Had still been held the deed of gallant men.”
It is in many respects so curious that we venture on a translation of it. Attached to it is a very pretty air, low and soft and subdued as a lullaby air should be, though consisting but of a single part, as was always the case with such compositions, unlike ordinary songs, which generally had two parts, and admitted of endless variations, according to the taste and vocal capabilities of the singer. It is proper to state that our version is not intended to be sung to the original air, for which the measure we have selected is unsuitable. Our only object has been to convey to the English reader the general sense, with something of the spirit and manner, of the original.
A Lullaby.
“Hush thee, my baby-boy, hush thee to sleep,
Soft in my bosom laid, why should’st thou weep;
Hush thee, my pretty babe, why should’st thou fear,
Well can thy father wield broadsword and spear.
“Lullaby, lullaby, hush thee to rest,
Snug in my arms as a bird in its nest;
Sweet be thy slumbers, boy, dreaming the while