Her naked beauty till ... but hear the scribe!

Now as she fain would bathe, one even-tide,

God's maid, this Joan, from the pool's edge she spied

The fair blue bird clowns call the Fisher-king:

And "'Las, sighed she, my Liege is such a thing

As thou, lord but of one poor lonely place

Out of his whole wide France: were mine the grace

To set my Dauphin free as thou, blue bird!"

Properly Martin-fisher—that's the word,

Not yours nor mine: folk said the rustic oath