Courts of Chaos: reference?

I am still reading the first Chronicles out loud to my wife. We're on the
Courts of Chaos.

In chapter 6, at the end of his encounter with Lady, Corwin decides to get
going again:

....I went and mounted Star. The sedge was not withered, but he was right
about the no birds. Hell of a way to run a railroad, though.

What on earth is he referring to here? Who is "he"? I thought maybe it
was something that the man he had encountered before had said, the one who
referred to the Archangel Corwin and such. But I couldn't find anything.

Anyone?

Also, a big thank you to Scott Zrubek for putting together Manna from
Heaven. I think the Amber short stories create more loose ends than they
tie up, but they're good nonetheless! Great to have them all in one place.

It's a literary allusion. The lady that Corwin just had a dalliance
with is La Belle Dame Sans Merci, as per the poem of John Keats.
Kisses four, and all. I've quoted it below.

Chris
mun dot ca not mac for reply


La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats

I.
O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing.

II.
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms!
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
And the harvest's done.

III.
I see a lily on thy brow
With anguish moist and fever dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

IV.
I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful-a faery's child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

V.
I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She look'd at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

VI.
I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery's song.

VII.
She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna dew,
And sure in language strange she said-
"I love thee true."

VIII.
She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept, and sigh'd fill sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

IX.
And there she lulled me asleep,
And there I dream'd-Ah! woe betide!
The latest dream I ever dream'd
On the cold hill's side.

X.
I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried-"La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!"

XI.
I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill's side.

XII.
And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing.


Zenslinger wrote:
 > I am still reading the first Chronicles out loud to my wife. We're
on the
 > Courts of Chaos.
 >
 > In chapter 6, at the end of his encounter with Lady, Corwin decides
to get
 > going again:
 >
 > ...I went and mounted Star. The sedge was not withered, but he was
right
 > about the no birds. Hell of a way to run a railroad, though.
 >
 > What on earth is he referring to here? Who is "he"? I thought maybe
it
 > was something that the man he had encountered before had said, the
one who
 > referred to the Archangel Corwin and such. But I couldn't find
anything.
 >
 > Anyone?
 >
 > Also, a big thank you to Scott Zrubek for putting together Manna from

 > Heaven. I think the Amber short stories create more loose ends than
they
 > tie up, but they're good nonetheless! Great to have them all in one
place.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->