Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BALLADS OF THE NIGHT: THE LAMENT OF THE KING AND QUEEN, by PAUL FORT


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BALLADS OF THE NIGHT: THE LAMENT OF THE KING AND QUEEN, by                    
First Line: All in the woodland green, sombrely dight, wandered a king and
Last Line: "mundane. . . ."
Subject(s): Courts & Courtiers; Lament; Love; Night; Royal Court Life; Royalty; Kings; Queens; Bedtime


All in the woodland green, sombrely dight, wandered a king and queen at the fall
of night.

She has the chain, and he bears the lamb of gold -- "Take back the chain," said
she, "All our love is cold."

"You loved me, queen. Can I cancel love's pain? Then take this lamb of gold, and
the chain retain."

"Let us be still, be still, where moonlight blanches. Farewell requites farewell
'neath sighing branches."

One shade to the chateau, lonely, returns. One shade, with gold aglow, flees
through the ferns.

What, that has not been said, what shall I say of loves so quickly dead 'mid
nights of May?

Say that the heaven's seem ne'er to agree with life's eternal dream, love's
fantasy?

O'er the dead loves we mourn gold skies are bending. Splendid criterion of loves
unending!

Love, 'tis a chilling rain falls on us soon. Suffer, above our pain bright
shines the moon.

Here the lament dies, dies of melancholy. -- "A king and queen once loved, loved
with tender folly."

Ah, passion's brittleness! Weary refrain! -- "Alas, the littleness of our loves
mundane. . . ."





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