large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_01_chesterton_64kb_19
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_01_chesterton_64kb
English
5754
Fearfully plain the flowers grew, Like the child's book to read, Or like a friend's face seen in a glass; He looked; and there Our Lady was, She stood and stroked the tall live grass As a man strokes his steed. FEARFULLY PLAIN THE FLOWERS GREW LIKE THE CHILD'S BOOK TO READ OR LIKE A FRIEND'S FACE SEEN IN A GLASS HE LOOKED AND THERE OUR LADY WAS SHE STOOD AND STROKED THE TALL LIVE GRASS AS A MAN STROKES HIS STEED
 if ever he climbed the crest of luck And set the flag before, Returning as a wheel returns, Came ruin and the rain that burns, And all began once more. And naught was left King Alfred But shameful tears of rage, In the island in the river In the end of all his age. In the island in the river He was broken to his knee: And he read, writ with an iron pen, That God had wearied of Wessex men And given their country, field and fen, To the devils of the sea. And he saw in a little picture, Tiny and far away, His mother sitting in Egbert's hall, And a book she showed him, very small, Where a sapphire Mary sat in stall With a golden Christ at play. It was wrought in the monk's slow manner, From silver and sanguine shell, Where the scenes are little and terrible, Keyholes of heaven and hell. In the river island of Athelney, With the river running past, In colours of such simple creed All things sprang at him, sun and weed, Till the grass grew to be grass indeed And the tree was a tree at last. ON RAN IN THE WOODS ALONE AND IF HE EVER CLIMBED THE CREST OF LUCK AND SET THE FLAG BEFORE RETURNING AS THE WHEEL RETURNS CAME RUIN AND THE RAIN THAT BURNS AND ALL BEGAN ONCE MORE AND NAUGHT WAS LEFT KING ALFRED BUT SHAMEFUL TEARS OF RAGE IN THE ISLAND IN THE RIVER IN THE END OF ALL HIS AGE IN THE ISLAND IN THE RIVER HE WAS BROKEN TO HIS KNEE AND HE READ WRIT WITH AN IRON PEN THAT GOD HAD WEARIED OF WESSEX MEN AND GIVEN THEIR COUNTRY FIELD AND FEN TO THE DEVILS OF THE SEA AND HE SAW IN A LITTLE PICTURE TINY AND FAR AWAY HIS MOTHER SITTING IN EGBERT'S HALL AND A BOOK SHE SHOWED HIM VERY SMALL WHERE SAPPHIRE MARY SAT IN STALL WAS A GOLDEN CHRIST AT PLAY IT WAS WROUGHT IN THE MONK'S SLOW MANNER FROM SILVER AND SANGUINE SHELL WHERE THE SCENES ARE LITTLE AND TERRIBLE KEYHOLES OF HEAVEN AND HELL IN THE RIVER ISLAND OF ADULNAE WITH THE RIVER RUNNING PAST IN COLOURS OF SUCH SIMPLE CREED ALL THINGS SPRANG AT HIM SUN AND WEED TILL THE GRASS GREW TO BE GRASS INDEED AND THE TREE WAS A TREE AT LAST
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_01_chesterton_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_01_chesterton_64kb.flac