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BALLAD.

THE king sat high in the banquet hall;

Around him gathered his barons all,

And bright were the flashes of light that played

On salver of gold and on trusty blade.

The king sat high in the banquet hall;

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The trump blew loud from the castle wall.

"Who hammers so bold at the dungeon gate?

Who wakens the echoes at night so late?"

The king sat high in the banquet hall;

Up to the throne strode a pilgrim tall;

Chill grew the air with the breath of the dead,

As he forward strode with a noiseless tread.

The king sat lone in the vaulted hall,

For the ladies fled, and the barons all;

And the king's proud heart grew cold in his breast

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