The long love that in my thought doth harbour
And in mine heart doth keep his residence,
Into my face presseth with bold pretence
And therein campeth spreading his bannèr.
She that me learns to love and suffèr
And wills that my trust, and lust’s negligence
Be reined by reason, shame, and reverence,
With his hardiness takes displeasùre.
Wherewithall unto the heart’s forest he fleèth,
Leaving his enterprise with pain and cry,
And there him hideth, and not appearèth.
What may I do when my master fearèth?
But in the field with him to live and die
For good is the life, ending faithfully.
This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on April 19, 2025, by the Academy of American Poets.
