38. lightly. Quickly, nimbly.
43. hest. Behest, command.
45. shrine. See lines 8 and 9.
46. athwart. Across.
56. haft. Handle.
57. topaz. A rich gem, generally of a yellowish colour.
jacinth. Another form of the word “hyacinth”; a gem of a red colour.
58. subtlest jewellery. Most cunning workmanship.
60. Looking swiftly now on one side of the question, now on the other.
63. many-knotted water-flags. The common iris, growing in tangled confusion. Or “many-knotted” may refer to the joints in the stalk.