space, And thought, "Perchance some marvel I shall

The walls were hung a space above the head, Slim ivory chairs were set about the room, And in one corner was a dainty bed,

That seemed for some fair queen apparelled; And marble was the worst stone of the floor, That with rich Indian webs was covered o'er.

The wanderer trembled when he saw all this, Because he deemed by magic it was wrought; Yet in his heart a longing for some bliss, 129 Whereof the hard and changing world knows nought,

Upon the topmost step that still was wet, And jewelled shoes and women's dainty gear, Lay cast upon the varied pavement near. 175

In one quick glance these things his eyes
did see,

But speedily they turned round to behold
Another sight, for throned on ivory

There sat a woman, whose wet tresses rolled
On to the floor in waves of gleaming gold, 180
Cast back from such a form as, erewhile shown
To one poor shepherd, lighted up Troy town.'

Naked she was, the kisses of her feet 183 Upon the floor a dying path had made From the full bath unto her ivory seat; In her right hand, upon her bosom laid, She held a golden comb, a mirror weighed Her left hand down, aback her fair head lay Dreaming awake of some long vanished day.

Her eyes were shut, but she seemed not to sleep,

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must weep

say

203

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"Lady," he said, "in Florence is my home, And in my city noble is my name; Neither on peddling voyage am I come, But, like my fathers, bent to gather fame; And though thy face has set my heart a-flame Yet of thy story nothing do I know, But here have wandered heedlessly enow.

"But since the sight of thee mine eyes did bless,

239 What can I be but thine? what wouldst thou have?

From those thy words, I deem from some distress

By deeds of mine thy dear life I might save;
O then, delay not! if one ever gave
His life to any, mine I give to thee;
Come, tell me what the price of love must be?

"Swift death, to be with thee a day and night 246

And with the earliest dawning to be slain?
Or better, a long year of great delight,
And many years of misery and pain ?

'Then shalt thou save me, since for many a day
To such a dreadful life I have been brought :
Nor will I spare with all my heart to pay
What man soever takes my grief away;
Ah! I will love thee, if thou lovest me
But well enough my saviour now to be. 266

"My father lived a many years agone Lord of this land, master of all cunning, Who ruddy gold could draw from out grey stone,

And gather wealth from many an uncouth thing;

He made the wilderness rejoice and sing,
And such a leech he was that none could say
Without his word what soul should pass away.

"So in her temple had I lived and died And all would long ago have passed away, But ere that time came, did strange things betide,

Whereby I am alive unto this day;
Alas, the bitter words that I must say !
Ah! can I bring my wretched tongue to tell
How I was brought unto this fearful hell? 287

"A queen I was, what gods I knew I loved, And nothing evil was there in my thought, And yet by love my wretched heart was moved Until to utter ruin I was brought !

Alas! thou sayest our gods were vain and nought;

Or worse, and this poor hour for all my gain?
A sorry merchant am I on this day,
E'en as thou willest so must I obey."