Free The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

long out of my sight?
    Much feared I to haue bene quite abhord,
    Or ought haue done, that ye displeasen might,
    That should as death vnto my deare hart light:
    For since mine eye your ioyous sight did mis,
    My chearefull day is turnd to chearelesse night,
    And eke my night of death the shadow is;
    But welcome now my light, and shining lampe of blis.
    28 He thereto meeting said, My dearest Dame,
    Farre be it from your thought, and fro my will,
    To thinke that knighthood I so much should shame,
    As you to leaue, that haue me loued still,
    And chose in Faery court of meere goodwill,
    Where noblest knights were to be found on earth:
    The earth shall sooner leaue her kindly skill
    To bring forth fruit, and make eternall derth,
    Then I leaue you, my liefe, yborne of heauenly berth.
    29 And sooth to say, why I left you so long,
    Was for to seeke aduenture in strange place,
    Where
Archimago
said a felon strong
    To many knights did daily worke disgrace;
    But knight he now shall neuer more deface:
    Good cause of mine excuse; that mote ye please
    Well to accept, and euermore embrace
    My faithfull sendee, that by land and seas
    Haue vowd you to defend, now then your plaint appease.
    30 His louely words her seemd due recompence
    Of all her passed paines: one louing howre
    For many yeares of sorrow can dispence:
    A dram of sweet is worth a pound of sowre:
    She has forgot, how many a wofull stowre
    For him she late endur’d; she speakes no more
    Of past: true is, that true loue hath no powre
    To looken backe; his eyes be fixt before.
    Before her stands her knight, for whom she toyld so sore.
    31 Much like, as when the beaten marinere,
    That long hath wandred in the
Ocean
wide,
    Oft soust in swelling
Tethys
saltish teare,
    And long time hauing tand his tawney hide
    With blustring breath of heauen, that none can bide,
    And scorching flames of fierce
Orions
hound,
    Soone as the port from farre he has espide,
    His chearefull whistle merrily doth sound,
    And
Nereus
crownes with cups; his mates him pledg around.
    32 Such ioy made
Vna,
when her knight she found;
    And eke th’enchaunter ioyous seemd no lesse,
    Then the glad marchant, that does vew from ground
    His ship farre come from watrie wildernesse,
    He hurles out vowes, and
Neptune
oft doth blesse:
    So forth they past, and all the way they spent
    Discoursing of her dreadfull late distresse,
    In which he askt her, what the Lyon ment:
    Who told her all that fell in iourney as she went.
    33 They had not ridden farre, when they might see
    One pricking towards them with hastie heat,
    Full strongly armd, and on a courser free,
    That through his fiercenesse fomed all with sweat,
    And the sharpe yron did for anger eat,
    When his hot ryder spurd his chauffed side;
    His looke was sterne, and seemed still to threat
    Cruell reuenge, which he in hart did hyde,
    And on his shield
Sansloy
in bloudie lines was dyde.
    34 When nigh he drew vnto this gentle payre
    And saw the Red-crosse, which the knight did beare,
    He burnt in fire, and gan eftsoones prepare
    Himselfe to battell with his couched speare.
    Loth was that other, and did faint through feare
    To taste th’vntryed dint of deadly steele;
    But yet his Lady did so well him cheare,
    That hope of new goodhap he gan to feele;
    So bent his speare, and spurnd his horse with yron heele.
    35 But that proud Paynim forward came so fierce,
    And full of wrath, that with his sharp-head speare
    Through vainely crossed shield he quite did pierce,
    And had his staggering steede not shrunke for feare,
    Through shield and bodie eke he should him beare:
    Yet so great was the puissance of his push,
    That from his saddle quite he did him beare:
    He tombling rudely downe to ground did rush,
    And from his gored wound a well of bloud did gush.
    36 Dismounting lightly from his loftie steed,
    He to him lept, in mind to reaue his life,
    And proudly said, Lo there the worthie meed
    Of him, that slew
Sansfoy
with bloudie knife;
    Henceforth his ghost freed from repining