24
THE PRINCE'S PROGRESS.
"I will give you a jewel of gold."—
"Not so; gold is heavy and cold."—
"I will give you a velvet fold
Of foreign work your beauty to deck."-
"Better I like my kerchief rolled
Light and white round my neck."
"Not so; gold is heavy and cold."—
"I will give you a velvet fold
Of foreign work your beauty to deck."-
"Better I like my kerchief rolled
Light and white round my neck."
"Nay," cried he, "but fix your own fee."—
She laughed, "You may give the full moon tome;
Or else sit under this apple-tree
Here for one idle day by my side;
After that I'll let you go free,
And the world is wide."
She laughed, "You may give the full moon tome;
Or else sit under this apple-tree
Here for one idle day by my side;
After that I'll let you go free,
And the world is wide."
Loth to stay, yet to leave her slack,
He half turned away, then he quite turned back:
For courtesy's sake he could not lack
To redeem his own royal pledge;
Ahead too the windy heaven lowered black
With a fire-cloven edge.
He half turned away, then he quite turned back:
For courtesy's sake he could not lack
To redeem his own royal pledge;
Ahead too the windy heaven lowered black
With a fire-cloven edge.
So he stretched his length in the apple-tree shade,
Lay and laughed and talked to the maid,
Who twisted her hair in a cunning braid
And writhed it in shining serpent-coils,
And held him a day and night fast laid
In her subtle toils.
Lay and laughed and talked to the maid,
Who twisted her hair in a cunning braid
And writhed it in shining serpent-coils,
And held him a day and night fast laid
In her subtle toils.
At the death of night and the birth of day,
When the owl left off his sober play,
And the bat hung himself out of the way,
When the owl left off his sober play,
And the bat hung himself out of the way,
