For so the Queen believed that when her son Beheld his only way to glory lead Low down through villain kitchen-vassalage,Her own true Gareth was too princely-proud To pass thereby;so should he rest with her,Closed in her castle from the sound of arms.
Silent awhile was Gareth,then replied,'The thrall in person may be free in soul,And I shall see the jousts.Thy son am I,And since thou art my mother,must obey.
I therefore yield me freely to thy will;
For hence will I,disguised,and hire myself To serve with scullions and with kitchen-knaves;Nor tell my name to any--no,not the King.'
Gareth awhile lingered.The mother's eye Full of the wistful fear that he would go,And turning toward him wheresoe'er he turned,Perplext his outward purpose,till an hour,When wakened by the wind which with full voice Swept bellowing through the darkness on to dawn,He rose,and out of slumber calling two That still had tended on him from his birth,Before the wakeful mother heard him,went.
The three were clad like tillers of the soil.
Southward they set their faces.The birds made Melody on branch,and melody in mid air.
The damp hill-slopes were quickened into green,And the live green had kindled into flowers,For it was past the time of Easterday.
So,when their feet were planted on the plain That broadened toward the base of Camelot,Far off they saw the silver-misty morn Rolling her smoke about the Royal mount,That rose between the forest and the field.
At times the summit of the high city flashed;At times the spires and turrets half-way down Pricked through the mist;at times the great gate shone Only,that opened on the field below:
Anon,the whole fair city had disappeared.
Then those who went with Gareth were amazed,One crying,'Let us go no further,lord.
Here is a city of Enchanters,built By fairy Kings.'The second echoed him,'Lord,we have heard from our wise man at home To Northward,that this King is not the King,But only changeling out of Fairyland,Who drave the heathen hence by sorcery And Merlin's glamour.'Then the first again,'Lord,there is no such city anywhere,But all a vision.'
Gareth answered them With laughter,swearing he had glamour enow In his own blood,his princedom,youth and hopes,To plunge old Merlin in the Arabian sea;So pushed them all unwilling toward the gate.
And there was no gate like it under heaven.
For barefoot on the keystone,which was lined And rippled like an ever-fleeting wave,The Lady of the Lake stood:all her dress Wept from her sides as water flowing away;But like the cross her great and goodly arms Stretched under the cornice and upheld:
And drops of water fell from either hand;
And down from one a sword was hung,from one A censer,either worn with wind and storm;And o'er her breast floated the sacred fish;
And in the space to left of her,and right,Were Arthur's wars in weird devices done,New things and old co-twisted,as if Time Were nothing,so inveterately,that men Were giddy gazing there;and over all High on the top were those three Queens,the friends Of Arthur,who should help him at his need.
Then those with Gareth for so long a space Stared at the figures,that at last it seemed The dragon-boughts and elvish emblemings Began to move,seethe,twine and curl:they called To Gareth,'Lord,the gateway is alive.'
And Gareth likewise on them fixt his eyes So long,that even to him they seemed to move.
Out of the city a blast of music pealed.
Back from the gate started the three,to whom From out thereunder came an ancient man,Long-bearded,saying,'Who be ye,my sons?'
Then Gareth,'We be tillers of the soil,Who leaving share in furrow come to see The glories of our King:but these,my men,(Your city moved so weirdly in the mist)Doubt if the King be King at all,or come From Fairyland;and whether this be built By magic,and by fairy Kings and Queens;Or whether there be any city at all,Or all a vision:and this music now Hath scared them both,but tell thou these the truth.'
Then that old Seer made answer playing on him And saying,'Son,I have seen the good ship sail Keel upward,and mast downward,in the heavens,And solid turrets topsy-turvy in air:
And here is truth;but an it please thee not,Take thou the truth as thou hast told it me.
For truly as thou sayest,a Fairy King And Fairy Queens have built the city,son;They came from out a sacred mountain-cleft Toward the sunrise,each with harp in hand,And built it to the music of their harps.
And,as thou sayest,it is enchanted,son,For there is nothing in it as it seems Saving the King;though some there be that hold The King a shadow,and the city real:
Yet take thou heed of him,for,so thou pass Beneath this archway,then wilt thou become A thrall to his enchantments,for the King Will bind thee by such vows,as is a shame A man should not be bound by,yet the which No man can keep;but,so thou dread to swear,Pass not beneath this gateway,but abide Without,among the cattle of the field.
For an ye heard a music,like enow They are building still,seeing the city is built To music,therefore never built at all,And therefore built for ever.'
Gareth spake Angered,'Old master,reverence thine own beard That looks as white as utter truth,and seems Wellnigh as long as thou art statured tall!
Why mockest thou the stranger that hath been To thee fair-spoken?'
But the Seer replied,'Know ye not then the Riddling of the Bards?
"Confusion,and illusion,and relation,Elusion,and occasion,and evasion"?
I mock thee not but as thou mockest me,And all that see thee,for thou art not who Thou seemest,but I know thee who thou art.
And now thou goest up to mock the King,Who cannot brook the shadow of any lie.'
Unmockingly the mocker ending here Turned to the right,and past along the plain;Whom Gareth looking after said,'My men,Our one white lie sits like a little ghost Here on the threshold of our enterprise.
Let love be blamed for it,not she,nor I:
Well,we will make amends.'
