"Wretched child, what art thou saying?
To thy own disgrace thou speakest!
Thou may'st wonders hear of others,
Others may'st perchance disparage,
But thou may'st not shame this damsel,
Nor the people of this household.
"Bad the words that thou hast uttered,
Bad the words that thou hast spoken,
With the mouth of calf of night-time,
With the head of day-old puppy.280
Handsome is this noble damsel,
Noblest she of all the country,
Even like a ripening cranberry,
Or a strawberry on the mountain,
Like the cuckoo in the tree-top,
Little bird in mountain-ashtree,
In the birch a feathered songster,
White-breast bird upon the maple.
"Ne'er from Saxony came ever,
Nor in Viro could they fashion290
Such a girl of perfect beauty,
Such a duck without an equal,
With a countenance so lovely,
And so noble in her stature,
And with arms of such a whiteness,
And with slender neck so graceful.
"Neither comes the damsel dowerless,
Furs enough she brought us hither,
Blankets, too, as gifts she brought us,
Cloths as well she carried with her.300
"Much already has this damsel
Wrought by working with her spindle,
On her own reel has she wound it,
With her fingers much has finished.
Cloths of very brilliant lustre
Has she folded up in winter,
In the spring days has she bleached them,
In the summer months has dried them;
Splendid sheets the beds to spread on,
Cushions soft for heads to rest on,310
Silken neckcloths of the finest,
Woollen mantles of the brightest.
"Noble damsel, fairest damsel,
With thy beautiful complexion,
In the house wilt thou be honoured,
As in father's house the daughter,
All thy life shalt thou be honoured,
As in husband's house the mistress.
"Never will we cause thee trouble,
Never trouble bring upon thee.320
To the swamp thou wast not carried,
Nor from the ditch-side they brought thee,
From the cornfields rich they brought thee,
But to better fields they led thee,
And they took thee from the ale-house,
To a home where ale is better.
"Noble girl, and fairest damsel,
One thing only will I ask thee,
Didst thou notice on thy journey
Shocks of corn that stood uplifted,330
Ears of rye in shocks uplifted,
All belonging to this homestead,
From the ploughing of thy husband?
He has ploughed and he has sown it.
"Dearest girl, and youthful damsel,
This is what I now will tell thee,
Thou hast willed our house to enter:
Be contented with the household.
Here 'tis good to be the mistress,
Good to be a fair-faced daughter,340
Sitting here among the milk-pans,
Butter-dishes at thy service.
"This is pleasant for a damsel,
Pleasant for a fair-faced dovekin.
Broad the planking of the bathroom,
Broad within the rooms the benches,
Here the master's like thy father,
And the mistress like thy mother,
And the sons are like thy brothers,
And the daughters like thy sisters.350