The Glove And the Lions - Leigh Hunt

THE GLOVE AND THE LIONS

King Francis was a hearty king, and loved a royal

sport,

And one day, as his lions fought, sat looking on

the court;

The nobles filled the benches, with the ladies in

their pride,

And 'mongst them sat the Count de Lorge, with

one for whom he sighed:

And truly 'twas a gallant thing to see that crow-

ning show-

Valour and love, and a king above, and the royal

beasts below.

Ramped and roared the lions, with horrid laugh-

ing jaws;

They bit, they glared, gave blows like beams, a

wind went with their paws;

With wallowing might and stifled roar they rolled

on one another,

Till all the pit with sand and mane was in a

thunderous smother;

The frothing foam above the bars came whisking

through the air;

Said Francis then, 'Faith, gentlemen, we're better

here thank there.'

De Lorge's love o'erheard the King, a beauteous

lively dame

With smiling lips and sharp bright eyes, which

always seemed the same;

She thought, 'The Count my lover is brave as brave

can be;

He surely would do wondrous things to show his

love of me;

King, ladies, lovers, all look on; the occasion is

divine;

I'll drop my glove to prove his love; great glory

will be mine.'

She dropped her glove, to prove his love, then

looked at him and smiled;

He bowed, and in a moment leaped among the

lions wild:

The leap was quick, return was quick, he was

regained his place,

Then threw the glove, but not with love, right in

the lady's face.

'By Heav'n!' said Francis', 'rightly done!' and

he rose from where he sat;

'No love,' quoth he, 'but vanity, sets love a task

like that.'

LEIGH HUNT

Summary: 'The Glove and the Lions' by Leigh Hunt tells the story of a royal event where King Francis, who was known for his love of sports, watched as his lions fought in an arena. The nobles and ladies of the court were in attendance, including the Count de Lorge, who had strong feelings for a particular lady among the audience.

As the lions engaged in a fierce battle, King Francis and the crowd watched in awe, appreciating the combination of valour and love in the same settings. The lions fought with tremendous strength and ferocity, creating a thunderous spectacle.

During the event, the lady, whom the Count de Lorge admired, decided to test his love and bravery. She dropped her glove into the lion's den, intending for the Count to retrieve it as a grand gesture of love and heroism. To everyone's surprise, the Count de Lorge swiftly leaped into the arena, retrieved the glove, and returned to his place. However, instead of presenting the glove to the lady as a token of his love, he flung it into her face.

King Francis, appreciating the Count's act, declared that it was an act of vanity rather than love that drove such recklessness. The poem serves as a humorous and satirical commentary on the sometimes foolish and vain acts people do in the name of love and honour.