(Following on from this post)

I

My steadfast love, you!
The day I saw you
At the market house,
My eyes took heed of you,
My heart took a liking to you,
So I fled from my friends with you,
Went far from home with you.

And I was never sorry:
You put the parlour white for me,
Had rooms cleared,
The oven blazing,
The briquettes shaped,
Roasted them on spits,
And had cattle slaughtered — for me.
I slept on duck feathers
Until milking-time,
Or past it, if it pleased me.

My steadfast friend, you!
The memory comes to mind
Of that fine Spring day, long ago,
How lovely your hat was,
Under a pulled gold band;
The silver sword hilt,
Your right hand unwavering,
Playful and menacing —
They were truly shaking with fear,
Our treacherous enemies —
You brought your horse ambling,
The slender one, with the…