large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_08_chesterton_64kb_52
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_08_chesterton_64kb
English
5754
And men went forth from Alfred's face, Even great gift bearing lords, Not to Rome only, but more bold, Out to the high hot courts of old, Of negroes clad in cloth of gold, Silence, and crooked swords, Scrawled screens and secret gardens And insect laden skies   Where fiery plains stretch on and on To the purple country of Prester John And the walls of Paradise. AND MEN WENT FORTH FROM ALFRED'S FACE EVEN GREAT GIFT BEARING LORDS NOT TO ROME ONLY BUT MORE BOLD OUT TO THE HIGH HOT COURTS OF OLD OF NEGROES CLAD IN CLOTH OF GOLD SILENCE AND CROOKED SWORDS SCRAWLED SCREENS AND SECRET GARDENS AND INSECT LADEN SKIES WHERE FIERY PLAINS STRETCH ON AND ON TO THE PURPLE COUNTRY OF PRESTER JOHN AND THE WALLS OF PARADISE
shine on his head. And he gathered the songs of simple men That swing with helm and hod, And the alms he gave as a Christian Like a river alive with fishes ran; And he made gifts to a beggar man As to a wandering god. And he gat good laws of the ancient kings, Like treasure out of the tombs; And many a thief in thorny nook, Or noble in sea-stained turret shook, For the opening of his iron book, And the gathering of the dooms. Then men would come from the ends of the earth, Whom the King sat welcoming, And men would go to the ends of the earth Because of the word of the King. For folk came in to Alfred's face Whose javelins had been hurled On monsters that make boil the sea, Crakens and coils of mystery. Or thrust in ancient snows that be The white hair of the world. And some had knocked at the northern gates Of the ultimate icy floor, Where the fish freeze and the foam turns black, And the wide world narrows to a track, And the other sea at the world's back Cries through a closed door. OSOM AND THE SUNSHINE ON HIS HEAD AND HE GATHERED THE SONGS OF SIMPLE MEN THAT SWING WITH HELM AND HOD AND THE ELMS HE GAVE AS A CHRISTIAN LIKE A RIVER ALIVE WITH FISHES RAN AND HE MADE GIFTS TO A BEGGAR MAN AS TO A WANDERING GOD AND HE GAT GOOD LAWS OF THE ANCIENT KINGS LIKE TREASURE OUT OF THE TOMBS AND MANY A THIEF IN THORNY NOOK OR A NOBLE IN SEA STAINED TURRET SHOOK FOR THE OPENING OF HIS IRON BOOK AND THE GATHERING OF THE DOOMS THEN MEN WOULD COME FROM THE ENDS OF THE EARTH WHOM THE KING SAT WELCOMING AND MEN WOULD GO TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH BECAUSE OF THE WORDS OF THE KING FOR FOLK CAME INTO ALFRED'S FACE WHOSE JAVELINS HAD BEEN HURLED ON MONSTERS THAT MAKE BOIL THE SEA CRACKEN AND COILS OF MYSTERY OR THRUST IN ANCIENT SNOWS THAT BE THE WHITE HAIR OF THE WORLD AND SOME HAD KNOCKED AT THE NORTHERN GATES OF THE ULTIMATE ICY FLOOR WHERE THE FISHES FREEZE AND THE FOAM TURNS BLACK AND THE WIDE WORLD NARROWS TO A TRACK AND THE OTHER SEA AT THE WORLD'S BACK CRIES THROUGH A CLOSED DOOR
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_08_chesterton_64kb
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