CANTO IV THE LATVIANS SUFFER MANY HARDSHIPS
Scene 1: Kaupa is seduced by wealth and power
Kaupa accepts Christianity
In mighty, ancient Rome,
The Pope's eternal See,
He called from Peter's dome,
The Holy Land to free.
The Baltic he decreed
To be the Holy Land.
All knights from sin he freed
Committed by their hand,
If in the Baltic's bounds,
They fought the pagan foe,
Built castles in strong grounds,
That priests might safely go.
His call to arms soon raised
A fortune-seeking band,
Who loud the venture praised-
They sought estates and land.
Such men their fate pursue
And sail to foreign shores.
They seek a homeland new,
And follow no man's laws.
In Peter's Church one day
The Pope absolved their sin,
A bishop gave, to pray,
And leaders from his kin.
At last, to those he turned,
Come from the Baltic shore;
His blessings Dietrich earned,
To Kaupa he gave more.
They were allowed with grace
To kiss his slippered feet;
With Kaupa, face to face,
The Pope then deigned to meet.
He asked of Baltic tribes
If Christ's true faith they sought,
The faith now sent with scribes,
To them as brothers brought.
Theirs were, as brothers, too
The benefits and more,
That round them stood in view,
Or on the way they saw.
Yet all of that was slight,
Against the endless price
That is believers' right,
When death brings paradise!
Now Kaupa thought of home,
The wealth could not deny,
In Peter's Church in Rome
Arrayed before his eye.
His ancient sires seemed weak,
Their gods could not thus bless.
He vowed the God to seek,
Who gave such happiness.
He would resist no more,
Such opulence evade,
On reaching home, he swore,
His people to persuade.
As Kaupa now bowed down,
The Holy Father's grace
Conferred a knight's rich crown
With seven stars in place.
Such gifts, both fine and rare,
For him alone to own,
To knights and bishops there
Made Kaupa's favour known.
Since to the knightly throng
Now Kaupa numbered too,
He soon the blessing strong
Of Rome's great Father knew.
Back in the Baltic land
His will he would assert,
With weapons in his hand,
The Baltic to convert.
In monasteries remained
The youths thence Kaupa bore.
Great knowledge there they gained-
From monks to learn they swore.
Among them in that place
One's later fame has grown;
Although of Latvian race,
As Henry he is known.
Riga becomes the centre of German influence
The springtime had returned;
In green it clothed the days.
New life all nature earned,
And sang the maker's praise.-
But Strangers saw no worth,
To raise their eyes and see
Who made the bounteous Earth,
And nature caused to be.
They had a different goal:
An idle life to crave,
And drunkenness extol,
But others to enslave.
On Daugava's bank, the folk
In hundreds hewed and filled,
Forged iron, hammered oak,
A city toiled to build.
With ramparts fortified,
Arch, passage, columns tall.
A church stood safe inside,
Within its lofty wall.
Named "Riga", on the banks
It stood, on Daugava's side.
Within its church's ranks
Ruled Bishop Albert's pride.
His priests with news he sent,
The message of our Lord,
But to their preaching lent
The power of the sword.
They went throughout the land,
To teach and preach of Him,
But plundered out of hand,
And murdered at their whim.-
The Daugava along,
They cast a deadly pall,
And soon the fear was strong,
These monsters would take all.
All Germans who now came,
In Riga place received.-
The folk cursed Riga's name,
And knew they were deceived.
"Oh, Riga, much have you
Poured out our brothers' blood!
Oh, Riga, much have, too,
Caused bitter tears to flood!"
"Oh, Riga, much you spurned,
Laid waste the fields of grain!
Oh, Riga, much you burned-
Scarce homes and barns remain!"
"Oh, Riga, you have seized,
Like wolves our humble food!
Oh, Riga, you have pleased
To swill the beer we brewed!"
"Oh, Riga, you have torn
Our plundered things away!
Oh, Riga, you have sworn
With freedom we will pay!"
"Oh, Riga, can you find,
Yet things that we hold dear?
Oh Riga, what behind,
Is left for looting here?