LORD
JOHN
OF
THE
EAST
,
A
Ballad
.
THE
fires
blazed
bright
till
deep
midnight
,
And
the
guests
sat
in
the
hall
,
And
the
Lord
of
the
feast
,
Lord
John
of
the
East
,
Was
the
merriest
of
them
all
.
His
dark-grey
eye
,
that
wont
,
so
sly
,
Beneath
his
helm
to
scowl
,
Flashed
keenly
bright
,
like
a
new-waked
sprite
,
As
passed
the
circling
bowl
.
In
laughter
light
,
or
jocund
lay
,
That
voice
was
heard
,
whose
sound
,
Stern
,
loud
and
deep
in
battle-fray
,
Did
foe-men
fierce
astound
;
And
stretched
so
balm
,
like
lady's
palm
,
To
every
jester
near
,
That
hand
which
through
a
prostrate
foe
Oft
thrust
a
ruthless
spear
.
The
gallants
sang
and
the
goblets
rang
,
And
they
revelled
in
careless
state
,
Till
a
thundering
sound
that
shook
the
ground
Was
heard
at
the
castle
gate
.
"
Who
knocks
without
,
so
loud
and
stout
?
—
Some
wandering
knight
,
I
ween
,
Who
from
afar
,
like
a
guiding
star
,
Our
blazing
hall
hath
seen
.
"
If
a
stranger
it
be
of
high
degree
,
(
No
churl
durst
make
such
din
,
)
Step
forth
amain
,
my
pages
twain
,
And
soothly
ask
him
in
.
"
Tell
him
our
cheer
is
the
forest
deer
,
Our
bowl
is
mantling
high
,
And
the
Lord
of
the
feast
is
John
of
the
East
,
Who
welcomes
him
courteously
.
"
The
pages
twain
returned
again
,
And
a
wild
scared
look
had
they
.
"
Why
look
ye
so
?
—
Is
it
friend
or
foe
?
"
Did
the
angry
Baron
say
.
"
A
stately
knight
without
doth
wait
,
But
further
he
will
not
come
,
Till
the
Baron
himself
shall
stand
at
the
gate
And
ask
him
to
his
home
.
"
"
By
my
mother's
shroud
,
he
is
full
proud
!
What
earthly
man
is
he
?
"
"
I
know
not
in
truth
,
"
quoth
the
trembling
youth
,
"
If
earthly
man
it
be
:
"
In
reveller's
plight
he
is
bedight
,
With
a
vest
of
the
crim'sy
meet
;
But
his
mantle
behind
,
that
streams
on
the
wind
,
Is
a
corse's
bloody
sheet
.
"
"
Out
!
paltry
child
!
thy
wits
are
wild
,
Thy
comrade
will
tell
me
true
:
—
Say
plainly
then
what
thou
hast
seen
,
Or
dearly
shalt
thou
rue
.
"
Then
spoke
the
second
page
with
fear
,
And
bent
him
on
his
knee
,
"
Were
I
on
your
father's
sword
to
swear
,
The
same
it
appeared
to
me
.
"
"
And
is
there
ne'er
of
my
vassals
here
,
Of
low
or
high
degree
,
That
will
unto
this
stranger
go
,
—
Will
go
for
the
love
of
me
?
"
Then
spoke
and
said
fierce
Donald
the
Red
,
(
A
fearless
man
was
he
,
)
"
Yes
;
I
will
straight
to
the
castle
gate
,
Lord
John
,
for
the
love
of
thee
.
"
With
heart
full
stout
he
hied
him
out
,
While
silent
all
remain
:
Nor
moved
a
tongue
those
gallants
among
,
Till
Donald
returned
again
.
"
Speak
,
"
said
his
Lord
,
"
by
thy
hopes
of
grace
!
What
stranger
must
we
hail
?
"
But
the
haggard
looks
of
Donald's
face
Made
his
faltering
words
to
fail
.
"
It
is
a
knight
in
some
foreign
guise
,
—
His
like
did
I
never
behold
,
For
the
stony
look
of
his
beamless
eyes
Made
my
very
life-blood
cold
.
"
I
did
him
greet
in
fashion
meet
,
And
bade
him
your
feast
to
partake
;
But
the
voice
that
spoke
when
he
silence
broke
Made
the
earth
beneath
me
quake
.
"
O
,
such
a
tone
did
tongue
ne'er
own
,
That
moved
in
mortal
head
;
It
is
like
a
sound
from
the
hollow
ground
,
—
Like
the
voice
of
the
coffined
dead
!
"
I
bade
him
to
your
social
board
,
But
in
he
will
not
hie
,
Until
at
the
gate
this
castle's
Lord
Shall
entreat
him
courteously
.
"
And
a
ghastly
smile
o'er
his
visage
past
,
As
he
sternly
bade
me
say
,
'
It
was
no
vassal
who
lured
your
guest
To
that
feast
of
the
woody
Bay
.
'
"
Pale
grew
the
Baron
,
and
faintly
said
,
As
he
heaved
his
breath
with
pain
,
"
From
such
a
feast
,
as
there
was
spread
,
Do
any
return
again
?
"
I
bade
my
guest
to
a
bloody
feast
,
Where
the
death's-wound
was
his
fare
,
And
the
Isle's
bright
Maid
who
my
love
betrayed
,
She
tore
her
raven
hair
.
"
The
sea-fowl
screams
and
the
watch-tower
gleams
,
And
the
deafening
billows
roar
,
Where
he
,
unblest
,
was
put
to
rest
On
a
wild
and
distant
shore
.
"
Do
the
hollow
grave
and
the
whelming
wave
Give
up
their
dead
again
?
Doth
the
surgy
waste
waft
o'er
its
breast
The
spirits
of
the
slain
?
But
the
Baron's
limbs
shook
fast
,
and
poured
The
big
drops
from
his
brow
,
As
louder
still
the
third
time
roared
The
thundering
gate
below
.
"
O
rouse
thee
,
Baron
,
for
manhood's
worth
!
Let
good
or
ill
befall
,
Thou
must
to
the
stranger
knight
go
forth
,
And
ask
him
to
your
hall
.
"
"
Rouse
thy
bold
breast
,
"
said
each
eager
guest
,
"
What
boots
it
shrinking
so
?
Be
it
fiend
or
sprite
,
or
murdered
knight
,
In
God's
name
thou
must
go
.
"
Why
should'st
thou
fear
?
dost
thou
not
wear
A
gift
from
the
great
Glendower
,
—
Sandals
blest
by
a
holy
Priest
,
O'er
which
nought
ill
hath
power
?
"
All
ghastly
pale
Lord
John
did
quail
,
As
he
turned
him
to
the
door
,
And
his
sandals
blest
by
a
holy
Priest
Sound
feebly
on
the
floor
.
Then
back
to
the
hall
and
his
merry
mates
all
A
parting
look
he
sent
;
—
"
God
send
thee
,
amain
,
safe
back
again
!
"
His
head
he
sadly
bent
.
Then
listened
they
on
the
lengthened
way
To
his
faint
and
lessening
tread
,
And
,
when
that
was
past
,
to
the
wailing
blast
,
That
wailed
as
for
the
dead
.
But
wilder
it
grew
,
and
stronger
it
blew
,
And
it
rose
with
an
elrich
sound
,
Till
the
lofty
Keep
on
its
rocky
steep
Fell
hurling
to
the
ground
.
Each
fearful
eye
then
glanced
on
high
To
the
lofty
windowed
wall
,
When
a
fiery
trace
of
the
Baron's
face
Through
the
casements
shone
on
all
.
But
the
visioned
glare
passed
through
the
air
,
And
the
raging
tempest
ceased
,
And
never
more
,
on
sea
or
shore
,
Was
seen
Lord
John
of
the
East
.
The
sandals
blest
by
a
holy
Priest
Lay
unscathed
on
the
swarded
green
;
But
never
again
,
on
land
or
main
,
Lord
John
of
the
East
was
seen
.