| |
| “SPEAK! speak! thou fearful guest! | |
| Who, with thy hollow breast | |
| Still in rude armor drest, | |
| Comest to daunt me! | |
| Wrapt not in Eastern balms, | 5 |
| But with thy fleshless palms | |
| Stretched, as if asking alms, | |
| Why dost thou haunt me?” | |
| |
| Then from those cavernous eyes | |
| Pale flashes seemed to rise, | 10 |
| As when the Northern skies | |
| Gleam in December; | |
| And, like the water’s flow | |
| Under December’s snow, | |
| Came a dull voice of woe | 15 |
| From the heart’s chamber. | |
| |
| “I was a Viking old! | |
| My deeds, though manifold, | |
| No Skald in song has told, | |
| No Saga taught thee! | 20 |
| Take heed that in thy verse | |
| Thou dost the tale rehearse, | |
| Else dread a dead man’s curse; | |
| For this I sought thee. | |
| |
| “Far in the Northern Land, | 25 |
| By the wild Baltic’s strand, | |
| I, with my childish hand, | |
| Tamed the gerfalcon; | |
| And, with my skates fast-bound, | |
| Skimmed the half-frozen Sound, | 30 |
| That the poor whimpering hound | |
| Trembled to walk on. | |
| |
| “Oft to his frozen lair | |
| Tracked I the grisly bear, | |
| While from my path the hare | 35 |
| Fled like a shadow; | |
| Oft through the forest dark | |
| Followed the were-wolf’s bark, | |
| Until the soaring lark | |
| Sang from the meadow. | 40 |
| |
| “But when I older grew, | |
| Joining a corsair’s crew, | |
| O’er the dark sea I flew | |
| With the marauders. | |
| Wild was the life we led; | 45 |
| Many the souls that sped, | |
| Many the hearts that bled, | |
| By our stern orders. | |
| |
| “Many a wassail-bout | |
| Wore the long Winter out; | 50 |
| Often our midnight shout | |
| Set the cocks crowing, | |
| As we the Berserk’s tale | |
| Measured in cups of ale, | |
| Draining the oaken pail | 55 |
| Filled to o’erflowing. | |
| |
| “Once as I told in glee | |
| Tales of the stormy sea, | |
| Soft eyes did gaze on me, | |
| Burning yet tender; | 60 |
| And as the white stars shine | |
| On the dark Norway pine, | |
| On that dark heart of mine | |
| Fell their soft splendor. | |
| |
| “I wooed the blue-eyed maid, | 65 |
| Yielding, yet half afraid, | |
| And in the forest’s shade | |
| Our vows were plighted. | |
| Under its loosened vest | |
| Fluttered her little breast, | 70 |
| Like birds within their nest | |
| By the hawk frighted. | |
| |
| “Bright in her father’s hall | |
| Shields gleamed upon the wall, | |
| Loud sang the minstrels all, | 75 |
| Chanting his glory; | |
| When of old Hildebrand | |
| I asked his daughter’s hand, | |
| Mute did the minstrels stand | |
| To hear my story. | 80 |
| |
| “While the brown ale he quaffed, | |
| Loud then the champion laughed, | |
| And as the wind-gusts waft | |
| The sea-foam brightly, | |
| So the loud laugh of scorn, | 85 |
| Out of those lips unshorn, | |
| From the deep drinking-horn | |
| Blew the foam lightly. | |
| |
| “She was a Prince’s child, | |
| I but a Viking wild, | 90 |
| And though she blushed and smiled, | |
| I was discarded! | |
| Should not the dove so white | |
| Follow the sea-mew’s flight? | |
| Why did they leave that night | 95 |
| Her nest unguarded? | |
| |
| “Scarce had I put to sea, | |
| Bearing the maid with me,— | |
| Fairest of all was she | |
| Among the Norsemen!— | 100 |
| When on the white sea-strand, | |
| Waving his armëd hand, | |
| Saw we old Hildebrand, | |
| With twenty horsemen. | |
| |
| “Then launched they to the blast, | 105 |
| Bent like a reed each mast, | |
| Yet we were gaining fast, | |
| When the wind failed us; | |
| And with a sudden flaw | |
| Came round the gusty Skaw, | 110 |
| So that our foe we saw | |
| Laugh as he hailed us. | |
| |
| “And as to catch the gale | |
| Round veered the flapping sail, | |
| ‘Death!’ was the helmsman’s hail, | 115 |
| ‘Death without quarter!’ | |
| Midships with iron keel | |
| Struck we her ribs of steel; | |
| Down her black hulk did reel | |
| Through the black water! | 120 |
| |
| “As with his wings aslant, | |
| Sails the fierce cormorant, | |
| Seeking some rocky haunt, | |
| With his prey laden, | |
| So toward the open main, | 125 |
| Beating to sea again, | |
| Through the wild hurricane, | |
| Bore I the maiden. | |
| |
| “Three weeks we westward bore, | |
| And when the storm was o’er, | 130 |
| Cloud-like we saw the shore | |
| Stretching to leeward; | |
| There for my lady’s bower | |
| Built I the lofty tower, | |
| Which, to this very hour, | 135 |
| Stands looking seaward. | |
| |
| “There lived we many years; | |
| Time dried the maiden’s tears; | |
| She had forgot her fears, | |
| She was a mother; | 140 |
| Death closed her mild blue eyes; | |
| Under that tower she lies; | |
| Ne’er shall the sun arise | |
| On such another. | |
| |
| “Still grew my bosom then, | 145 |
| Still as a stagnant fen! | |
| Hateful to me were men, | |
| The sunlight hateful! | |
| In the vast forest here, | |
| Clad in my warlike gear, | 150 |
| Fell I upon my spear, | |
| Oh, death was grateful! | |
| |
| “Thus, seamed with many scars, | |
| Bursting these prison bars, | |
| Up to its native stars | 155 |
| My soul ascended! | |
| There from the flowing bowl | |
| Deep drinks the warrior’s soul, | |
| Skoal! to the Northland! skoal!” | |
| Thus the tale ended. | 160 |
| |
