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.