large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_04_chesterton_64kb_16
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_04_chesterton_64kb
English
5754
"For was not God my gardener And silent like a slave; That opened oaks on the uplands Or thicket in graveyard gave? "And was not God my armourer, All patient and unpaid, That sealed my skull as a helmet, And ribs for hauberk made? FOR WAS NOT GOD MY GARDENER AND SILENT LIKE A SLAVE THAT OPENED OAKS IN THE UPLANDS O' THE THICKET AND GRAVEYARD GAVE AND WAS NOT GOD MY ARMOURER ALL PATIENT AND UNPAID THAT SEALED MY SKULL AS A HELMET AND RIBS FOR HAUBERK MADE
e, And Eldred who beside the sea Held heavily his farm. The roof leaned gaping to the grass, As a monstrous mushroom lies; Echoing and empty seemed the place; But opened in a little space A great grey woman with scarred face And strong and humbled eyes. King Alfred was but a meagre man, Bright eyed, but lean and pale: And swordless, with his harp and rags, He seemed a beggar, such as lags Looking for crusts and ale. And the woman, with a woman's eyes Of pity at once and ire, Said, when that she had glared a span, "There is a cake for any man If he will watch the fire." And Alfred, bowing heavily, Sat down the fire to stir, And even as the woman pitied him So did he pity her. Saying, "O great heart in the night, O best cast forth for worst, Twilight shall melt and morning stir, And no kind thing shall come to her, Till God shall turn the world over And all the last are first. "And well may God with the serving-folk Cast in His dreadful lot; Is not He too a servant, And is not He forgot? ALY AND COLON OF THE SACRED TREE AND ELDRED WHO BESIDE THE SEA HELD HEAVILY HIS FARM THE ROOF LEANED GAPING TO THE GRASS AS A MONSTROUS MUSHROOM LIES ECHOING AND EMPTY SEEMED THE PLACE BUT OPENED IN A LITTLE SPACE AND A GREAT GRAY WOMAN WITH SCARRED FACE AND STRONG AND HUMBLED EYES KING ALFRED WAS BUT A MEAGER MAN BRIGHT EYED BUT LEAN AND PALE AND SWORDLESS WITH HIS HARP AND RAGS HE SEEMED A BEGGAR SUCH AS LAGS LOOKING FOR CRUSTS AND ALE AND THE WOMAN WITH A WOMAN'S EYES OF PITY AT ONCE AND IRE SAID THAT WHEN SHE HAD GLARED A SPAN THERE IS A CAKE FOR ANY MAN IF HE WILL WATCH THE FIRE AND ALFRED BOWING HEAVILY SAT DOWN THE FIRE TO STIR AND EVEN AS THE WOMAN PITIED HIM SO DID HE PITY HER SAYING O GREAT HEART IN THE NIGHT O BEST CAST FORTH FOR WORST TWILIGHT SHALL MELT AND MORNING STIR AND NO KIND THING SHALL COME TO HER TILL GOD SHALL TURN THE WORLD OVER AND ALL THE LAST ARE FIRST AND WELL MAY GOD WITH THE SERVING FOLK CAST IN HIS DREADFUL LOT IS NOT HE TOO A SERVANT AND IS NOT HE FORGOT
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_04_chesterton_64kb
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download/librilight/large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_04_chesterton_64kb.flac