A Conquest.
I found him openly wearing her token ;1
I knew that her troth could never be broken
;2
I laid my hand on the hilt of my sword,3
He did the same and spoke not a word :4
I bad him confess his villany,5
He smiled, and said, ‘ She gave it me.’6
We searched for seconds, they soon were found,7
They measured our swords and measured the ground,8
To save us they would not have uttered a breath,9
They were ready enough to help us to death.10
We fought in the midst of a wintry wood,11
’Till the fair white snow was red with his blood :12
But his was the victory, for as he died13
He swore by the rood that he had not lied.14