Said the King: "Guards, stop that criminal at the door! And throw him fast to the prison floor Tell that fool he is given a curse For thoughtlessly contrived poetic verse Not ever have I heard things so absurd! How dare he utter that fateful word?" And the Bard said: "What word, O King, did I seem to utter to make your nerves go all a flutter? What word, O King, was so heinous to speak To make thy great mind and body weak? I ask and guess at one - was it Love? O King, Was it the word, Love? Said the King: "Yes, it was but speak no more! Curse your tribe and progenitor! Such a word is not allowed in my court! God, judge not my rough retort! Humble yourself so you are not slain! O where is my queen - I am in pain! The queen arrives and the King continues: "My head, it aches, and my nerves are shot O painful memories - they shake my lot I think to the past - to bygone days Whe...