But Lancelot on him urged

All the devisings of their chivalry

When one might meet a mightier than himself;
How best to manage horse, lance, sword, and shield,
And so fill up the gap where force might fail
With skill and fineness. Instant were his words.

Then Gareth: "Here be rules. I know but one-
To dash against mine enemy and to win.
Yet have I watch'd thee victor in the joust,
And seen thy way." "Heaven help thee!" sigh'd
Lynette.

Then for a space, and under cloud that grew To thunder-gloom palling all stars, they rode In converse till she made her palfrey halt, Lifted an arm, and softly whisper'd, "There." And all the three were silent seeing, pitch'd Beside the Castle Perilous on flat field,

1315

1320

1325

A huge pavilion like a mountain peak
Sunder the glooming crimson on the marge,

1330

Black, with black banner, and a long black horn
Beside it hanging; which Sir Gareth graspt,
And so, before the two could hinder him,
Sent all his heart and breath thro' all the horn.
Echo'd the walls, a light twinkled; anon
Came lights and lights, and once again he blew;
Whereon were hollow tramplings up and down
And muffled voices heard, and shadows past;
Till high above him, circled with her maids,

1335

The Lady Lyonors at a window stood,
Beautiful among lights, and waving to him

White hands and courtesy; but when the prince

Three times had blown-after long hush-at last―
The huge pavilion slowly yielded up,

1340

Thro' those black foldings, that which housed therein. 1345
High on a night-black horse, in night-black arms,
With white breast-bone, and barren ribs of Death,
And crown'd with fleshless laughter-some ten steps-
In the half-light-thro' the dim dawn-advanced
The monster, and then paused, and spake no word.

But Gareth spake and all indignantly:
"Fool, for thou hast, men say, the strength of ten,
Canst thou not trust the limbs thy God hath given,
But must, to make the terror of thee more,
Trick thyself out in ghastly imageries

Of that which Life hath done with, and the clod,
Less dull than thou, will hide with mantling flowers
As if for pity?" But he spake no word;
Which set the horror higher: a maiden swoon'd;
The Lady Lyonors wrung her hands and wept,
As doom'd to be the bride of Night and Death;
Sir Gareth's head prickled beneath his helm;
And even Sir Lancelot thro' his warm blood felt
Ice strike, and all that mark'd him were aghast.

1350

1355

1360

1365

At once Sir Lancelot's charger fiercely neigh'd, And Death's dark war-horse bounded forward with him. Then those that did not blink the terror saw

That Death was cast to ground, and slowly rose.
But with one stroke Sir Gareth split the skull.
Half fell to right and half to left and lay.
Then with a stronger buffet he clove the helm
As throughly as the skull; and out from this
Issued the bright face of a blooming boy
Fresh as a flower new-born, and crying, "Knight,
Slay me not: my three brethren bade me do it,
To make a horror all about the house,
And stay the world from Lady Lyonors;
They never dream'd the passes would be past.”
Answer'd Sir Gareth graciously to one
Not many a moon his younger, "My fair child,
What madness made thee challenge the chief knight
Of Arthur's hall?" "Fair Sir, they bade me do it.
They hate the King and Lancelot, the King's friend;
They hoped to slay him somewhere on the stream,
They never dream'd the passes could be past.”

Then sprang the happier day from underground;
And Lady Lyonors and her house, with dance
And revel and song, made merry over Death,
As being after all their foolish fears
And horrors only proven a blooming boy.

1370

1375

1380

1385

1390

So large mirth lived, and Gareth won the quest.

And he that told the tale in older times Says that Sir Gareth wedded Lyonors, But he that told it later says Lynette.

NOTES ON GARETH AND LYNETTE

ALFRED TENNYSON

This is the second in a famous series of poems constituting the Idylls of the King, by Alfred Tennyson. In the Idylls we find described the deeds of Arthur, the traditional, or perhaps mythical King of the Britons, and his Knights of the Round Table. Most of the material is drawn from the old romance Morte d' Arthur, by Mallory. The first of the Idylls, The Coming of Arthur, tells the story of the birth of Arthur, his early

achievements, and his marriage with Guinevere. The following from Van Dyke's "Poetry of Tennyson" is a fine characterization of the poem that we are to study. "Then comes Gareth and Lynette. Here the conflict is between a true ambition and a false pride. Gareth is an honest, ardent fellow who longs for 'good fame and renomee'. He wishes to rise in the world, but he is willing to work and fight his way upward; yes, even to serve as a kitchen-knave if so he may win his spurs at last and ride among the noble knights of the Round Table. His conception of nobility grasps the essence of it without caring much for the outward form. Lynette is a society girl, a worshipper of rank and station; brave, high-spirited, lovable, but narrow-minded, and scornful of every one who lacks the visible marks of distinction. She judges by the senses. She cannot imagine that a man who comes from among the lower classes can possibly be a knight, and despises Gareth's proffered services. But his pride, being true, is stronger than hers, being false. He will not be rebuffed; follows her, fights her battles, wins first her admiration, then her love, and brings her at.last to see that true knighthood lies not in the name but in the deed. The atmosphere of this Idyll is altogether pure and clear. There is as yet no shadow of the storm that is coming to disturb