"I have no money," then quoth the young man, "No ready gold nor fee, But I will swear upon a book Thy true servant for to be." "How many miles is it to thy true love? Come tell me without any guile:" "By the faith of my body," then said the young man, "It is but five little mile." Then Robin he hasted over the plain, He did neither stint nor lin, Until he came unto the church, Where Allin should keep his wedding. "What hast thou here?" the bishop he said, "I prithee now tell unto me:" "I am a bold harper," quoth Robin Hood, "And the best in the north country." "O welcome, O welcome," the bishop he said, "That musick best pleaseth me;" “You shall have no musick," quoth Robin Hood, "Till the bride and the bridegroom I see." With that came in a wealthy knight, Which was both grave and old, And after him a finikin lass, Did shine like the glistering gold. "This is not a fit match," quoth bold Robin Hood, "That you do seem to make here; For since we are come into the church, Then Robin Hood put his horn to his mouth, When four and twenty bowmen bold Came leaping over the lee. And when they came into the church-yard, Marching all in a row, The first man was Allin a Dale, To give bold Robin his bow. "This is thy true love," Robin he said, And you shall be married at this same time, "That shall not be," the bishop he said, They shall be three times askt in the church, Robin Hood pulled off the bishop's coat, "By the faith of my body," then Robin said, When Little John went into the quire, He askt them seven times in the church, "Who gives me this maid?" then said Little John; Quoth Robin Hood, "That do I; And he that takes her from Allin a Dale Full dearly he shall her buy." And thus having ende of this merry wedding, And so they returned to the merry greenwood, Anonymous SONG OF SHERWOOD Sherwood in the twilight, is Robin Hood awake? Robin Hood is here again: all his merry thieves In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day. Merry, merry England has kissed the lips of June: Merry, merry England is waking as of old, With eyes of blither hazel and hair of brighter gold: Love is in the greenwood building him a house Hark! The dazzled laverock climbs the golden steep! Round the fairy grass-rings frolic elf and fay, In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day. Oberon, Oberon, rake away the gold, Rake away the red leaves, roll away the mould, Friar Tuck and Little John are riding down together Softly over Sherwood the south wind blows. Hark, the voice of England wakes him as of old Where the deer are gliding down the shadowy glen Calls them and they answer: from aisles of oak and ash Robin! Robin! Robin! All his merry thieves In Sherwood, in Sherwood, about the break of day. PIRATES Come to me, you with the laughing face, in the night as I lie Dreaming of days that are dead and of joys gone by; Come to me, comrade, come through the slow-dropping rain, Come from your grave in the darkness and let us be pirates again. Let us be boys together to-night, and pretend as of old And a smoky red camp-fire to glint, you know how, on our ill-gotten hoards. The old cave in the fir-wood that slopes down the hills to the sea Still is haunted, perhaps, by young pirates as wicked as we: Though the fir with the magpie's big mud-plastered nest used to hide it so well, And the boys in the gang had to swear that they never would tell. Ah, that tree; I have sat in its boughs and looked seaward for hours. I remember the creak of its branches, the scent of the flowers |