Thought was on the high white forehead,
In the deep blue eyes,
And it was the quick warm feeling
Bade the blushes rise,
Which could such sweet light impart,
Writing on the cheek, the heart,
Of the old knight's lovely daughter,
The gentle Alice Lee.
Lovely was the highborn maiden,
Happy were the hours
Gathering in the oak-tree's shelter
Mosses and wild flowers;
When the deer from each green coppice
Fled, a startled band,
Save when some familiar favourite
Fed from her small hand.
Danger now, and fear, and wrath,
Are around the woodland path
Of the old knight's lovely daughter,
The gentle Alice Lee.
Nobly doth she meet the trial,
She who hath but known
Till the present time of trouble
Life's smooth path alone.
Though her smile be somewhat sadder,
And her eye subdued,
Such are lovelier as the token
Of a higher mood.
U 3
