The Rosicrucians

CANTO I.

The month was being born when the earth blooms again,
A month of gaiety, of hope, and of love The poet is referring to the month of May, traditionally the season of courtly festivals and the "rebirth" of the natural world..
From the great lords then, the voluntary homage
Of the sovereign came to adorn the court.
All displayed their hereditary splendor.
Dukes and barons, banneretsA rank of knighthood; a knight who was entitled to lead a company of men under his own banner., lords of the manor,
Fill London and behold its festivities,
The gifts, the arts of distant kingdoms,
The peaceful conquests of beauty,
The brilliance of the people, and their joyful feasts.
Within the palace, their crowd ceaselessly
Spreads, circulates, or returns or flows away.
Everywhere are games, reviving pleasures,
Games without turmoil and which Elfride shares.
To her charms, six lustresA "lustre" is a Roman unit of time representing a five-year period. At "six lustres and three years," the Queen is described as being thirty-three years old. and three years
Still leave the roses of her youth,
And even without a crown she would obtain the homage
That duty commands from her subjects.
Dunstan and Engist Dunstan refers to Saint Dunstan (c. 909–988), the influential Archbishop of Canterbury. Engist refers to Hengist, the legendary Saxon invader. The poet is mixing historical figures from different centuries to create a legendary British past. extend her power:
Equal to kings, yet submissive in her presence,
Love increases their faithful devotion,