A BALLAD OF LIFE.

I FOUND in dreams a place of wind and flowers,
Full of sweet trees and colour of glad grass,
In midst whereof there was

A lady clothed like summer with sweet hours,
Her beauty, fervent as a fiery moon,

Made my blood burn and swoon

Like a flame rained upon.

Sorrow had filled her shaken eyelids' blue,
And her mouth's sad red heavy rose all through
Seemed sad with glad things gone.

See held a little cithern by the strings,

Shaped heartwise, strung with subtle-coloured hair Of some dead lute player

That in dead years had done delicious things.

B

The seven strings were named accordingly;

The first string charity,

The second tenderness,

The rest were pleasure, sorrow, sleep, and sin,
And loving kindness, that is pity's kin
And is most pitiless.

There were three men with her, each garmented With gold and shod with gold upon the feet; And with plucked ears of wheat.

The first man's hair was wound upon his head:

His face was red, and his mouth curled and sad; All his gold garment had

Pale stains of dust and rust.

A riven hood was pulled across his eyes;
The token of him being upon this wise
Made for a sign of Lust.

The next was Shame, with hollow heavy face
Coloured like green wood when flame kindles it.
He hath such feeble feet

They may not well endure in any place.
His face was full of grey old miseries,

And all his blood's increase

Was even increase of pain.

The last was Fear, that is akin to Death;

He is Shame's friend, and always as Shame saith

Fear answers him again.