Long ago in ages past,
The tales of Elves and Fairies known
Of the Elf-maid in the Oaken Woods
And her lover, Launfal, Knight.
For in the court of Arthur,
Not far from Avalon,
The worthy knight Sir Launfal
Of the table there did dwell.
His deeds of good and kindness
Were known to all the poor,
For who he gave so freely
And to them become beloved.
The gifts this noble servant got
From Arthur, his dear king,
Were spent upon the needy poor
In countless works of mercy.
Then did Guinevere, the faithless queen
Give to him a selfish love,
Which this here noble knight denied,
Choosing what he knew as right.
As of old, Joseph suffered,
For the sins of Potiphar’s Wife,
The goodly knight did have to bear
The Queen’s unholy wrath
And thus the Queen, her bitter hate,
She turned to unjust machinations
She swayed the king, who listened,
To gaze coldly on this knight
Then to destitution fell
The ill-favoured knight Sir Launfal.
No longer worthy deeds rewarded,
His purses left unfilled.
Yet patiently he bore himself,
No word against the Queen he spoke.
Too loyal he was to make remarks
He knew would hurt the King.
As time passed, his poorness grew
With his servants he did part.
He sold away his equipment
and his decent clothes for funds.
With little left but baggage horse,
It’s bridle and it’s saddle,
He took lodgings with a villager
Who begrudged him place to stay.
To tournaments, he no longer went.
To feast, his friends would not invite him.
For days he had no meat or drink
And so left the court of Arthur.
He mounted his old faithful steed
And rode to find his fortune.
Past brook and spring,
Through town and field
Till he came upon the woods.
There by a sparkling river,
To an oak, he tied his horse,
The beast he left to feed at will
And he sat upon the grass.
He wrapped himself in tattered cloak
And gazed on root and twig.
He meditated on his sorrows
And then turned towards the bank.
There coming up to him
Two fair maidens he did see
One bore a silken napkin,
The other a golden bowl.
The goodly knight did rise to meet them,
And looked upon their rich attire.
They offered him refreshing water
And a towel for his face
‘Speed thee Sir knight’ one damsel said
‘Our lady sends thee greetings,
She bids thee come and speak with her,
If thou wouldst be willing.’
‘Gladly, I will follow thee’
The courteous knight replied
‘For no fairer maidens have I seen
Upon this good green earth.’
‘But dear, sir knight’, they both returned,
‘You’ve yet to see our lady’.
And with a smile, they took his hand
And led him to a meadow.
Within that blooming meadow,
No place on earth compared,
An ornamental pavilion
With tapestry, gold and jewel.
Yet no attraction, this sight beheld
To Launfal, Arthur’s knight.
For there in that pavilion,
The elfin lady sat.
Her hair like shining threads of gold,
Her eyes like radiant beryls,
Around her waist a girdle tied
With ruby, jade and emerald.
Lady pure as springtime Lillies,
As sweet as summer roses.
From the moment Launfal saw her
His heart was thence enthralled.
“Genteel Knight” she uttered then,
Her voice as soothing balm
“Think not thyself a stranger,
For long, thy deeds I’ve seen”
“And thus I called thee thither,
Truly knowing of thy worth
To find if thou wouldst deem me
To be worthy of thy love”.
Launfal then did falter
His ears would not believe
Hopes and dreams formed in his heart
Might just then be for he.
“Lady, in all things command me,
For which man would not choose to serve thee.
Peerless art thou O kindly dame
Yet poor and friendless I remain.
His mutterings, a smile did bring
Upon the Lady’s visage
“This I know my dearest knight,
And this I shall resolve”.
Dec 11, 2025
Dec 11, 2025 at 6:54 PM UTC
Long ago in ages past,
The tales of Elves and Fairies known
Of the Elf-maid in the Oaken Woods
And her lover, Launfal, Knight.
For in the court of Arthur,
Not far from Avalon,
The worthy knight Sir Launfal
Of the table there did dwell.
His deeds of good and kindness
Were known to all the poor,
For who he gave so freely
And to them become beloved.
The gifts this noble servant got
From Arthur, his dear king,
Were spent upon the needy poor
In countless works of mercy.
Then did Guinevere, the faithless queen
Give to him a selfish love,
Which this here noble knight denied,
Choosing what he knew as right.
As of old, Joseph suffered,
For the sins of Potiphar’s Wife,
The goodly knight did have to bear
The Queen’s unholy wrath
And thus the Queen, her bitter hate,
She turned to unjust machinations
She swayed the king, who listened,
To gaze coldly on this knight
Then to destitution fell
The ill-favoured knight Sir Launfal.
No longer worthy deeds rewarded,
His purses left unfilled.
Yet patiently he bore himself,
No word against the Queen he spoke.
Too loyal he was to make remarks
He knew would hurt the King.
As time passed, his poorness grew
With his servants he did part.
He sold away his equipment
and his decent clothes for funds.
With little left but baggage horse,
It’s bridle and it’s saddle,
He took lodgings with a villager
Who begrudged him place to stay.
To tournaments, he no longer went.
To feast, his friends would not invite him.
For days he had no meat or drink
And so left the court of Arthur.
He mounted his old faithful steed
And rode to find his fortune.
Past brook and spring,
Through town and field
Till he came upon the woods.
There by a sparkling river,
To an oak, he tied his horse,
The beast he left to feed at will
And he sat upon the grass.
He wrapped himself in tattered cloak
And gazed on root and twig.
He meditated on his sorrows
And then turned towards the bank.
There coming up to him
Two fair maidens he did see
One bore a silken napkin,
The other a golden bowl.
The goodly knight did rise to meet them,
And looked upon their rich attire.
They offered him refreshing water
And a towel for his face
‘Speed thee Sir knight’ one damsel said
‘Our lady sends thee greetings,
She bids thee come and speak with her,
If thou wouldst be willing.’
‘Gladly, I will follow thee’
The courteous knight replied
‘For no fairer maidens have I seen
Upon this good green earth.’
‘But dear, sir knight’, they both returned,
‘You’ve yet to see our lady’.
And with a smile, they took his hand
And led him to a meadow.
Within that blooming meadow,
No place on earth compared,
An ornamental pavilion
With tapestry, gold and jewel.
Yet no attraction, this sight beheld
To Launfal, Arthur’s knight.
For there in that pavilion,
The elfin lady sat.
Her hair like shining threads of gold,
Her eyes like radiant beryls,
Around her waist a girdle tied
With ruby, jade and emerald.
Lady pure as springtime Lillies,
As sweet as summer roses.
From the moment Launfal saw her
His heart was thence enthralled.
“Genteel Knight” she uttered then,
Her voice as soothing balm
“Think not thyself a stranger,
For long, thy deeds I’ve seen”
“And thus I called thee thither,
Truly knowing of thy worth
To find if thou wouldst deem me
To be worthy of thy love”.
Launfal then did falter
His ears would not believe
Hopes and dreams formed in his heart
Might just then be for he.
“Lady, in all things command me,
For which man would not choose to serve thee.
Peerless art thou O kindly dame
Yet poor and friendless I remain.
His mutterings, a smile did bring
Upon the Lady’s visage
“This I know my dearest knight,
And this I shall resolve”.
This is a tale I read from an old book on romance and chivalry and is rather a less know Arthurian legend. This poem turns the story into verse, however remains incomplete. Thoughts, suggestion and queries welcome as always. Also Launfal is also said as Lanval
