to me in the wood tonight. Oh, 'twas
An evil hour for us both, Iseult,
That Lord Denovalin rode through the wood
Today. Now, answer me, Iseult, wilt thou
Still keep the oath thou sware to Tristram once?

ISEULT (fixedly).
I'll break no oath that I have sworn, for God
Has sanctioned all my vows.

STR. JESTER.
Then call I thee,
Iseult the Goldenhaired, in Tristram's name,
And by this ring. [He hands her the ring.]

ISEULT.
Knowst thou that oath as well.
Thou ghost!

(Solemnly.)

Oh God, here in this hand, grown pale
And hot from resting on my heart all night,
I hold the ring of gold and emerald stone
By which I sware to Tristram to obey
His will, and come to him when one should call
Upon me by this ring and in his name!
Lo, thou hast called upon me; I obey!
What wishest thou of me, thou evil ghost
With hollow sunken eyes? What wouldst thou have.
Thou spectre of the twilight gloom?

STR. JESTER.
I call
On thee, Iseult, my love, in my distress!
Oh know me now, who was thy lover once!

ISEULT.
Thou suck'st my blood!

STR. JESTER.
Thy blood was mine! Thy blood
Was once mine own! It was a crimson trust
reposing in my knightly hands to keep
Irrevocably until Death. And where
Thou goest there go I; and where thou stayst
There stay I too. So spoke thy blood--I come
To claim but what is mine.

ISEULT (in great passion).
What have I done
To thee that thou recountest my past life
As 'twere a mocking song? Who art thou, fool?
Who art thou? Speak? I'm knocking at thy soul
As knocks a dead man's soul outside the gates
Of Paradise! Who art thou, fool? Art thou
Magician? Art thou ghost? Art thou some soul
Forever wandering for some evil deed?
Art thou some faithless lover barred from Heav'n
And Hell eternally, whose punishment
It is to wander restless through the world
Forever begging love from women's hearts?
Did God permit that thou shouldst know what none,
Save only Tristram and myself have known?
That thou shouldst taste of bitter torment still
By thinking thou art Tristram and shouldst thus
Mak