[ { "title": "Count Gismond", "author": "Robert Browning", "lines": [ "Christ God who savest man, save most", " Of men Count Gismond who saved me!", "Count Gauthier, when he chose his post,", " Chose time and place and company", "To suit it; when he struck at length", "My honour, 'twas with all his strength.", "", "And doubtlessly ere he could draw", " All points to one, he must have schemed!", "That miserable morning saw", " Few half so happy as I seemed,", "While being dressed in queen's array", "To give our tourney prize away.", "", "I thought they loved me, did me grace", " To please themselves; 'twas all their deed;", "God makes, or fair or foul, our face;", " If showing mine so caused to bleed", "My cousins' hearts, they should have dropped", "A word, and straight the play had stopped.", "", "They, too, so beauteous! Each a queen", " By virtue of her brow and breast;", "Not needing to be crowned, I mean,", " As I do. E'en when I was dressed,", "Had either of them spoke, instead", "Of glancing sideways with still head!", "", "But no: they let me laugh, and sing", " My birthday song quite through, adjust", "The last rose in my garland, fling", " A last look on the mirror, trust", "My arms to each an arm of theirs,", "And so descend the castle-stairs--", "", "And come out on the morning-troop", " Of merry friends who kissed my cheek,", "And called me queen, and made me stoop", " Under the canopy--a streak", "That pierced it, of the outside sun,", "Powdered with gold its gloom's soft dun--", "", "And they could let me take my state", " And foolish throne amid applause", "Of all come there to celebrate", " My queen's-day--Oh I think the cause", "Of much was, they forgot no crowd", "Makes up for parents in their shroud!", "", "However that be, all eyes were bent", " Upon me, when my cousins cast", "Theirs down; 'twas time I should present", " The victor's crown, but... there, 'twill last", "No long time... the old mist again", "Blinds me as then it did. How vain!", "", "See! Gismond's at the gate, in talk", " With his two boys: I can proceed.", "Well, at that moment, who should stalk", " Forth boldly--to my face, indeed--", "But Gauthier, and he thundered \"Stay!\"", "And all stayed. \"Bring no crowns, I say!\"", "", "\"Bring torches! Wind the penance-sheet", " About her! Let her shun the chaste,", "Or lay herself before their feet!", " Shall she whose body I embraced", "A night long, queen it in the day?", "For honour's sake no crowns, I say!\"", "", "I? What I answered? As I live,", " I never fancied such a thing", "As answer possible to give.", " What says the body when they spring", "Some monstrous torture-engine's whole", "Strength on it? No more says the soul.", "", "Till out strode Gismond; then I knew", " That I was saved. I never met", "His face before, but, at first view,", " I felt quite sure that God had set", "Himself to Satan; who would spend", "A minute's mistrust on the end?", "", "He strode to Gauthier, in his throat", " Gave him the lie, then struck his mouth", "With one back-handed blow that wrote", " In blood men's verdict there. North, South,", "East, West, I looked. The lie was dead,", "And damned, and truth stood up instead.", "", "This glads me most, that I enjoyed", " The heart of the joy, with my content", "In watching Gismond unalloyed", " By any doubt of the event:", "God took that on him--I was bid", "Watch Gismond for my part: I did.", "", "Did I not watch him while he let", " His armourer just brace his greaves,", "Rivet his hauberk, on the fret", " The while! His foot... my memory leaves", "No least stamp out, nor how anon", "He pulled his ringing gauntlets on.", "", "And e'en before the trumpet's sound", " Was finished, prone lay the false knight,", "Prone as his lie, upon the ground:", " Gismond flew at him, used no sleight", "O' the sword, but open-breasted drove,", "Cleaving till out the truth he clove.", "", "Which done, he dragged him to my feet", " And said \"Here die, but end thy breath", "In full confession, lest thou fleet", " From my first, to God's second death!", "Say, hast thou lied?\" And, \"I have lied", "To God and her,\" he said, and died.", "", "Then Gismond, kneeling to me, asked", " What safe my heart holds, though no word", "Could I repeat now, if I tasked", " My powers for ever, to a third", "Dear even as you are. Pass the rest", "Until I sank upon his breast.", "", "Over my head his arm he flung", " Against the world; and scarce I felt", "His sword (that dripped by me and swung)", " A little shifted in its belt:", "For he began to say the while", "How South our home lay many a mile.", "", "So 'mid the shouting multitude", " We two walked forth to never more", "Return. My cousins have pursued", " Their life, untroubled as before", "I vexed them. Gauthier's dwelling-place", "God lighten! May his soul find grace!", "", "Our elder boy has got the clear", " Great brow; tho' when his brother's black", "Full eye shows scorn, it... Gismond here?", " And have you brought my tercel back?", "I just was telling Adela", "How many birds it struck since May." ], "linecount": "126" } ]