Upon your shoulders. If you find a figure
More salient and germane to my condition,
I might then care to live. Your point of honor,
Reduced obscurely to a nothingness,
Would hardly be a solid resting-place,
Or a safe one, for me. Give me the choice
Of death, or of inflicting more than death,
I would not live from now until tomorrow.
All said, what have I done? What you have seen.
And if there’s any man or Andred breathing
Who tells you lies of more than you have seen,
Give me his name, and he’ll tell no more lies.
Andred is waking up; and if I’ve ears,
Here are those guards coming with Gouvernail.
Andred, if you were not my lizard-cousin,
You might not be awake.”
More salient and germane to my condition,
I might then care to live. Your point of honor,
Reduced obscurely to a nothingness,
Would hardly be a solid resting-place,
Or a safe one, for me. Give me the choice
Of death, or of inflicting more than death,
I would not live from now until tomorrow.
All said, what have I done? What you have seen.
And if there’s any man or Andred breathing
Who tells you lies of more than you have seen,
Give me his name, and he’ll tell no more lies.
Andred is waking up; and if I’ve ears,
Here are those guards coming with Gouvernail.
Andred, if you were not my lizard-cousin,
You might not be awake.”
“I heard that, Tristram,”
Groaned a low voice. “I shall remember that.
I heard the Queen say, ‘Tristram, I’m all yours—
All yours!’ And then she kissed you till her mouth
Might have been part of yours. ‘All yours! All yours!’
Let the King say if I’m a lizard now,
Groaned a low voice. “I shall remember that.
I heard the Queen say, ‘Tristram, I’m all yours—
All yours!’ And then she kissed you till her mouth
Might have been part of yours. ‘All yours! All yours!’
Let the King say if I’m a lizard now,
[ 63 ]
