In the third month of May to Carleile did come A gentle and a courteous child that knew much wisdom A tunic and a mantle this young child had on With broaches and ringers full richly bedone He had a suit of eastern silk about his middle drawn And if he lacked in courteousy, he thought of it much shame
God speed thee, King Arthur, sitting at thy meet And the goodly Queen Guinevere, I cannot her forget
I have with me a mantle, no lady can resist But it shall ne'er become that wife that hath once done amiss For if she be unfaithful, in tatters it shall fall And if she be but honest, she'll brighten any hall
And first there came Queen Guinevere, for she should lead the way And she was surely in great doubt, although she would not say And then she took the mantle as if she'd been a maid And suddenly from top to toe, it loosely fell in shreds And then it coloured brightest red, and then it coloured green And then it coloured darkest black, so ill did her beseem
And then I've spoke King Arthur and angrier he grew By all the knights of England, I think thou be not true And she threw down the mantle for all the court to see And blushed as red as roses and to her room did flee
Sir Kay called forth his lady and bade her to come near And said if thou be guilty, I pray thee hold thee there And so forth came his lady, so bold she did appear
And likewise was embarrassed and cried for all to hear And likewise all the gentle knights who thought their wives most true Commanded them to try it on and bitterly did rue
And then there came a faded knight, Sir Craddocke was his name And all the knights of Arthurs court, of him had sport and game And when this mantle lady and it shall all be thine And if thou ever did amiss, the shame is there for mine
His lady took the mantle and cast it her about Bow down to me good mantle and shame me not for nowt For once I did part one amiss, I'll tell thee certainly For once I lay in Craddockes bed before he married me
When she had made confession and all her sins are told The mantle stood about her, in bright array she stood So seemly of colour and glittering of gold Then all the knights of Arthurs court, her beauty did behold So Craddocke stood in glory, his lady groomed and true And all the knights of Arthurs court, have surely got their dueTeksty umieszczone na naszej stronie są własnością wytwórni, wykonawców, osób mających do nich prawa.
