Sir Hugh and the Swans
Now, for the king in prison,
There's two will dare to die.
There's Hugh o' the Rose, the Jester,
Sir Hugh o' the Rose, and I.)
We came upon the castle moat
As the dawn was weak and grey :
"There's still an hour," quoth Hugh o' the Rose
"An hour till break of day.
"Give me the files, the muted files,
Give me the rope to fling;
I'll swam to the prison window.
And hand them to the king.
"I'll swim to the castle and back. Sir John,
Before the morn is light,
And we'll both lie hid i' the rushes here
Till we take the boat to-night."
We tied the files, we tied the rope.
In a little leather sack.
Sir Hugh struck off from the mirky bank.
The satchel on his back.
I watched him cleave the wan water—
A bold swimmer was he.
My heart beat high in my bosom.
For I thought the king was free.
I watched him shoot the middle stream
And reach the other side—
"Fling up the rope," the king cried out—
That never should have cried.
The sun uprist beyond the dyke:
It was a deadly gleam.
The startled swans that sleep i' the moat
Began to whir and scream.
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