Kitabı oku: «The Song of Deirdra, King Byrge and his Brothers, and Other Ballads»

THE SONG OF DEIRDRA

 
Farewell, grey Albyn, much loved land,
I ne’er shall see thy hills again;
Upon those hills I oft would stand
And view the chase sweep o’er the plain.
 
 
’Twas pleasant from their tops I ween
To see the stag that bounding ran;
And all the rout of hunters keen,
The sons of Usna in the van.
 
 
The chiefs of Albyn feasted high,
Amidst them Usna’s children shone;
And Nasa kissed in secrecy
The daughter fair of high Dundron.
 
 
To her a milk-white doe he sent,
With little fawn that frisked and played
And once to visit her he went,
As home from Inverness he strayed.
 
 
The news was scarcely brought to me
When jealous rage inflamed my mind;
I took my boat and rushed to sea,
For death, for speedy death, inclined.
 
 
But swiftly swimming at my stern
Came Ainlie bold and Ardan tall;
Those faithful striplings made me turn
And brought me back to Nasa’s hall.
 
 
Then thrice he swore upon his arms,
His burnished arms, the foeman’s bane,
That he would never wake alarms
In this fond breast of mine again.
 
 
Dundron’s fair daughter also swore,
And called to witness earth and sky,
That since his love for her was o’er
A maiden she would live and die.
 
 
Ah did she know that slain in fight,
He wets with gore the Irish hill,
How great would be her moan this night,
But greater far would mine be still.
 

THE DIVER
A BALLAD TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN

 
“Where is the man who will dive for his King,
In the pool as it rushes with turbulent sweep?
A cup from this surf-beaten jetty I fling,
And he who will seek it below in the deep,
And will bring it again to the light of the day,
As the meed of his valour shall bear it away.
 
 
“Now courage, my knights, and my warriors bold,
For, one, two, and three, and away it shall go – ”
He toss’d, as he said it, the goblet of gold
Deep, deep in the howling abysses below. —
“Where is the hero who ventures to brave
The whirl of the pool, and the break of the wave?”
 
 
The steel-coated lancemen, and nobles around,
Spoke not, but they trembled in silent surprise,
And pale they all stood on the cliff’s giddy bound,
And no one would venture to dive for the prize.
“Three times have I spoke, but no hero will spring
And dive for the goblet, and dive for the King.”
 
 
But still they were silent and pale as before,
Till a brave son of Eirin, in venturous pride,
Dash’d forth from the lancemen’s trembling corps
And canted his helm, cast his mantle aside,
While spearman, and noble, and lady, and knight,
Gazed on the bold stripling in breathless affright.
 
 
Unmoved by the thoughts of his horrible doom,
He mounted the cliff – and he paus’d on his leap,
For the waves which the pool had imbibed in its womb
Were spouted in thunder again from the deep, —
Yes! as they return’d, their report was as loud
As the peal when it bursts from the storm-riven cloud.
 
 
It roared, and it drizzled, it hiss’d and it whirl’d,
And it bubbled like water when mingled with flame,
And columns of foam to the heaven were hurl’d,
And billow on billow tumultuously came;
It seem’d that the womb of the ocean would bear
Sea over sea to the uppermost air.
 

KING BYRGE AND HIS BROTHERS

 
Dame Ingeborg three brave brothers could boast,
For the crown of Sweden their lives they lost.
 
 
The nobles to Sweden would fain away,
Dame Ingeborg bade them at home to stay.
 
 
Dame Ingeborg stood at Helsingborg’s gate,
“Dear brothers, go not, I beg and entreat!”
 
 
Then with one voice the brothers cried:
“We’ve long for our realms paternal sighed.
 
 
“And we have too long with thee remained,
Our hearts within us are sorely pained.”
 
 
“Five days with me, dear brothers, wait,
Whilst I my dreadful dream relate.
 
 
“Methought that your mantles were of lead,
With them, dear brothers, ye were arrayed.
 
 
“They were fast tied about your throats,
And treachery towards ye that denotes.”
 
 
To Dame Ingeborg’s rede no ear they lent,
But to Sweden that very same day they went.
 
 
And when they had won to the sand beach white,
There met them Brouk, that faithless knight.
 
 
“Ye brothers both, thrice welcome be,
Ye’ll come and drink Yule with His Majesty?”
 
 
The nobles repair to Nykoping street,
There they a deceitful counsel meet.
 
 
“Now off your bodies your armour lay,
And hie to the castle in court dress gay.”
 
 
In at the doorway the nobles stepped,
Up to receive them the monarch leapt.
 
 
“My dear brothers both, thrice welcome be,
Will ye drink Yule with our Majesty?”
 
 
With his brothers down sate King Byrge to food,
Much serious discourse betwixt them ensued.
 
 
“Now welcome, my brothers, thrice welcome I say,
May I not alone the country sway?”
 
 
“May God to our brother grant happiness,
But he cannot alone the land to possess.”
 
 
The nobles they ate and they drank for a trice,
Brouk has discovered another device:
 
 
“What will ye now do, ye worshipful knights,
Have drinking and dancing for ye delights?”
 
 
Then they danced out and danced in with glee,
And Brouk the clear wine poured so free.
 
 
On the floor stood the nobles and ’gan to sing,
Whilst Brouk proceeded to plot with the King.
 
 
Then unto his brother Duke Valdemar said:
“O Erik, we drink too much wine, I’m afraid.
 
 
“Be we on our guard ’gainst Brouk’s pleasantries,
He knoweth all manner of villanies.”
 
 
Duke Erik held up his good right hand:
“Shall we fear aught in our fatherland?
 
 
“We are come with a safety assurance fair,
And of no quarrel are we aware.”
 
 
They drank and they danced till the day had ta’en flight,
Then illumined was torch and big wax light.
 
 
To hie now to bed the nobles desired,
And repose on the bolsters their bodies tired.
 
 
Then in to the prison tower they were led,
The King himself went in his cloak of red.
 
 
They thought that in jest the thing was done,
’Till he slammed the doors to every one.
 
 
Manlike fought Erik and scorned to yield,
As long as he’d sword or a post to wield.
 
 
Broke sword! broke post! they no more could defend!
Into prison they naked were forced to wend.
 
 
The noble brothers suffered sore,
From frost and from cold and from hunger much more.
 
 
“We’ll give thee, Brouk, the gold so red,
If thou’lt give us but water and bread.”
 
 
“Ye shall not obtain in Sweden here,
Or bread or water your hearts to cheer.”
 
 
“Our dear brother’s wife we are confident,
To let us be starved will ne’er consent.
 
 
“We know the Queen has a pitying breast,