Read in Landscape

And love abounds again in woods
In paths where maid and noble stood.
Their laughter filled the trees with song
That harkened forth to heavens throng

Rejoicing loud on judgment day
Welcoming souls that God did save.
Their days were bright and filled with glee
With joy that's seldom ever seen.

They roam the lands where first they met,
And hidden glades their love abets.
In place so fair that's long been home
To maid the lovers gently roam.

The troubled world was left behind,
And care can't pierce their heart of mind.
They steal away alone together
With hearts now bound with vows as tether.

To never leave the boon they're grant
Though hope may seem at times so scant.
Their faith in love both strong and great
Each bound to other's heart by fate.

And many days in bliss they bask
Not fearing all their worldly task,
Or things that earthly honor bids
The task that noble man was give.

Instead on other each does dwell
The sight of others face beheld
Unburdens all their many woes
In gentle place the pair abodes.

Alone with only love and thought
A gift that many pair have sought,
But failed to find like prince and maid
In countryside of France's glades.

A boon that's seldom give to man
No matter all his greatest plans...
But still the end of time encroaches fast
Their days of joy were small not meant to last.

And fear of pair's abet by thief that's time
As anxious thoughts do creep inside their mind
Recalling well the task that man is give
That thing by which her love by king was bid.

For soon the prince is honor bound to leave
A fact which causes peasant maid to grieve.
In fleeting days, he must yet gather things
That far across the ocean man will bring,

And leave her home returning down to dock
Where journey's plan by noble man be wrought.
To gather crew of men that dwell ashore,
And set himself to mighty sailing chore.

As King of France himself this man did ask,
And bid him work completing well this task.
For prince so soon would have to leave this place
That's grant to pair by strange and pleasing grace.

Appointed date does weigh on both their minds
As song and laughter dwindle down with time.
They're both afraid to speak of noble's quest
To leave his love, and wealth for nation wrest

From foreign land so far from maiden's care
The thought too sad for peasant girl to bear.
They sit in quiet not daring talk of feat
That swiftly draws yet closer every week.

And day then came for prince to leave her home
To gather crew and highest seas to roam,
And journey forth from maiden's down to port
For love and peace by sovereign will were thwart.

So noble saddled steed that prince had rode
When man had sought the servant's deep abode.
He gathered slow but sure the things he'll need
When down to port the noble man does speed.

The servant girl does weep at course of time
Not knowing whether peace again they'll find.
For peasant senses some portending doom
A dreadful fog on mind like grimmest gloom,

And fears should noble man depart from home
To journey far and oceans great to roam
That death of one is surest fate that's gave
So either man or maid will meet the grave.

And seeing stress that maid on shoulders bore
At prospect found of leaving France's shores
The noble man to comfort girl does seek
In hopes that ills of heart the prince may meet.

He sets beside the maid and takes ahold of face
Now knowing time does slip with surest haste
To promise girl assuring well her heart
That prince will yield and play a faithful part.

So noble kissed the maiden's cheek so soft
His promise all that held her heart aloft
To venture back for maid on future day
What time and date no man could truly say.

"I now leave you my love for a journey that's distant and grand
Not because I so will, but because I defer to my king,
And though leaving in body my heart with the maiden will stand

Till returned by the waves to the woman whose beauty I sing.
Will you wait for me maid and be faithful and true to your Lord?
For your promise to prince will the greatest of comforts yet bring.

For no doubt on this journey I take can this prince yet afford
I won't live if my love has yet strayed from her promise and vow
Nor can any a king yet repair what a peasant has tore

If the maid does depart from her path by forsaking me now."

Then maiden nods her head and promise makes
To wait for prince no matter time it takes
For noble man to journey back to home
In France where love again may roam.

"I'll wait for love no matter length
Forbearing great with all my strength
From all that tempts and all that tries
That heart of prince be peasant's prize.

So go and know that maid will wait,
And pray that God will guide your fate
So noble man achieves his goal
And serves his king fulfilling role.

But still I wish that love with maid would stay
In France's forest, hiding self away.
Forsaking all his titles along with gold
If only prince could be that brave and bold.

But still my love belongs to man
Who journeys far too distant lands."

And noble man in turn does promise give
That man's own heart will yield as maid does bid
On peasant girl and peasant girl alone
The man will all his thoughts and hopes yet hone.

"I the noble will only yet love who is maiden so true,
And forbear I also from all that does tempt or does try.
So that love to the maiden through act may be proved,

And that force of the tempter so great I'll yet fight and defy.
So that soon yet again we'll rejoin in this land that is fair
In this place where what's wholesome and green does abound and abide.

That is place of the righteous for their shelter and lair.
Where we'll live in our comfort till the end of our time
For no forces of nature or things that in ocean I'll dare

May prevent me from maiden who I hope that again I may find.
With my vows now yet spoke from this land I must quickly depart
On a journey that station and rank does demand and yet bind

Though it leads me so far from the place where does dwell my own heart."

And silent both to God in heaven pray
That pair be joined again on future day.

When triumphant noble journeys home from quest
And once again in arms of maiden rest.
To distant port the noble shrinks on steed
That bears him loft and charges fast with speed.

And maiden sets and watches noble leave
Though sight of thing the heart of servant grieves.
So peasant girl is once again alone
As maiden rest by self inside her home.

With chores of life she seeks to ease her mind
In labor hard some comfort maid does find,
And many weeks do pass since noble left
The peasant girl with heart that's deep bereft.

For long she waits and hopes he'll send her word
That faith of maid by lover's vows be spurred.
And every day she watches edge of sky
To see if rider bearing mail she spies.

So long she waits as heart does start to sink
Receiving little words she darkly thinks
Of troubles man might find on path he went
And darkest dreams by hurting heart are sent.

Then right as maiden ponders leaving home
And going forth the countryside to roam
To try and find her lover laid on ground
Now beaten bad as first the man was found...

A man did come to maid on horse
Who found his way through winding course
Of France's paths to seek the maid
And give her letter love had made.

To cottage man on steed does ride
And brings what prince himself confides.
He leans with letter held to maid
That noble man himself had gave.

With greatest joy she thanks the man
Who came to home at prince command,
And bore her letter noble wrote
That held the words her lover spoke.

Inside her home she quickly goes
To read alone inside abode.
The seal she breaks with quickest speed
So maid the words of prince may read,

And learn of work her love now made
How plans for journey's deftly laid.
And maiden's heart was filled with peace
Her troubled mind at greater ease.

But still she longed to see the man
So maiden made a cunning plan.
She covered self in guise of crone
And rode to France's ports alone

There hoping maid her love might see
On fast to port did swiftly flee.
Not fearing fall not fearing theft
Not even fearing hand of death.

That maid might find on path she took
With all her dread and cares forsook.
She bears on steed to speed him fast
With reigns of horse now tightly clasp.

For maid possesses single mind
To go to port and lover find.
In hopes to see her prince's face,
And feel in heart that strangest grace

That's granted great when seeing love
A gift that's gave from God above.
And after many hours road
As ever onward passion goads.

She comes to gate of France's port
Where trade was bid by king and court.
And swiftly enters city found
Where fate of maid was surely bound.

Inside were many foreign sailors stood
Who brought on ship their novel wares and goods.
There men did toil hard for easier life
While warships kept the peace by threat'ning strife.

For long the peasant girl did make her search
Disguised as crone the maiden slowly lurched.
In hopes that serf does spy her love and Lord
And eases heart by seeing noble's chore.

Then after maiden long had strode
She finds the ship where love abodes.
And seeing man her heart did jump
As slowly peasant forward slumped.

And joy does warm the maiden's soul
When seeing man she sought as goal.
In dashing suit in front of ship
With other men now planning trip.

On top of crate at maps they stared
And charted path that few would dare.
They mumbled words and altered course
Till all their throats were rough and coarse.

And many hours maiden stared
At man who won her love and care.
And watched as captain readied men
For trial great that king did send.

Preparing ship for highest seas
And gathered goods for many needs
That's sure to come on journey hard
To land that lays in world afar.

But soon a newer test's revealed to maid
Who down in cronish guise be deeply laid.
For noble stood on crate he former planned
And spoke in voice that reaches every man.

To beg them heed the call that country makes
And bid their hearts to bravely dare their fates.

"I do go to a land where to walk you must sail on the sea
For no courage is found if no fearful a thing would yet come,
And isn't death yet the price that your life has demanded as fee?

For the paltriest audacity's worth yet the heftiest sum.
So I ask you to leave what you love, and what love does return
That you far from the land in which you do live be yet run.

Though for comforts and good of your home you may long for and yearn
For the sake of your country to foreign land you must go.
So now prove to me steel in your bowels as your fear you do spurn

To now take on this journey and make of this vessel abode. "

And few remained but many more depart
Possessing strongest arms but weakest hearts.
Forsaking danger for which the vessel's bound
And all the snares that sure on way be found.

The price of gold too cheap for risking death
For none is spent once mortal forms bereft.
So only honor bids what men do join
Their fear too great for heart to move by coin.

And very few did seek to honor king
Though doing so a highest fame might bring.
So down he climbed dejected great by turn
And many men who task for kingdom spurned

To gather crew who hearing speech had stayed
The few who owned a heart that's true and brave.
When seeing mass remaining still he frowned
At task that man was bid to do by crown.

For few would risk their lives along with neck
In fear that voyage took would end in wreck.
But still he steadied self and set his mind to task
In hopes that man performs as king had ask.

Though lacking crew to help him fare the sea
As many feared too great to fill this need.
Yet still he held in heart this highest hope
That few who sailed could cross the mighty moat,

And land on foreign shore to glory claim
Thus few for all of France would win a fame
By claiming part of land that's found abroad
And stake a win that's surely lofty laud.

But maiden's heart did sink when seeing sight
Now knowing full the depths of lover's plight.
If sailors made by many years at sea
For even greatest gold refused his plea.

What chance did love possess on voyage took
For surely hope this plan had quick forsook.
With breaking heart, the maid does fly to home
And weeps on bed in deepest dread alone.

No comfort world now held for maiden's soul
When peasant knew the risk of dire goal
Her love did take when making voyage far
To distant land on journey rough and hard.

So maiden sat in distress deep and dark,
And feared the trip along with noble's part
As captain leading ship on restless waves
Though love was skilled and also very brave.

For long she cries forgoing all her thoughts
But mourning much so little comfort brought.
So maid does lay and looks for way to spare
The noble man for which she deeply cared.

And great she thinks but answer fails to grasp
On way to turn the prince from dire task.
So after long to aid she sets her mind
In hopes that way to ease his chore she'll find.

Then sudden thought did come to mind of maid
As peasant planned on bed in which she laid.
And up she swiftly rose and mirror fetched
To gaze inside beholding weeping wretch.

Before the maid a semblance bore with crone
When peasant girl had gone to docks alone.
In hopes to see her lover planning quest
In which he wealth for nation sought to wrest.

Now newer guise the peasant sought to make
To high degree that even love it fakes.
As cabin boy to ports of France she'll go,
And seek to make the ship of love abode.

A knife she held in trembling hand and paused
To weigh in heart the cost she paid for cause.

"My love so deep and fully great
Does force my hand to alter fate.
By quickly carrying out this plan.
To save my heart disguised as man

By bearing semblance full and true
Of cabin boy to join their crew.
Thus, staying close securing life
Of love by choosing greatest strife.

But still, I think if choice be fair and good?
By maid the noble man has never stood,
And chose his mortal wealth and princely need
Above the maiden's great and many pleas.

But deep in heart this truth I know
To reap his life my death I'll sow."

Then maiden cut yet short her raven hair
And made now plain a face that once was fair...

Please leave a vote and comment!!! Do you think that Adrienes' plan was smart? Why or why not!!