The villa thus completely grac'd, All own that Thrifty has a taste; And Madam's female friends and cousins, THE FRIAR OF ORDERS GREY. FIRST PUBLISHED BY DR. PERCY. It was a Friar of Orders Gray And he met with a lady fair "Now Christ thee save, thou reverend Friar, I pray thee tell to me, If ever at yon holy shrine My true-love thou didst see." "And how should I know your true-love From many another one?" "O, by his cockle hat, and staff, And by his sandal shoon. "But chiefly by his face and mien His flaxen locks that sweetly curl'd, "O Lady, he is dead and gone! "Within these holy cloysters long Lamenting of a lady's love, Here bore him barefac'd on his bier "And art thou dead, thou gentle youth! And art thou dead and gone! And didst thou die for love of me?— 'O weep not, Lady, weep not so; "O do not, do not, holy Friar, My sorrow, now reprove; "And now, alas! for thy sad loss, "Weep no more, Lady, weep no more, Thy sorrow is in vain: For violets pluck'd, the sweetest showers Will ne'er make grow again. Our joys as winged dreams do fly, "O, say not so, thou holy Friar, "And will he never come again? Will he ne'er come again? Ah! no; he is dead, and laid in his grave, For ever to remain. "His cheek was redder than the rose; But he is dead, and laid in his grave: Sigh no more, Lady, sigh no more, One foot on sea and one on land, "Hadst thou been fond, he had been false, "Now say not so, thou holy Friar, I pray thee say not so; My love he had the truest heart-- O he was ever true! "And thou art dead, thou much-lov'd youth! And didst thou die for me? Then farewell home! for evermore A pilgrim I will be. "But first upon my true love's-grave My weary limbs I'll lay, And thrice I'll kiss the green-grass turf That wraps his breathless clay." "Yet stay, fair lady, rest a while, Beneath this cloyster wall: See, through the hawthorne blows the cold wind, And drizzly rain doth fall.” "O stay me not, thou holy Friar! No drizzly rain that falls on me "Yet stay, fair lady, turn again, "Here forc'd by grief and hopeless love, "But haply, for my year of grace No longer would I stay." Now farewell grief, and welcome joy Once more unto my heart; For since I have found thee, lovely youth! We never more will part." |