large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_08_chesterton_64kb_27
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_08_chesterton_64kb
English
5754
And men, seeing such embassies, Spake with the King and said: "The steel that sang so sweet a tune On Ashdown and on Ethandune, Why hangs it scabbarded so soon, All heavily like lead? AND MEN SEEKING SUCH EMBASSIES SPAKE WITH THE KING AND SAID THE STEEL THAT SANG SO SWEET A TUNE ON ASHDOWN AND ON ATHENDON WHY HANGS IT SCABBARDED SO SOON ALL HEAVILY LIKE LEAD
 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. 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 he knew the might of the Terre Majeure, Where kings began to reign; Where in a night-rout, without name, Of gloomy Goths and Gauls there came White, above candles all aflame, Like a vision, Charlemagne. TH 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 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 HE KNEW THE MIGHT OF THE TARRY MEZIER WHERE KINGS BEGAN TO REIGN WHERE IN A NIGHT ROUTE WITHOUT NAME OF GLOOMY GOTHS AND GAULS THERE CAME WHITE ABOVE CANDLES ALL AFLAME LIKE A VISION CHARLEMAGNE
large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_08_chesterton_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/5754/balladwhitehorse_1404_librivox_64kb_mp3/balladofthewhitehorse_08_chesterton_64kb.flac