large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_03_chesterton_64kb_54
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_03_chesterton_64kb
English
5754
King Alfred gazed all sorrowful At thistle and mosses grey, Till a rally of Danes with shield and bill Rolled drunk over the dome of the hill, And, hearing of his harp and skill, They dragged him to their play. KING ALFRED GAZED ALL SORROWFUL AT THISTLE AND MOSSES GREY THEN LAUGHED AND WATCHED THE FINCHES FLASH TILL THE RALLY OF DANES WITH SHIELD AND BILL ROLLED DRUNK OVER THE DOME OF THE HILL AND HEARING OF HIS HARP AND SKILL THEY DRAGGED HIM TO THEIR PLAY
 sword, Severed the harp of all his goods, And there in the cool and soundless woods Sounded a single chord. Then laughed; and watched the finches flash, The sullen flies in swarm, And went unarmed over the hills, With the harp upon his arm, Until he came to the White Horse Vale And saw across the plains, In the twilight high and far and fell, Like the fiery terraces of hell, The camp fires of the Danes-- The fires of the Great Army That was made of iron men, Whose lights of sacrilege and scorn Ran around England red as morn, Fires over Glastonbury Thorn-- Fires out on Ely Fen. And as he went by White Horse Vale He saw lie wan and wide The old horse graven, God knows when, By gods or beasts or what things then Walked a new world instead of men And scrawled on the hill-side. And when he came to White Horse Down The great White Horse was grey, For it was ill scoured of the weed, And lichen and thorn could crawl and feed, Since the foes of settled house and creed Had swept old works away. THE KING UNBOUND HIS SWORD SEVERED THE HARP OF ALL HIS GOODS AND THERE IN THE COOL AND SOUNDLESS WOODS SOUNDED A SINGLE CHORD THEN LAUGHED AND WATCHED THE FINCHES FLASH THE SULLEN FLIES IN SWARM AND WENT UNARMED OVER THE HILLS WITH THE HARP UPON HIS ARM UNTIL HE CAME TO THE WHITE HORSE VALE AND SAW CROSS THE PLAINS IN THE TWILIGHT HIGH AND FAR AND FELL LIKE THE FIERY TERRACES OF HELL THE CAMP FIRES OF THE DANES THE FIRES OF THE GREAT ARMY THAT WAS MADE OF IRON MEN WHOSE LIGHTS OF SACRILEGE AND SCORN RAN AROUND ENGLAND RED AS MORN FIRES OVER GLASTONBURY THORN FIRES OUT ON ELY FEN AND AS HE WENT BY WHITE HORSE VALE HE SAW LIE WAN AND WIDE THE OLD HORSE GRAVEN GOD KNOWS WHEN BY GODS OR BEASTS OR WHAT KINGS THEN WALKED A NEW WORLD INSTEAD OF MEN AND SCRAWLED ON THE HILL SIDE AND WHEN HE CAME TO THE WHITE HORSE DOWN THE GREAT WHITE HORSE WAS GREY BURNT WAS EEL SCOURED OF THE WEED AND LICHEN AND THE THORN COULD CRAWL AND FEED SINCE THE FOES OF SETTLED HOUSE AND CREED HAD SWEPT OLD WORKS AWAY
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