| Blak was his berd & manly was his face | |
| The cerclis of his yen in hes heed | |
| They glowden betwix yelow and reed | |
1275 | And lyke a griffyn loked he aboute | |
| With kempt heris in his browis stoute | |
| His lymes grete his brawn hard & strong | |
| His shuldres brode his armes round & long | |
| And as the gyse was in his contre | |
1280 | Ful high vp on a chare of gold stood he | |
| With four white bolis in the trace | |
| In stede of Cote armure in his harnase | |
| With naylis yelow & bright as ony golde | |
| He hadde a bere skyn cool blak for olde | |
1285 | His longe heris were kempt behynd his bak | |
| As ony rauen fethir it shoon for blak | |
| A wrethe of gold arme grete of huge weyghte | |
| Vp on his hed sat . with many a stone bright | |
| Of fyn Rubyes and of fyn diamantes | |
1290 | Aboute his chare ther wente alauntes | |
| Twenty and mo as grete as ony steer | |
| To honte atte lioun or ellis at the deer | |
| And folowed hym with mosel faste I bounde | |
| Colers of gold and torettis filyd rounde | |
1295 | An hundrid lordis he hadde in his rowte | |
| Armed well as knyghtis sterne & stoute | |
| W | Ith arcite as men in story fynde | |
| The stronge Emetrus the kyng of Inde | |
| Vp on abay stede I trappid al in steell | |
1300 | Armed with a cloth of gold I diapred well | |