The Ride to the Lady
“Now since mine even is come at last,--For I have been the sport of steel,And hot life ebbeth from me fast,And I in saddle roll and reel,--Come bind me, bind me on my steed!Of fingering leech I have no need!”The chaplain clasped his mailèd knee.“Nor need I more thy whine and thee!No time is left my sins to tell;But look ye bind me, bind me well!”They bound him strong with leathern thong,For the ride to the lady should be long.
Day was dying; the poplars fled,Thin as ghosts, on a sky blood-red;Out of the sky the fierce hue fell,And made the streams as the streams of hell.All his thoughts as a river flowed,Flowed aflame as fleet he rode,Onward flowed to her abode,Ceased at her feet, mirrored her face.(Viewless Death apace, apace,Rode behind him in that race.)
“Face, mine own, mine alone,Trembling lips my lips have known,Birdlike stir of the dove-soft eyneUnder the kisses that make them mine!Only of thee, of thee, my need!Only to thee, to thee, I speed!”The Cross flashed by at the highway’s turn;In a beam of the moon the Face shone stern.
Far behind had the fight’s din died;The shuddering stars in the welkin wideCrowded, crowded, to see him ride.The beating hearts of the stars aloofKept time to the beat of the horse’s hoof.“What is the throb that thrills so sweet?Heart of my lady, I feel it beat!”But his own strong pulse the fainter fell,Like the failing tongue of a hushing bell.The flank of the great-limbed steed was wetNot alone with the started sweat.
Fast, and fast, and the thick black woodArched its cowl like a black friar’s hood;Fast, and fast, and they plunged therein,--But the viewless rider rode to win.
Out of the wood to the highway’s lightGalloped the great-limbed steed in fright;The mail clashed cold, and the sad owl cried,And the weight of the dead oppressed his side.
Fast, and fast, by the road he knew;And slow, and slow, the stars withdrew;And the waiting heaven turned weirdly blue,As a garment worn of a wizard grim.He neighed at the gate in the morning dim.
She heard no sound before her gate,Though very quiet was her bower.All was as her hand had left it late:The needle slept on the broidered vine,Where the hammer and spikes of the passion-flowerHer fashioning did wait.On the couch lay something fair,With steadfast lips and veilèd eyne;But the lady was not there.On the wings of shrift and prayer,Pure as winds that winnow snow,Her soul had risen twelve hours ago.The burdened steed at the barred gate stood,No whit the nearer to his goal.Now God’s great grace assoil the soulThat went out in the wood!
Words in this poem 17
- steed n.
- A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
- fingering n.
- The act or process of handling or touching with the fingers.
- chaplain n.
- An ecclesiastic who has a chapel, or who performs religious service in a chapel. [F. chapelain, fr. LL. capellanus, fr. capella. See Chapel.]
- leathern a.
- Made of leather; consisting of. leather; as, a leathern purse.
- aflame adv.
- Inflames; glowing with light or passion; ablaze. G. Eliot. [Pref. a- + flame.]
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- abode n.
- Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
- viewless a.
- Not perceivable by the eye; invisible; unseen.
- apace adv.
- With a quick pace; quick; fast; speedily. [Pref. a- + pace. OE. a pas at a walk, in which a is the article. See Pace.]
- eyne n.
- Plural of eye; obsolete, or used only in poetry.
- welkin n.
- The visible regions of the air; the vault of heaven; the sky. [OE. welken, welkene, welkne, wolcne, weolcne, AS. wolcen, pl. wolcnu, a cloud; akin to D. wolk, OFries. wolken, OS. wolkan, G. wolke, OHG. wolchan, and probably]
- throb v. i.
- To beat, or pulsate, with more than usual force or rapidity; to beat in consequence of agitation; to palpitate; -- said of the heart, pulse, etc. [OE. ; of uncertain origin; cf. Russ. trepete a trembling, and E. trepidation.]
- hushing n.
- The process of washing ore, or of uncovering mineral veins, by a heavy discharge of water from a reservoir; flushing; -- also called booming.
- shrift n.
- The act of shriving. [OE. shrift, schrift, AS. scrift, fr. scrifan to shrive. See Shrive.]
- whit n.
- The smallest part or particle imaginable; a bit; a jot; an iota; -- generally used in an adverbial phrase in a negative sentence. [OE. wight, wiht, AS. wiht a creature, a thing. See Wight, and cf. Aught, Naught.]
- assoil v. t.
- To set free; to release. [OF. assoiler, absoiler, assoldre, F. absoudre, L. absolvere. See Absolve.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Ride to the Lady is in the public domain. This text is taken from A chant of love for England, and other poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #71425; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Helen Gray Cone, The Ride to the Lady, in A Chant of Love for England, and Other Poems (1915), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #71425, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/cone-chant-for-england/the-ride-to-the-lady.html, id L22052.
Form and metre
The Ride to the Lady is 70 lines in 8 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 69% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABCCDDEEFF lastA · steelB · fastA · reelB · steedC · needC · kneeD · theeD · tellE · wellE · thongF · longF
- 2 AABBCCCDDD fledA · redA · fellB · hellB · flowedC · rodeC · abodeC · faceD · apaceD · raceD
- 3 AA--BBCC aloneA · knownA · eyne · mine · needB · speedB · turnC · sternC
- 4 AAABBCCDDEE diedA · wideA · rideA · aloofB · hoofB · sweetC · beatC · fellD · bellD · wetE · sweatE
- 5 AABB woodA · hoodA · thereinB · winB
- 6 AABB lightA · frightA · criedB · sideB
- 7 AAABB knewA · withdrewA · blueA · grimB · dimB
- 8 ABA-BAC-CCDDEFFE gateA · bowerB · lateA · vine · flowerB · waitA · fairC · eyne · thereC · prayerC · snowD · agoD · stoodE · goalF · soulF · woodE
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| “Now since mine even is come at last,-- | 8 | ···/···· |
| For I have been the sport of steel, | 8 | ········ |
| And hot life ebbeth from me fast, | 8 | ········ |
| And I in saddle roll and reel,-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Come bind me, bind me on my steed! | 8 | ········ |
| Of fingering leech I have no need!” | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The chaplain clasped his mailèd knee. | 8 | ·/˘·˘··· |
| “Nor need I more thy whine and thee! | 8 | ········ |
| No time is left my sins to tell; | 8 | ········ |
| But look ye bind me, bind me well!” | 8 | ········ |
| They bound him strong with leathern thong, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For the ride to the lady should be long. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Day was dying; the poplars fled, | 8 | ··/˘·/˘· |
| Thin as ghosts, on a sky blood-red; | 8 | ········ |
| Out of the sky the fierce hue fell, | 8 | ········ |
| And made the streams as the streams of hell. | 9 | ········· |
| All his thoughts as a river flowed, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Flowed aflame as fleet he rode, | 8 | ·˘˘/···· |
| Onward flowed to her abode, | 8 | /˘·˘··˘/ |
| Ceased at her feet, mirrored her face. | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| (Viewless Death apace, apace, | 7 | /˘·˘/˘/ |
| Rode behind him in that race.) | 7 | ······· |
| “Face, mine own, mine alone, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Trembling lips my lips have known, | 8 | /˘˘····· |
| Birdlike stir of the dove-soft eyne | 8 | /······· |
| Under the kisses that make them mine! | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Only of thee, of thee, my need! | 8 | /˘······ |
| Only to thee, to thee, I speed!” | 8 | /˘······ |
| The Cross flashed by at the highway’s turn; | 9 | ······/·· |
| In a beam of the moon the Face shone stern. | 10 | ·········· |
| Far behind had the fight’s din died; | 8 | ········ |
| The shuddering stars in the welkin wide | 9 | ·/˘···/˘· |
| Crowded, crowded, to see him ride. | 8 | /˘/˘···· |
| The beating hearts of the stars aloof | 9 | ·/˘····˘/ |
| Kept time to the beat of the horse’s hoof. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| “What is the throb that thrills so sweet? | 8 | ········ |
| Heart of my lady, I feel it beat!” | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| But his own strong pulse the fainter fell, | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Like the failing tongue of a hushing bell. | 10 | ··/˘···/˘· |
| The flank of the great-limbed steed was wet | 9 | ········· |
| Not alone with the started sweat. | 8 | ·˘/··/˘· |
| Fast, and fast, and the thick black wood | 8 | ········ |
| Arched its cowl like a black friar’s hood; | 8 | ······/· |
| Fast, and fast, and they plunged therein,-- | 8 | ········ |
| But the viewless rider rode to win. | 8 | ··/˘/··· |
| Out of the wood to the highway’s light | 9 | ······/·· |
| Galloped the great-limbed steed in fright; | 8 | /˘······ |
| The mail clashed cold, and the sad owl cried, | 9 | ········· |
| And the weight of the dead oppressed his side. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Fast, and fast, by the road he knew; | 8 | ········ |
| And slow, and slow, the stars withdrew; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And the waiting heaven turned weirdly blue, | 9 | ··/˘/·/˘· |
| As a garment worn of a wizard grim. | 10 | ··/˘···/˘· |
| He neighed at the gate in the morning dim. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| She heard no sound before her gate, | 8 | ········ |
| Though very quiet was her bower. | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| All was as her hand had left it late: | 9 | ········· |
| The needle slept on the broidered vine, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Where the hammer and spikes of the passion-flower | 11 | ··/˘····/˘/ |
| Her fashioning did wait. | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| On the couch lay something fair, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| With steadfast lips and veilèd eyne; | 7 | ·/····· |
| But the lady was not there. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| On the wings of shrift and prayer, | 7 | ······· |
| Pure as winds that winnow snow, | 7 | ····/·· |
| Her soul had risen twelve hours ago. | 9 | ···/˘·/˘/ |
| The burdened steed at the barred gate stood, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| No whit the nearer to his goal. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Now God’s great grace assoil the soul | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| That went out in the wood! | 6 | ······ |
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