Say that the men of the old black tower,
Though they but feed as the goatherd feeds,
Their money spent, their wine gone sour,
Lack nothing that a soldier needs,
That all are oath-bound men:
Those banners come not in.
There in the tomb stand the dead upright,
But winds come up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
Those banners come to bribe or threaten,
Or whisper that a man’s a fool
Who, when his own right king’s forgotten,
Cares what king sets up his rule.
If he died long ago
Why do you dread us so?
There in the tomb drops the faint moonlight,
But wind comes up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
The tower’s old cook that must climb and clamber
Catching small birds in the dew of the morn
When we hale men lie stretched in slumber
Swears that he hears the king’s great horn.
But he’s a lying hound:
Stand we on guard oath-bound!
There in the tomb the dark grows blacker,
But wind comes up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine.
amy.r.parker –
It was a subtle perfume that clung to me all day like a secret, rather than being noticed by my colleagues like other perfumes have been. Immediate notes were wet and earthy like a stickup on a rainy midnight; the lingering smell reminded me of Imperial soap bars, a very clean and precise smell, with a bit of woodsmoke and brandy. A night in a nice dry tavern afterwards? Great for the times you want to be a little more masc-presenting, as the florals aren’t as strong or lingering.
weasley –
Highwayman smells like a dusty old room filled with leather furniture, books and dried flowers – but I’m also smelling something here that reminds me of a delicious warm peanut butter sandwich.
mjanefh –
This one reminds me of Lyoness. Must be the musky jasmine notes. It’s a soft floral with just a hint of that leather that warms it ever so slightly. I haven’t gotten any cinnamon. On me, it lasts for several hours.
sgtgwn –
I love this one. It’s one of my favorite cool weather scents. I like the leather and floral tones, though the cinnamon does not seem to be present. My boyfriend also loves it/
Amber –
Beautifully floral, but after a short time of wearing the vetiver creeps in with a more smokey, leathery smell; which I absolutely adore.
It’s a complex mix of immediate floral, but the darker, sharper tones are noticeable enough to give pause.
janiegalvin –
I’m still giving this one a 4, but something in it makes my skin break out in hives where it makes contact… otherwise it’s a gorgoeus, complex scent. The leather and cinnamon pop immediately when wet, but after a short time the gardenia and jasmine come to the forefront, sharpened by a greenness that I assume is the vetiver and underlaid by a hint of musky, smoky leather. Really lovely, and if it didn’t make me itchy, rest assured I’d buy a full bottle.
xaglow –
The gardenia is very strong when this is wet, made strong I think by the leather. As this one dries I found the gardenia to still stand out above the other flowers, but it added to an overall floral tone. The cinnamon wasn’t present for my experience, but perhaps like the leather, added to the headiness of the gardenia.
AEShindler –
Highwayman is a very flowery scent and brings to mind gardenias in the moonlight. It is a little strong at first but after a couple of minutes on the skin you are able to pick up all of the other ingredients in the perfume. It’s definitely a good perfume for a romantic night.