The Idle Man of Leaf

by Tsuki-SumeixKK

He has a lovely face. God in His mercy give him grace, the idle man of Leaf.

I

"On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the world and meet the sky;
And through the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Gertentrief;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of the Leaf.

Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs forever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Gertentrief.
Four grey walls, and four grey towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle embowers
The Idle Man of Leaf.

By the margin, willow-veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhailed
The shallop flitteth, silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Gertentrief
Yet who hath seen him wave his hand?
Or at the casement seen him stand?
Or is he known in all the land,
The Idle Man of Leaf?

Only reapers, reaping early,
In among the beared barley
Hear a song that echoes cheerily
From the river winding clearly,
Down to towered Gertentrief:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers, " 'Tis the fairy
Idle Man of Leaf."

II

There he weaves by night and day
A magic web with colors gay.
He has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on him if he stay
To look down to Gertentrief.
He knows not what the curse may be,
And so he weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath he,
The Idle Man of Leaf.

And moving through a mirror clear
That hangs before him all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There he sees the highway near
Winding down to Gertentrief;
And sometimes through the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
He hath no loyal knight and true,
The Idle Man of Leaf.

But in his web he still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often through the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Gertentrief:
Or when the Moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
"I am half sick of shadows," he said,
The Idle Man of Leaf.

III

A bow-shot from his bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of where bold Sumei stands.
A red-cross knight forever kneeled
To a man he loved in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside the remote land.

The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Gertentrief:
And from his blazon'd baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his harmonica rung
Beside remote Leaf.

All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burn'd like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Gertentrief.
As often thro' the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Leaf.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to the little bay.
From the bank and from the river
He flashed into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sumei.

He left the web, he left the loom,
He made three paces through the room,
He saw the water-lily bloom,
He saw the helmet and the plume,
He look'd down to Gertentrief.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Idle Man of Leaf.

IV

In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining.
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower'd Gertentrief;
Down he came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And around about the prow he wrote
The Idle Man of Leaf.

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance --
With a glassy countenance
Did he look to Gertentrief.
And at the closing of the day
He loosed the chain, and down he lay;
The broad stream bore him far away,
The Idle Man of Leaf.

Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right --
The leaves upon her falling light --
Thro' the noises of the night,
He floated down to Gertentrief:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard him singing his last song,
The Idle Man of Leaf.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till his blood was frozen slowly,
And his eyes were darkened wholly,
Turn'd to tower'd Gertentrief.
For ere he reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in his song he died,
The Idle Man of Leaf.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape he floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Gertentrief.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And around the prow they read his name,
The Idle Man of Leaf

Who is this? And what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the Knights at Gertentrief;
But Sumei mused a little space
He said, "He has a lovely face;
God in His mercy lend him grace,
The Idle Man of Leaf."

"Basically, that's what I did…is it…a bit too…I don't know…mellow?" Kotae asked.

Sumei stared at him. "I think…it was beautiful." He smiled and Kotae blushed. Sumei leaned and kissed Kotae. He put an arm around Kotae and said, "Let's go, my Idle Man."

---

It's a song by Loreena McKennitt. It's called Lady of Shalott. You should hear it...the way she sang the song...it's beautiful. !Itchinaho! It's Itchi here okay! I keep hacking on Sumei's profile... ...hope he won't get mad!