Chapter 22

Two Red Roses Across the Moon

There was a lady lived in a hall,

Large of her eyes, and slim and tall;

And ever she sung from noon to noon,

Two red roses across the moon.

There was a knight¹ came riding by

In early spring, when the roads were dry;

And he heard that lady sing at the noon,

Two red roses across the moon.

Yet none the more he stopp’d at all,

But he rode a-gallop past the hall;

And left that lady singing at noon,

Two red roses across the moon.

Because, forsooth, the battle was set,

And the scarlet² and blue had got to be met,

He rode on the spur till the next warm noon:

Two red roses across the moon.

But the battle was scatter’d from hill to hill,

From the windmill to the watermill;

And he said to himself, as it near’d the noon,

Two red roses across the moon.

You scarce could see for the scarlet and blue,

A golden helm or a golden shoe:

So he cried, as the fight grew thick at the noon,

Two red roses across the moon!

Verily then the gold bore through

The huddled³ spears of the scarlet and blue;

And they cried, as they cut them down at the noon,

Two red roses across the moon!

I trow he stopp’d when he rode again

By the hall, though draggled sore with the rain;

And his lips were pinch’d to kiss at the noon

Two red roses across the moon.

Under the may she stoop’d to the crown,

All was gold, there was nothing of brown;

And the horns blew up in the hall at noon,

Two red roses across the moon.

1 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

2 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

3 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。