My Lady's Courage                    by Br. Euphonius

Once the world called a pious monk from his prayers
To seek its beauty and wonders
To love both spiritual and physical
To become a devoted knight seeking a lady for whom to fight.

As a knight he sought adventure (yet adventure did seek him)
One of love and romance
One with fear and loathing
One not causing him to fight but which would brighten his inner light.

He met his lady in sore distress looking at him with helpless eyes
More graceful than the gazelle
More lovely than the orchid
More gentle than a child so exceedingly soft and mild.
She'd been kept by ogres ere since she was a girl.
The first was violent and crazy.
The second was cruel and cold.
The second rescued her from the first and no one would say he was the
 worst.

Yet this ogre was not kind and used his favor to bind
Her from knowing herself
From finding true love
From seeking within to find her strength which proved much greater than
 she could think.

The knight gave her his love and concern for her well-being.
He loved her without constraint
More madly than he had for God
Yet it was God who taught him love's great heights through her and her
 delights.

He did not fight the ogre though he was willing to take a hit.
His strength was in his love.
His strength was in her love.
And it was this love which did give his lady her strength to live

And vanquish that ogre that caused her such sorrow
By telling him her thoughts
By being honest and ethical
By letting him know that she must leave so that only one, not many, must
 grieve.

It was her kindness which caused her the most fear
For she sought no revenge
Nor to cause harm or woe
Yet for her own sake she knew she must go and, of this, both her friends
 and relatives did know.

How brave was this knight to stay by his lady in her fight?
Certainly it was she who had the most might
To fight for what she thought was right.
The lady was as brave as the bravest of knights as all such ladies must be
 to live right.