Ballads from the Danish and Original Verses

BALLADS FROM THE DANISH AND ORIGINAL VERSES

BY E. M. SMITH-DAMPIER LONDON :: ANDREW MELROSE 3 YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN 1910 PRINTED BY HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., LONDON AND AYLESBURY. TO THE MEMORY OF MY PARENTS


In the translations the metre of the original has in all cases been scrupulously followed.

He set his sail for Norroway, Saint Olaf our good king; For Hornelummer he shaped his course To see what luck would bring. (Red as the ruddy gold, the sun sets over Trondhjem.)
Up and spake the steersman bold, Stood by the lading-gear: “At Hornelummer is no good haven, So grim a troll dwells there:
“Eyes he hath like a burning brand; With his mouth he well can roar; His nails stand out, like the horns of a buck, A good ell’s length and more;
“A beard he hath like a horse’s mane, Hangs downward to his knee; A long and loathly tail he hath; His claws they are ill to see. ”
Up and spake Saint Olaf the king, As the ship swung to and fro: “Cast off the ropes in the name of God, And let the vessel go!”