{"id":6447,"date":"2007-06-11T22:02:49","date_gmt":"2007-06-12T02:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/?p=6447"},"modified":"2016-03-26T15:41:03","modified_gmt":"2016-03-26T19:41:03","slug":"the-swans-nest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/archives\/6447","title":{"rendered":"“The Swan’s Nest”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

[Laura] and Carrie both loved to repeat, in concert, “The Swan’s Nest.” \u2013 The Long Winter, Chapter 22, “Cold and Dark”<\/em><\/p>\n

     
\nT<\/span>HE SWAN’S NEST<\/p>\n

Little Ellie sits alone
\nMid the beeches of a meadow,
\nBy a stream-side, on the grass;
\nAnd the trees are showering down
\nDoubles of their leaves in shadow,
\nOn her shining hair and face.<\/p>\n

She has thrown her bonnet by;
\nAnd her feet she has been dipping
\nIn the shallow water’s flow;–
\nNow she holds them nakedly
\nIn her hands, all sleek and dripping,
\nWhile she rocketh to and fro.<\/p>\n

Little Ellie sits alone;
\nAnd the smile she softly uses,
\nFills the silence like a speech;
\nWhile she thinks what shall be done,–
\nAnd the sweetest pleasure chooses,
\nFor her future within reach.<\/p>\n

Little Ellie in her smile
\nChooseth– “I will have a lover,
\nRiding on a steed of steeds!
\nHe shall love me without guile;
\nAnd to him I will discover
\nThat swan’s nest among the reeds.<\/p>\n

“And the steed shall be red-roan,
\nAnd the lover shall be noble,
\nWith an eye that takes the breath;
\nAnd the lute he plays upon
\nShall strike ladies into trouble,
\nAs his sword strikes men to death.<\/p>\n

“And the steed it shall be shod
\nAll in silver, housed in azure,
\nAnd the mane shall swim the wind:
\nAnd the hoofs along the sod
\nShall flash onward and keep measure,
\nTill the shepherds look behind.<\/p>\n

“But my lover will not prize
\nAll the glory that he rides in,
\nWhen he gazes in my face.
\nHe will say, ‘O Love, thine eyes
\nBuild the shrine my soul abides in;
\nAnd I kneel here for thy grace.’<\/p>\n

“Then, ay! then he shall kneel low,
\nWith the red-roan steed anear him,
\nWhich shall seem to understand–
\nTill I answer, ‘Rise and go!
\nFor the world must love and fear him
\nWhom I gift with heart and hand.’<\/p>\n

“Then he will arise so pale,
\nI shall feel my own lips tremble
\nWith a yes I must not say–
\nNathless maiden-brave, ‘Farewell,’
\nI will utter and dissemble–
\n‘Light to-morrow with to-day.’<\/p>\n

Then he’ll ride among the hills
\nTo the wide world past the river,
\nThere to put away all wrong:
\nTo make straight distorted wills,
\nAnd to empty the broad quiver
\nWhich the wicked bear along.<\/p>\n

“Three times shall a young foot-page
\nSwim the stream and climb the mountain
\nAnd kneel down beside my feet–
\n‘Lo! my master sends this gage,
\nLady, for thy pity’s counting!
\nWhat wilt thou exchange for it?’<\/p>\n

“And the first time I will send
\nA white rosebud for a guerdon–
\nAnd the second time, a glove:
\nBut the third time– I may bend
\nFrom my pride, and answer– ‘Pardon–
\nIf he comes to take my love.’<\/p>\n

“Then the young foot-page will run–
\nThen my lover will ride faster,
\nTill he kneeleth at my knee:
\n‘I am a duke’s eldest son!
\nThousand serfs do call me ‘master,–
\nBut, O Love, I love but thee!’<\/p>\n

“He will kiss me on the mouth
\nThen; and lead me as a lover,
\nThrough the crowds that praise his deeds:
\nAnd, when soul-tied by one troth,
\nUnto him I will discover
\nThat swan’s nest among the reeds.”<\/p>\n

Little Ellie, with her smile
\nNot yet ended, rose up gaily,
\nTied the bonnet, donned the shoe–
\nAnd went homeward, round a mile,
\nJust to see, as she did daily,
\nWhat more eggs were with the two.<\/p>\n

Pushing through the elm-tree copse
\nWinding by the stream, light-hearted,
\nWhere the osier pathway leads–
\nPast the boughs she stoops– and stops!
\nLo! the wild swan had deserted,–
\nAnd a rat had gnawed the reeds.<\/p>\n

Ellie went home sad and slow:
\nIf she found the lover ever,
\nWith his red-roan steed of steeds,
\nSooth I know not! but I know
\nShe could never show him– never,
\nThat swan’s nest among the reeds!<\/p>\n

     
\n
\n“The Swan’s Nest”<\/strong> (TLW 22)
\n     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[628],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6447"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6447"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10174,"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6447\/revisions\/10174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pioneergirl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}