But now farewell. I am going a long way

With these thou scëst-if indeed I go

(For all my mind is clouded with a doubt) —

To the island-valley of Avilion;

Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow,

Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies
Deep-meadow'd, happy, fair with orchard lawns
And bowery hollows crown'd with summer sea,
Where I will heal me of my grievous wound.'

So said he, and the barge with oar and sail

Moved from the brink, like some full-breasted

Swan

That, fluting a wild carol ere her death,

Ruffles her pure cold plume, and takes the flood

With swarthy webs. Long stood Sir Bedivere Revolving many memories, till the hull

Look'd one black dot against the verge of

dawn,

And on the mere the wailing died away.

But when that moan had past for evermore, The stillness of the dead world's winter dawn Amazed him, and he groan'd, 'The King is gone.' And therewithal came on him the weird rhyme, 'From the great deep to the great deep he goes.'

Whereat he slowly turn'd and slowly clomb

The last hard footstep of that iron crag;

Thence mark'd the black hull moving yet, and

cried,

He passes to be King among the dead,

And after healing of his grievous wound

He comes again; but—if he come no more—
O me, be yon dark Queens in yon black boat,
Who shriek'd and wail'd, the three whereat we
gazed

On that high day, when, clothed with living light,
They stood before his throne in silence, friends

Of Arthur, who should help him at his need?'

Then from the dawn it seem'd there came, but

faint

As from beyond the limit of the world,

Like the last echo born of a great cry,

Sounds, as if some fair city were one voice
Around a king returning from his wars.

Thereat once more he moved about, and clomb

Ev'n to the highest he could climb, and saw,

Straining his eyes beneath an arch of hand,

Or thought he saw, the speck that bare the King, Down that long water opening on the deep

Somewhere far off, pass on and on, and go

From less to less and vanish into light.

And the new sun rose bringing the new year.

THE END.