This week’s choice is the song “A Night in Summer Long Ago” by Mark Knopfler.
You danced upon a soldier’s arm
Mark Knopfler (1949—)
And I felt the blade of love so keen
And when you smiled, you did me harm
And I was drawn to you, my queen.
Poem 449. A Night in Summer Long Ago
[Verse 1]
My lady, may I have this dance?
Forgive a knight who knows no shame
My lady, may I have this dance?
And lady, may I know your name?
You danced upon a soldier’s arm
And I felt the blade of love so keen
And when you smiled, you did me harm
And I was drawn to you, my Queen.
[Verse 2]
Now these boots may take me where they will
Though they may never shine like his
There is no knight I would not kill
To have my lady’s hand to kiss
Yes, and they did take me through the hall
To leave me not one breath from you
And they fell silent one and all
And you could see my heart was true.
[Verse 3]
Then I did lead you from the hall
And we did ride upon the hill
Away beyond the city wall
And sure you are my lady still
A night in summer long ago
The stars were falling from the sky
And still, my heart, I have to know
Why do you love me, lady, why?
I heard this song on Knopfler’s first album Golden Heart and I loved it immediately because it tells the story of the knight and his lady so beautifully.
There is the protagonist, “a knight who knows no shame”—not, I feel because of any ill reputation but purely because he is approaching the lady overtly and without modesty. He asks the lady for a dance and for her name in the same breath, explaining that the pang of seeing her dancing on the arm of another and smiling was like a knife in his vitals, stirring him to approach her and declare his love.
He freely admits that he is no match for the other in dress or manners, his courage and resolve are unmatched; even though his rival’s people diverted him away from her, his love silenced them “And you could see my heart was true.”
Escaping the hall together, they rode out from the city under the night sky and pledged themselves to each other as meteors coursed overhead. Although they are still together, even after all these years, he has no idea why she loves him, or perhaps he needs assurance that she still does.
I like it because it’s a simple ballad, a love story like many of Knopfler’s other songs, but it’s like a series of scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry or a medieval text. Even though it’s a quasi-medieval setting, the themes are relevant in a modern setting too: the uncertainty we all feel in approaching someone we are attracted to, particularly if they are attached to another’s arm; the courage that love brings to us, and the sheer wonder we feel at the thought that someone loves us despite our failings.
I like the phrases: “Forgive a knight who knows no shame”, “And they fell silent, one and all/And you could see my heart was true” and “The stars were falling from the sky”.
I have chosen Knopfler’s live performance at the concert “A Night in London”.