Queen Summer; Or, The Tourney of the Lily and the Rose

Queen Summer or the Tourney of the Lily & the Rose penned & portrayed by Walter Crane
Cassell & Co: Ld: London: Paris: & Melbourne
When Summer on the earth was queen She held her court in gardens green Fair hung with tapestry of leaves, Where threads of gold the sun enweaves With checquered patterns on the floor Of velvet lawns the scythe smoothes o’er: Their waving fans the soft winds spread Each way to cool Queen Summer’s head: The woodland dove made music soft, And Eros touched his lute full oft.
Round Time’s dial thronged the hours, Masking in the Masque of Flowers
Like knights and ladies fair be-dight In silk attire, both red and white.
And as the winds about them played, And shook the flowers or disarrayed,
A whispered word among them goes Of how the Lily flouts the Rose,
Suitors for Summer’s favor dear, To win the crown of all the year— And how each champion brave would fight, Queen Summer to decide the right.
Then shrill the wind-winged heralds blew; The lists were set in Summer’s view,
With blazoned shields, & pennons spruce Of fluttering flag & fleur-de-luce:
And spread with ’broidered hangings gay, Till all was ready for the fray.
Between their banners white and red, Of Rose and Lily overhead, Queen Summer took her judgment seat, Whom all the crowd of flowers did greet.