Scene 3: The Latvians enjoy early success
The Latvian warriors gather from all sides
The new-wed pairs did not have long
Their joyous unions to fulfil,
Nor happiness to fashion strong,
For Destiny's harsh unswerving will
The grooms soon called into the field,
From loving arms the husbands tore,
To where in armour spears men wield,
And where their legs wade deep in gore.
War's trumpet Burtnieks now let
On every hilltop brassy sound,
On every lofty mound they set
At night the watch-fires burning round.
And every chieftain did the same,
Passed on the sign the rest to show-
A signal that to all soon came,
To gather and to war to go.
In every village homestead then,
Across the Latvian country broad,
The people's sons, the younger men,
Prepared for war, grasped spear and sword,
And saddled up their dashing steeds.
Each sister and each young man's bride
Adorned their helmets, then must, needs,
With tears and singing part-way ride.
Now soon on every road and track
-They slept at night beneath a tree-
A gathering host streamed to attack,
And after two full days or three,
Together came upon their course.
Bearslayer led thence further groups,
And at the meeting-place in force
"All hail! All hail!" rejoiced the troops.
Old Burtnieks rode with them too,
And Lielvardis-both of those
Close by the fighting in full view
Wished to remain until the close.
No longer there Laimdota more
Nor Spidala at home would stay;
The two young brides forth to the war,
Rode with the army on its way.
There, where the River Gauja falls
Through gorges to the valleys' bounds,
With palisades and earthen walls,
Stood many strongholds built on mounds.
Beside the streams in forests dense,
There lived the clans and Latvian Lords.
Led by Bearslayer riding thence,
Here entered now the warlike hordes.
When they, in nests along the way,
A German infestation found,
The vermin pest was cleared that day.-
They further marched and reached the ground
That used to Dabrels to belong.
Here they encountered German knights,
Who there had built a castle strong
And fortified it for their fights.
Bearslayer took it back again,
And many German knights there died,
Who lost their lives against our men.-
The host rolled on then like a tide,
Far, in a surging wave, it flowed
Unstoppable through vale and wood,
Advanced until the soldiers rode
To Turaida where Kaupa stood.
Here in the Livian people's lands,
They plainly saw as they passed by,
Each village lay in German hands.
In fields of barley and of rye
The golden grain swayed full and fat;
The Livians ploughed and sowed the fields,
But Strangers ate their fill of that,
Then sold the straw and other yields.
And closely with the castles merged,
Stood foreign churches, places where
The priests and monks the people urged
The Christian faith with them to share.
But by the Strangers converts here
Were held as servants in their thrall;
And from the Livians every year
They took a tribute from them all.
A band of those not Christian turned
Into the unknown forest spilled,
In deepest thickets clearings burned,
And chopped down trees their huts to build,
There kept the ancient gods' commands.-
But even here the Bishop's spies
Could search them out and made demands
Of tribute that to all applies.
The recapture of Turaida
Alarmed by this advancing horde
The Strangers fled from their estates,
Left monks and churches to the sword,
Withdrew inside Turaida's gates.
Where soon, attacking in a ring,
From all around Bearslayer fought,
But found it not an easy thing,
To conquer them the way he sought.
High on the walls were many knights
Whose heavy bolts, in hundreds loosed,
Drove back the Latvians from the heights.
But then Bearslayer's men produced
A scaffold built of wooden planks,
On which, in deepest dark of night,
They breached the castle wall in ranks,
And to its ramparts brought the fight.
The struggle filled them all with dread,
And both at times had to withdraw,
For both sides suffered many dead.-
Bearslayer, at the very fore,
Slew many knights, until at length,
The armoured Germans all saw clear
That not their strongest matched his strength,
And seeing this the knights knew fear.
So great this fear that at his sight
They threw their swords and shields aside,
And let Bearslayer, without fight,
Choose those who lived and those who died.-
Bearslayer razed the castle's stone,
While monasteries and churches high
In piles of ashes down were thrown,
To Strangers refuge to deny.
False Kaupa was not there himself,
But safe in Riga's Castle walls,
Where more and more he kept his wealth,
And dwelled within the Bishop's halls.
Among the foes who captive fell
Was Dietrich too, the man of prayer.
With lying tongue he sought to tell,
At Kaupa's wish he had been there,
Who gave to him the castle's ground.
He therefore asked that as a guest
All those be seen, whom there they found,
And granted life and spared arrest.
Bearslayer honoured Kaupa still,
And so he thought to grant them this,
But strong the Livs opposed his will,
Since much with it they found amiss:
For by this person's lying tongue
A hundred times they were deceived,
By word and deed they had been stung,
The cruellest blows from him received.
Thus, if Bearslayer would allow
That Dietrich and the others live,
To render justice they asked now,
The ruthless priest to them to give.
At this Bearslayer gave consent
That Dietrich there should pay the price,
And to the sacred grove they went,
To give their gods a sacrifice.
But if a prisoner rode a grey
That, stepping thrice across a spear,
With left hoof each time led the way,
This was a sign that showed them clear,
The gods refused this man to take.
The cunning Dietrich knew this lore,
And so arranged the test to make
And saved himself, though death seemed sure.
The Strangers-those who were not dead-
Were stripped of weapons, armour too,
Bare-headed all to Riga led.-
Then all the captured land in view
Bearslayer gave the Livians back.
Behind he left Talvaldis then
To guard the Gauja from attack,
Together with the Livian men.
Bearslayer took a second force;
Swift with Koknesis forth he rode,
And with his father set the course
To what was once their own abode.
The return to Lielvarde
In Lielvarde now they saw,
Like Turaida the Strangers thronged,
And settled there with manner sure,
As though to them it all belonged!
Great anger Lielvardis felt
At what his folk had had to face,
For Daniel Bannerov harsh dealt,
And of compassion showed no trace.
There in the ancient stronghold's stead
He raised a castle's walls up high,
And from it launched a reign of dread,
In lands that near the Daugava lie.
Forth thence he sallied and returned,
Destroyed and looted any day,
Both villages and houses burned,
Oppressed the folk in every way.
Some elders then from him had fled,
Who by such horrors were appalled.
When to the woods their clans they led,
A halt to plundering Daniel called.
Swift messengers to them he sent,
Who said oppression now had ceased;
With them to live in peace he meant,
And all invited to a feast.
These elders, yet who did not know
The depths of Daniel's evil mind,
Believed him and resolved to go,
And peace with him there thought to find.
Outside the wall with them to meet,
To a pavilion Daniel went,
Invited them to drink and eat,
And seemed to speak with good intent.
But suddenly, from them concealed,
While at the table they felt sure,
He quickly went out in the field,
And locked the stout pavilion's door-
His murderous plan to start a fire!
Around the building men piled straw,
Then on all sides they lit the pyre,
And soon they watched the hot flame soar.
The heat and smoke inside burst through,
And all the elders loudly screamed,
While Daniel and his butcher crew
Stood on the castle walls and beamed.
With devilish laughter they looked back,
But laughter turned to looks of fear
When, riding from the forest track,
Just then they saw armed men appear.
With shield and heavy spear arrayed
Bearslayer rode them all before.
He heard the shouted cries for aid,
And straight away broke down the door.
Then with the help of other men,
He quickly to the rescue went.
The elders hailed Bearslayer then,
As though by Heaven he were sent!
Their gratitude was not concealed
That rescue safe they had received;
And then the elders plain revealed,
How Daniel's lies had all deceived.
On hearing of this devil's trick,
Bearslayer's anger knew no bounds;
He called his men together quick,
And swore to take the castle's grounds.
Although the knights fought hard and long,
And strove the fortress to defend,
They could not block Bearslayer's throng,
Who took the castle in the end.
Then every captured knight they slew,
And only one could still survive.
Just Daniel Bannerov lived through,
Was taken prisoner, yet alive.
The knight was given, on that day,
Into the village elders' hands,
Revenge to take in their own way
For his base deeds within their lands.
Bearslayer and Laimdota know brief peace
Of Lielvarde word spread wide,
It was Bearslayer's home once more!
In every house on every side,
To all, great joy the tidings bore.
As though new-born all felt fresh life,
And those, who to the forest's space
Had fled from there to hide from strife,
Returned and took their former place.
All hurried then in joyful ranks
To Lielvarde's castle gate,
To greet Bearslayer and give thanks
That he had saved them from harsh fate;
Their mood was bright with victory's glance.-
A feast gave Lielvardis there,
Where all could eat and drink and dance,
And booty was divided fair.
The chiefs exulted, then one day,
All thought of Daniel's crimes once more.
They dragged him out, led him away,
And took him to the Daugava's shore.
"You, German dog," to him they cried,
"Through you we felt the fire's scald!
But power now is on our side-
To you we give the water's cold!"
They took a plank of wood at last,
And on his back tied to the beam
Placed Daniel there, with ropes made fast,
And pushed it in the river's stream:
"Sail to your homeland back," they mocked,
"Go seek your brothers' welcoming hands!
And take the foreign faith, here blocked,
Away with you to other lands!"
By fear they had not felt before
The Strangers all were gripped when told
About the mighty feats in war
Performed by Latvia's hero bold.
They ran away from every side
And fled to Riga with one mind,
In its cathedral sought to hide,
In those strong walls a haven find.
But even there, in this dark hour,
No longer safety Albert knew-
That soon in Baltic lands his power
Would fade away, this was his view.
And so, to get more armoured knights,
He sailed the sea to German shore,
Men to recruit to fight his fights,
And in the spring renew the war.
In Riga, ruling in his place,
He left false Kaupa, who explained,
He would protect by God's good grace
All Christian Strangers who remained.
The danger now was fully spent,
Bearslayer knew, throughout the land,
And so his soldiers homeward sent.-
In Lielvarde, hand in hand
Peace with Laimdota now found there.
She worked inside all to restore,
He strove the buildings to repair,
And farmyard labours oversaw.
Koknesis too from war returned,
And Aizkrauklis, from battle spent.
With Spidala, to rest well earned,
To Aizkraukle all three now went.
From them with love they took their leave
Bearslayer and Laimdota both;
In parting sought not deep to grieve,
To friends' good fortune made an oath.
Old Lielvardis, with his friend,
To Burtnieks's castle rode.
The two old men wished in the end
To make together their abode.
To satisfy their own deep needs
Now lived Bearslayer and his bride.
Although great fame came through their deeds,
And honour from the people's side,
There on the Daugava's pleasant shore
At last they found what, all above,
Their hearts throughout had missed so sore-
Sweet happiness and married love!