Adieux Marie Stuart

I.     Queen, for whose house my fathers fought,     With hopes that rose and fell,     Red star of boyhoods fiery thought,     Farewell     They gave their lives, and I, my queen,     Have given you of my life,     Seeing your brave star burn high between     Mens strife.     The strife that lightened round their spears     Long since fell still: so long     Hardly may hope to last in years     My song.     But still through strife of time and thought     Your light on me too fell:     Queen, in whose name we sang or fought,     Farewell. II.     There beats no heart on either border     Wherethrough the north blasts blow     But keeps your memory as a warder     His beacon-fire aglow.     Long since it fired with love and wonder     Mine, for whose April age     Blithe midsummer made banquet under     The shade of Hermitage.     Soft sang the burns blithe notes, that gather     Strength to ring true:     And air and trees and sun and heather     Remembered you.     Old border ghosts of fight or fairy     Or love or teen,     These they forgot, remembering Mary     The Queen. III.     Queen once of Scots and ever of ours     Whose sires brought forth for you     Their lives to strew your way like flowers,     Adieu.     Dead is full many a dead mans name     Who died for you this long     Time past: shall this too fare the same,     My song?     But surely, though it die or live,     Your face was worth     All that a man may think to give     On earth.     No darkness cast of years between     Can darken you:     Mans love will never bid my queen     Adieu. IV.     Love hangs like light about your name     As music round the shell:     No heart can take of you a tame     Farewell.     Yet, when your very face was seen,     Ill gifts were yours for giving:     Love gat strange guerdons of my queen     When living.     O diamond heart unflawed and clear,     The whole worlds crowning jewel!     Was ever heart so deadly dear     So cruel?     Yet none for you of all that bled     Grudged once one drop that fell:     Not one to life reluctant said     Farewell V.     Strange love they have given you, love disloyal,     Who mock with praise your name,     To leave a head so rare and royal     Too low for praise or blame.     You could not love nor hate, they tell us,     You had nor sense nor sting:     In Gods name, then, what plague befell us     To fight for such a thing?     Some faults the gods will give to fetter     Mans highest intent:     But surely you were something better     Than innocent !     No maid that strays with steps unwary     Through snares unseen,     But one to live and die for; Mary,     The Queen. VI.     Forgive them all their praise, who blot     Your fame with praise of you:     Then love may say, and falter not     Adieu.     Yet some you hardly would forgive     Who did you much less wrong     Once: but resentment should not live     Too long.     They never saw your lips bright bow,     Your swordbright eyes,     The bluest of heavenly things below     The skies.     Clear eyes that loves self finds most like     A swordblades blue,     A swordblades ever keen to strike,     Adieu. VII.     Though all things breathe or sound of fight     That yet make up your spell,     To bid you were to bid the light     Farewell     Farewell the song says only, being     A star whose race is run:     Farewell the soul says never, seeing     The sun.     Yet, wellnigh as with flash of tears,     The song must say but so     That took your praise up twenty years     Ago,     More bright than stars or moons that vary,     Sun kindling heaven and hell,     Here, after all these years, Queen Mary,     Farewell