The Pitiless Knight

‘What do you play with my mistress here

In the dark before the dawn,

How did you come by the chamber key,

Is the locksmith now foresworn?

I fear the devil has dipped your tongue

In a crucible of lies,

But truth will out when I have you hung

And I peer in your lying eyes!’

 

‘Good Sir, I beg your indulgence

For the door, it was ajar,

I had no need of a key, I heard

My Lady scream, afar,

It echoed down through the passageway

And into the servants hall,

I entered for her protection, Sire,

I sware, and that is all!’

 

The knight then pulled back the curtains

Of the great four poster bed,

And there was his mistress Carolyn,

His bride, and newly wed,

She clutched the covers about her throat

Her face was pale and white,

He saw that her hands had trembled there

With fear, or else with fright.

 

‘And what is the truth of this, my dear,

Will you save this lying cur?

Did you really scream at a nightmare scene

Did you leave the door ajar?

I’ve been a-hunting the grisly boar

But came on back, ahead,

When good Sir Roland excused him there

And the boar was good and dead.’

 

‘Oh husband, if I could tell you now

I would, upon my life,

I set the lock in my chamber door

As it would a seemly wife,

I heard a sound that had frightened me

But it must have been in sleep,

Whoever opened the chamber door

I thought I heard him creep.’

 

‘Good sir, it’s just as I said, the door

Was unlocked, and opened wide,

Whoever undid the lock, it wasn’t I,

I have not lied,

My lady screamed, if it was a dream

I know not, speaking true,

When first I saw it was open, Sire,

I thought it might be you.’

 

The knight unsheathed his sword, and held

It high above his head,

The servant dropped to his knees, ‘Oh please!

You hold my life in dread!’

‘Methinks that you are the only one

Within my lady’s sight,

What did you think to do with her,

Speak now, before I strike!’

 

‘Oh Sire, I lied for the lady there,

I have no axe to grind,

I saw him who had accosted her

But she didn’t seem to mind.’

‘You lie, you blethering peasant troll,

You lie! " take off his head!’

Screamed Carolyn from beneath the sheets

Of the great four poster bed.

 

A curtain stirred in an alcove then

And a knight came into view,

‘My God,’ said the jilted husband then,

‘Sir Roland, it was you!’

‘I could not watch an innocent man

Be cleft for a sin of mine,

I’d thought to have sweet Carolyn

Before, when you came to dine.’

 

Sir Roland drew out his burnished sword

And he said, ‘Be on your guard!

If I have to kill you now, I will

Though the killing will be hard.

But stand aside and we both may go

For the sake of friendship past…’

The knight struck out at him in rage

‘That friendship’s gone, at last!’

 

The servant ran from the chamber then

To call the guard at arms,

By the time the two of them ran on back

It was too late for alarms,

Sir Roland lay in a pool of blood

And the knight just stood, and cried,

For Carolyn sat up straight in bed,

But her head lay close beside!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Irfan Bashir Shah]

Perfectly narrated! Your narration skills are unparalleled..... I don't think anyone on writers cafe would disagree with me....
Your rhyme scheme never fails to amuse me.... You always leave your reader in aw!!
The ending was unexpected....
Writers like you are very rare sir and i feel being able to review you.... It's an honor always.....
With every poem you set a new standard for yourself....
Although if I may beg your indulgence, i would like you to revisit the 7th line of your first stanza... "But truth will out when I have you hung"
Instead of out, you may use 'spring'..... It's just an opinion and nothing else.... I respect you a lot......
Thank you for sharing!
Yet another great poem!

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A find that you like to lead by the hand, but as a reader I take my own look.

[Tate Morgan]

Thats poetic justice if ever I heard it lol.

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Love the twist at the end. Great story.

[Mark]

It's rare that I have anything other than raw adulation for a poem of yours, David, but I have two offerings I might suggest here;
First, in the sixth stanza, the fourth line, with only four syllable interrupts the perfect flow of which we have all become so enamored. Might I suggest:
"I know not whom the lock did ope,
But in sooth, it was not I!"
Second, the word "unscabbard" is a misnomer, as "scabbard" is itself a noun, not a verb. Might "unsheathed" serve as well? (This also serves to reduce a nine-syllable line to the formulaic eight.)
But barring these two trivial and easily remediable glitches, this is another glowing example of the Balladeer of the Seventh Sea, at his ironic best.

[Valentine]

Fantastic...the Knight was noble enough to show himself..but his wife still lost her head..great write and unpredictable ending..You just keep them coming..you are a marvel to all of us on her..love kathie

[Enid Blake]

Ha Ha, what a fitting end!
'I fear the devil has dipped your tongue
in a crucible of lies'... - I like those lines David ;)

[Emerald Seas]

Serves them both! Ha, what a read, David. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[JM Russell]

Amazingly brilliant. The ending perfect.

[quinfinn]

astounding act of chivalry! another fine write from the masterful quill of our great storyteller. well done, sir!

[Sheila Kline]

Ah such chivalry - fitting for a knight! The knight proved to be honorable and worthy of his title as he did not allow the poor chap to take the fall for him. The ending surprised me til I thought about the attitude of those in the day when this story was set. It was what one would be expected to do to maintain his honor as he punished the "guilty"! I think of King Henry VIII and of how he rid himself of his wives, and of how others in his chambers were expected to behave in the same way. Unfaithfulness was unacceptable with price paid for with one's life!! At least the knight did not subject the two of them to public humiliation as was so often done!

Another wonderful story David!!!

I know many of your stories are based on actual historical events............does this one has a real "Sir Roland" and "Lady Carolyn"?
I know of Sir Roland Lenthall who married Margaret Fitz Alan, and Lucy Grey.