"Althea Imprisoned"
There was a princess, Althea,
Imprisoned in a tow'r,
And tho the place did please her not
She had but little pow'r.
All other folks could walk about --
They ventured to and fro.
Yet Althea approached the door,
And guards did tell her, "No."
So Althea did pine away
And brushed her long blond hair
And braided oft her long blond plait,
Her only pastime there.
She gazed out her high window
At the sky and grass and ben
And payed no 'ttention to the folk,
The women and the men.
For gentlefolk did visit her,
But leave her then they could,
And Althea who could not leave
Did not see why they should.
So silently she wept all day
And grew so very thin,
But no one seemed to note or care,
Not even her own kin.
One day she wore a woollen cap
And tucked her hair inside.
She hoped the guards would know her not
And past them she would glide.
She dressed herself in manly clothes.
She swaggered and she sneared.
She sauntered toward the tower guards,
The moment she had feared.
Her thinness now did help her cause --
She looked to be a lad.
But one guard looked into her eyes
And saw that they were sad.
All type of folk passed through the door
With laughter, talk, and sighs.
But Althea stood quite quite still
And watched the guard man's eyes.
He was the first to really look,
The first to see her true,
And though he clearly knew her face,
He slowly waved her through.