“Then, with a
sad and mournful song,
Away the bird did fly,
And o’er the castle
eaves, and through
The gray and windy sky.
‘Come forth!’
then cried the brother grim,
‘Why dost thou
gaze so after him?’
“It is May Ellen’s
wedding day,
The sky is blue and
fair,
And many a lord and
lady gay
In church are gathered
there.
The bridegroom was Sir
Hugh the Bold,
All clad in silk and
cloth of gold.
“In came the bride
in samite white
With a white wreath
on her head;
Her eyes were fixed
with a glassy look,
Her face was as the
dead,
And when she stood among
the throng,
She sang a wild and
wondrous song.
“Then came a strange
and rushing sound
Like the coming wind
doth bring,
And in the open windows
shot
Nine swans on whistling
wing,
And high above the heads
they flew,
In gleaming fight the
darkness through.
“Around May Ellen’s
head they flew
In wide and windy fight,
And three times round
the circle drew.
The guests shrank in
affright,
And the priest beside
the altar there,
Did cross himself with
muttered prayer.
“But the third
time they flew around,
Fair Ellen straight
was gone,
And in her place, upon
the ground,
There stood a snow-white
swan.
Then, with a wild and
lovely song,
It joined the swift
and winged throng.
“There’s
ancient men at weddings been,
For sixty years and
more,
But such a wondrous
wedding day,
They never saw before.
But none could check
and none could stay,
The swans that bore
the bride away_.”
Not a sound broke the stillness when Allan a Dale
had done, but all sat gazing at the handsome singer,
for so sweet was his voice and the music that each
man sat with bated breath, lest one drop more should
come and he should lose it.
“By my faith and my troth,” quoth Robin
at last, drawing a deep breath, “lad, thou art—Thou
must not leave our company, Allan! Wilt thou not
stay with us here in the sweet green forest? Truly,
I do feel my heart go out toward thee with great love.”
Then Allan took Robin’s hand and kissed it.
“I will stay with thee always, dear master,”
said he, “for never have I known such kindness
as thou hast shown me this day.”
Then Will Scarlet stretched forth his hand and shook
Allan’s in token of fellowship, as did Little
John likewise. And thus the famous Allan a Dale
became one of Robin Hood’s band.
The stout yeomen of Sherwood Forest
were ever early risers of a morn, more especially
when the summertime had come, for then in the freshness
of the dawn the dew was always the brightest, and the
song of the small birds the sweetest.
