Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE FAERY QUEENE.

BOOKII. CANTO II.

Babes bloody handes may not be clensd.
The face of golden Meane;
Her sisters, two Extremities,
Strive her to banish cleane.

I.

THUS when Sir Guyon, with his faithful guyde,
Had with dew rites and dolorous lament
The end of their sad tragedie uptyde,
The litle babe up in his armes he hent,

Who with sweet pleasaunce and bold blandishment
Gan smyle on them, that rather ought to weepe,
As carelesse of his woe, or innocent
Of that was doen; that ruth emperced deepe
In that knightes hart, and wordes with bitter teares
[did steepe;

II.

"Ah! lucklesse Babe! borne under cruell starre, " And in dead parents balefull ashes bred, "Full little weenest thou what sorrowes are "Left thee for porcion of thy livelyhed. "Poore Orphane! in the wide world scattered, " As budding braunch rent from the native tree, "And throwne forth till it be withered : "Such is the state of men; thus enter we "Into this life with woe, and end with miseree."

III.

Then soft himselfe inclyning on his knee
Downe to that well, did in the water weene
(So love does loath disdainfull nicitee)
His guiltie handes from bloody gore to cleene:
He washt them oft and oft, yet nought they beene
For all his washing cleaner: still he strove,
Yet still the litle hands were bloody seene; на
The which him into great amaz'ment drove,O
And into diverse doubt his wavering wonder clove.

IV.

20

He wist not whether blott of fowle offence
Might not be purgd with water nor with bath;
Or that high God, in lieu of innocence,
Imprinted had that token of his wrath,
To shew how sore blood-guiltinesse he hat'th;
Or that the charme and veneme which they dronck,
Their blood with secret filth infected hath, hai
Being diffused through the senceless tronck, [stonck.
That through the great contagion direful deadly

V.

Whom thus at gaze the palmer gan to bord With goodly reason, and thus fayre bespake; " Ye bene right hard amated, gratious Lord, "And of your ignorance great merveill make, >>> "Whiles cause not well conceived ye mistake: "But know, that secret vertues are infusd " In every fountaine and in everie lake,

[ocr errors]

"Which who hath skill them rightly to have chusd, "To proofe of passing wonders hath full often usd :

२०

VI.

"Of those some were so from their sourse indewd "By great Dame Nature, from whose fruitfull pap "Their wel-heads spring, and are with moisture

Strandeawd,

amt asbend

" Which feeds each living plant with liquid sap, " And filles with flowres fayre Floraes painted lap : " But other some by guifte of later grace, "Or by good prayers, or by other hap, " Had vertue pourd into their waters bace, " And thenceforth were renowmd, and sought from VII. [place to place. "Such is this well, wrought by occasion straunge, " Which to her nymph befell. Upon a day, "As she the woodes with bow and shaftes did raunge, "The hartlesse hynd and roebucke to dismay, "Dan Faunus chaunst to meet her by the way, "And kindling fire at her faire-burning eye, "Inflamed was to follow beauties chace, " And chaced her, that fast from him did fly; "As hynd from her, so she fled from her enimy.

VIII.

25

"At last when fayling breath began to faint, " And saw no meanes to scape, of shame affrayd, "She set her downe to weepe for sore constraint, " And to Diana calling lowde for ayde, "Her deare besought to let her die a mayd. "The goddesse heard, and suddeine where she sate, " Welling out streames of teares, and quite dismayd "With stony feare of that rude rustick mate, [state. "Transformd her to a stone from stedfast virgin's

IX.

" Lo now she is that stone; from whose two heads, "As from two weeping eyes, fresh streames do flow, "Yet colde through feare and old conceived dreads : " And yet the stone her semblance seemes to show, " Shapt like a maide, that such you may her know; " And yet her vertues in her water byde, "For it is chaste and pure as purest snow, " Ne lets her waves with any filth be dyde,νίαΣ "But ever, like herselfe, unstayned hath been tryde.

X.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"From thence it comes, that this babe's bloody hand " May not be clensd with water of this well: "Ne certes, Sir, strive you it to withstand, opta "But let them still be bloody, as befell, "That they his mother's innocence may tell, "As she bequeathd in her last testament; "That as a sacred symbole it may dwell " In her sonnes flesh, to mind revengement, "And be for all chaste dames an endlesse moniment."

XI.

He hearkned to his reason; and the childe
Uptaking, to the palmer gave to beare;
But his sad father's armes with blood defilde
(An heavie load) himselfe did lightly reare;
And turning to that place, in which whyleare
He left his loftie steed with golden sell,
And goodly gorgeous barbes, him found not theare:
By other accident, that earst befell,

He is convaide; but how or where, here fits not tell.

XII.

Which when Sir Guyon saw, all were he wroth,
Yet algates mote he soft himselfe appease, ode
And fairely fair on foot, however loth; hlust
His double burden did him sore disease

[ocr errors]

JA

১১

23

So long they traveiled with little ease, edit pode
Till that at last they to a castle came to h
Built on a rocke adioyning to the seas;
It was an auncient worke of antique fame,
And wondrous strong by nature and by skilful frame.

XIII.

Therein three sisters dwelt of sundry sort,
The children of one syre by mothers three,
Who dying whylome, did divide this fort
To them by equall shares in equall feed
But stryfull mind and diverse qualiteel
Drew them in partes, and each made others foe:
Still did they strive and daily disagree;
The eldest did against the youngest goe

And both against the middest ineant to worken woe.

XIV.

Where when the knight arriv'd, he was right well
Receiv'd, as knight of so much worth became,
Of second sister, who did far excell
The other two; Medina was her name,
A sober sad and comely courteous dame;
Who rich arayd, and yet in modest guize,
In goodly garments, that her well became,
Fayre marching forth in honorable wize,
Him at the threshold mett, and well did enterprize.

« PreviousContinue »