The Wild Knight and Other Poems

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Гилберт Кит Честертон

Жанр

Зарубежная классика

Год написания книги

2017

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Keep you the law —
No flesh shall look upon the Lord and live.

THE WILD KNIGHT [sadly].

Then I will go and lay me in the flowers,
For He may haply, as in ancient time,
Walk in the garden in the cool of day.

[He goes out.]

[OLIVE reels. REDFEATHER catches her.]

You are the strongest woman upon earth.
The weakest woman than the strongest man
Is stronger in her hour: this is the law.
When the hour passes – then may we be strong.

OLIVE [wildly.]

The House … the Face.

REDFEATHER [fiercely].

I love you. Look at me!

OLIVE [turns her face to him.]

I hear six birds sing in that little tree,
Say, is the old earth laughing at my fears?
I think I love you also…

REDFEATHER

What I am
You know. But I will never curse a man,
Even in a mirror.

OLIVE [smiling at him].

And the Devil's dance?

REDFEATHER

The Devil plotted since the world was young
With alchemies of fire and witches' oils
And magic. But he never made a man.

OLIVE

No; not a man.

REDFEATHER

Not even my Lord Orm.
Look at the house now —

[She starts and looks.]

Honest brick and tiles.

OLIVE

You have a strange strength in this hour.

REDFEATHER

This hour
I see with mortal eye as in one flash
The whole divine democracy of things,
And dare the stars to scorn a scavenge-heap.
Olive, I tell you every soul is great.
Weave we green crowns – how noble and how high;
Fling we white flowers – how radiant and how pure
Is he, whoe'er he be, who next shall cross
This scrap of grass…

[Enter LORD ORM. ]

OLIVE [screams].

Ah!

REDFEATHER [pointing to the chapel].

Olive, go and pray for a man soon to die. Good-day, my Lord.

[She goes in.]

LORD ORM

Good-day.

REDFEATHER

I am a friend to Lady Olive.

LORD ORM