Poems By the Way Part 26

And when therefrom they wended And were the church within, Then was the fair knight Aagen Waxen wan of cheek and chin.

"Hearken thou, maiden Else, Hearken, true-love, to me, Weep no more for thine own troth-plight, However it shall be!

"Look thou up to the heavens aloft, To the little stars and bright, And thou shalt see how sweetly It fareth with the night!"

She looked up to the heavens aloft, To the little stars bright above The dead man sank into his grave, Ne'er again she saw her love.

Home then went maiden Else, Mid sorrow manifold, And ere that night's moon came again She lay alow in the mould.

HAFBUR AND SIGNY.

TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH.

King Hafbur & King Siward They needs must stir up strife, All about the sweetling Signy Who was so fair a wife.

_O wilt thou win me then_, _or as fair a maid as I be_?

It was the King's son Hafbur Woke up amid the night, And 'gan to tell of a wondrous dream In swift words nowise light.

"Me-dreamed I was in Heaven Amid that fair abode, And my true-love lay upon mine arm And we fell from cloud to cloud."

As there they sat, the dames and maids, Of his words they took no keep, Only his mother well-beloved Heeded his dreamful sleep.

"Go get thee gone to the mountain, And make no long delay; To the elve's eldest daughter For thy dream's areding pray."

So the King's son, even Hafbur, Took his sword in his left hand, And he's away to the mountain To get speech of that Lily-wand.

He beat thereon with hand all bare, With fingers small and fine, And there she lay, the elve's daughter, And well wotted of that sign.

"Bide hail, Elve's sweetest daughter, As on skins thou liest fair, I pray thee by the G.o.d of Heaven My dream arede thou clear.

"Me-dreamed I was in heaven, Yea amid that fair abode, And my true-love lay upon mine arm And we fell from cloud to cloud."

"Whereas thou dreamed'st thou wert in heaven, So shalt thou win that may; Dreamed'st thou of falling through the clouds, So falls for her thy life away."

"And if it lieth in my luck To win to me that may, In no sorrow's stead it standeth me For her to cast my life away."

Lord Hafbur lets his hair wax long, And will have the gear of mays, And he rideth to King Siward's house And will well learn weaving ways.

Lord Hafbur all his clothes let shape In such wise as maidens do, And thus he rideth over the land King Siward's daughter to woo.

Now out amid the castle-garth He cast his cloak aside, And goeth forth to the high-bower Where the dames and damsels abide.

Hail, sit ye there, dames and damsels, Maids and queens kind and fair, And chiefest of all to the Dane-King's daughter If she abideth here!

"Hail, sittest thou, sweet King's daughter, A-spinning the silken twine, It is King Hafbur sends me hither To learn the sewing fine."

Hath Hafbur sent thee here to me?

Then art thou a welcome guest, And all the sewing that I can Shall I learn thee at my best.

"And all the sewing that I can I shall learn thee lovingly, Out of one bowl shalt thou eat with me, And by my nurse shalt thou lie."

King's children have I eaten with, And lain down by their side: Must I lie abed now with a very nurse?

Then woe is me this tide!"

"Nay, let it pa.s.s, fair maiden!

Of me gettest thou no harm, Out of one bowl shalt thou eat with me And sleep soft upon mine arm."

There sat they, all the damsels, And sewed full craftily; But ever the King's son Hafbur With nail in mouth sat he.

They sewed the hart, they sewed the hind, As they run through the wild-wood green, Never gat Hafbur so big a bowl But the bottom soon was seen.

In there came the evil nurse In the worst tide that might be: "Never saw I fair maiden Who could sew less craftily.

"Never saw I fair maiden Seam worse the linen fine, Never saw I n.o.ble maiden Who better drank the wine."

This withal spake the evil nurse, The nighest that she durst: "Never saw I yet fair maiden Of drink so sore athirst.

"So little a seam as ever she sews Goes the needle into her mouth, As big a bowl as ever she gets Out is it drunk forsooth.

"Ne'er saw I yet in maiden's head Two eyes so bright and bold, And those two hands of her withal Are hard as the iron cold."

"Hearken, sweet nurse, whereso thou art, Why wilt thou mock me still?

Never cast I one word at thee, Went thy sewing well or ill.

"Still wilt thou mock, still wilt thou spy; Nought such thou hast of me, Whether mine eyes look out or look in Nought do they deal with thee."

O it was Hafbur the King's son Began to sew at last; He sewed the hart, and he sewed the hind, As they flee from the hound so fast.

He sewed the lily, and he sewed the rose, And the little fowls of the air; Then fell the damsels a-marvelling, For nought had they missed him there.

Day long they sewed till the evening, And till the long night was deep, Then up stood dames and maidens And were fain in their beds to sleep.

So fell on them the evening-tide, O'er the meads the dew drave down, And fain was Signy, that sweet thing, With her folk to bed to be gone.

Therewith asked the King's son Hafbur, "And whatten a bed for me?"

"O thou shalt sleep in the bower aloft And blue shall thy bolster be."

She went before, sweet Signy, O'er the high bower's bridge aright, And after her went Hafbur Laughing from heart grown light.

Then kindled folk the waxlights, That were so closely twined, And after them the ill nurse went With an ill thought in her mind.

The lights were quenched, the nurse went forth, They deemed they were alone: Lord Hafbur drew off his kirtle red, Then first his sword outshone.