“That is too easy,” said Barefoot. “It is childish; it is rue and true,” and as the larks began to sing, they also sang riddle-songs with them. Then John sang:
“Now love! I will give thee to guess,
But if not, I will marry thee, no less.
What is whiter than snow?
What is greener than grass?
What is black as the sloe?
Dost thou guess it? Ah, love,
Will you marry me?”
Amrie:
“The cherry bloom is whiter than snow,
But when it falls off, the green bud’s below.
The fruit’s like the sloe; in beauty it glows,
And I’ll be thy wife, as thou so well knows.”
John:
“What king has no sway?
What servant has no pay?”
Amrie:
“The king of clubs has no sway;
The dumb waiter has no pay.”
John:
“There is a fire that has no heat,
There is a knife that has no point.”