The King Sends Three Cats to Guinevere

Queen Guinevere,

Three sleek and silent cats

Bring you gifts from me.

The first is a grey one,

( I wanted a white one,

I could not find one snowy white enough,

Queen Guinevere,)

He brings you purple grapes.

The second is a grey one,

( I wanted a sleek one,

Where could I find one sleek enough,

Queen Guinevere? )

He brings you a red apple.

The third one, too, is grey.

( I wanted a black one,

Not Hate itself could find one black enough,

Queen Guinevere,)

He brings you poison toadstools.

I send you three grey cats with gifts —

( For uniformity of metaphor,

Since Bacchus, Satan, and the Hangman

Are not contemporaneous in my mythology )

I send you three grey cats with gifts,

Queen Guinevere,

To warn you, sleekly, silently

To pay the forfeit.