XXX. ‘Who follows Love shall walk in outland places’
Who follows Love shall walk in outland places,
Beyond the common cheer of hall and town,
He shall forget all things, the friendly faces,
The strife for wealth, the struggle for renown.
A young crusader putting by his crown,
A pilgrim following a holy vision,
Heeding nor threat of king nor gibe of clown,
The tyrant’s hatred nor the world’s derision,—
Thus shall he wander; in no bright Elysian
Meadows shall be his quest, but through the vast
And midnight fears that shake his heart’s decision
With staring madness, till he see at last
Like Parsifal in ages long ago,
Love’s flaming chalice out of darkness glow.
