Amorous Birds of Prey

Monday, January 18th, 2010 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Queen's Pawn

There is a scene in THE QUEEN’S PAWN in which Richard the Lionhearted, Princess Alais, and Queen Eleanor go hunting with hawks and falcons. The following lines in Andrew Marvell’s poem (To His Coy Mistress) spoke to me for the first time this weekend, though I have read them over and over all my life.

For the first time, I saw in these words Eleanor’s point of view, and Henry’s, and Richard’s. These lines reflect they way they live their lives, and the way Alais tried to live, while she was with them.

“And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour…                                                                

Let us roll all our strength and all                                                            

Our sweetness up into one ball                                                                   

And tear our pleasures with rough strife                                              

Through the iron gates of life.

This, though we can not make our sun    

Stand still, yet we will make him run.”

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