Sir Edward Grey of Lochleven
wreathed with greatest honor is revealed,
and with the most esteem, picked from the field.
Forbearance and Honor noted our queen,
Beloved lady of bliss, Aikaterine.
The rapier swift has its song to sing
And dances as swallows dance in spring
Through the field’s rite,
Bright glinting light
This blade did supply
You being near
We shall not fear,
Though Death stand by.
With you the swords take edge, the heart grows bold;
From you in fee their lives your liegemen hold.
Our lady Queen smiles on this one’s goodwill
Thus now the Champion’s role thou must fulfill.
Bless then the hour
That gives the power
In which you may,
At bed and board,
Embrace your sword
Both night and day.
From Bergental through all the East ring true
Thus mark we January twenty-two
Anno Societis forty-five
When the Queen’s Rapier Champion did arrive
Bless then the one
Whose duty done
With skill and grace,
and courtesy
we honor thee,
Signed in this place…
Honor, great honor, from our noble queen,
Beloved lady of bliss, Aikaterine.
Notes on the piece:
This poem is based on The Forest’s Queen by Philip Massinger, <span>originally published in The Guardian in 1633. Below is the original, from which the central part of the poem is hugely based (because it was sooooo perfect!) The scan works better on paper than out loud in parts because our lovely Queen of Love and Beauty is sounds the “e” at the end of </span>Aikaterine (Aikaterine-ah.) I didn’t want to mar the beautiful look of the piece’s symmetry with the original by mucking about too much, so I decided to live with it even though it’s an extra syllable here and there. Consider it a bonus!
THE ORIGINAL WORK: THE FOREST’S QUEEN by: Philip Massinger
Welcome, thrice welcome to this shady green,
Our long-wished Cynthia, the forest’s queen!
The trees begin to bud, the glad birds sing
In winter, changed by her into the spring.
We know no night,
Perpetual light
Dawns from your eye:
You being near,
We cannot fear,
Though death stood by.
From you our swords take edge, our hearts grow bold;
From you in fee their lives your liegemen hold.
These groves your kingdom, and our laws your will;
Smile, and we spare; but if you frown, we kill.
Bless then the hour
That gives the power
In which you may,
At bed and board,
Embrace your lord
Both night and day.
Welcome, thrice welcome to this shady green,
Our long-wished Cynthia, the forest’s queen!
