“Wise art thou, Niels Ebbesen,
And thy prudence none can doubt;
When thou canst not straightway hit
Widely then thou ridst about.
“Hear thou, Sir Niels Ebbesen,
Thou must on mine errand ride;
Say, how many men thou hast
Brought, on whom thou mayst confide?”
“Kindred, Sir, I have, and friends,
’Mongst the hardy Jutlanders;
Willingly they follow me
To the stormy strife of spears.
“I have brought, such as they are,
With me thirty mounted men;
Be they fewer, or be they more,
Dear are they to Ebbesen.”
“Hast thou with thee thirty lads?
That seems but a scanty force;
Yester e’en at Sir Bugge’s Gate
Stood’st thou with a hundred horse.”
Backward Ebbesen recoiled,
And with high flushed cheek replied:
“He nor knight nor gentleman
Is, who me hath thus belied.
“Be it man or woman who
To my face dares that to say,
Till I’ve answered suitably,
Ne’er from him I’ll flinch away.”
“Hear thou, dear Niels Ebbesen,
We thereof will talk no more;
To thy friend Sir Bugge ride,
Him to serve me true win o’er.”
“If your errand I shall do,
And to Bugge bold repair,
From thy part what I’m to say
First to me thou must declare.”
“Bugge bold has me defied,
Young Poul Glob has done the same;
Anders Frost makes one of them,
Him your Chief ’tis said ye name.