9
King Herod bade saddle his courser gray,
He listed to ride to Bethlem;
Fain would he slay the little child
That to cope with him pretended.
10
Mary took the child in her arms,
And Joseph the ass took also,
So they traversed the Jewish land,
To Egypt, as God them guided.
11
The little children whose blood was shed,
They were full fourteen thousand,
But Jesus was thirty miles away
Before the sun was setting.
B. A broadside of fourteen four-line stanzas, in two copies, a of the middle, b from the latter part, of the last century. b was printed "in the Dansk Kirketidende for 1862, No 43," by Professor George Stephens: a is given by Grundtvig, III, 881. The first three stanzas correspond to A 1-5, the next three to A 6-8: the visit of the Wise Men to Herod is then intercalated, 7-10, and the story concludes as in A 9-11.
C. 'Sankt Steffan,' Kristensen, II, 123, No 36, from recitation about 1870, eight four-line stanzas, 1-3 agreeing with A 3-6, 4-6 with A 6-9, 7, 8 with A 9, 11. The verbal resemblance with the copy sung by the old beggar-woman more than a hundred and thirty years before is often close.
A Färöe version, 'Rudisar vísa,' was communicated to the Dansk Kirketidende for 1852, p. 293, by Hammershaimb, twenty-six two-line stanzas (Grundtvig, II, 519). Stephen is in Herod's service. He goes out and sees the star in the east, whereby he knows that the Saviour of the world, "the great king," is born. He comes in and makes this announcement. Herod orders his eyes to be put out: so, he says, it will appear whether this "king" will help him. They put out Stephen's eyes, but now he sees as well by night as before by day. At this moment a cock, roast and carved, is put on the board before Herod, who cries out:
'If this cock would stand up and crow,
Then in Stephen's tale should I trow.'
Herod he stood, and Herod did wait,
The cock came together that lay in the plate.
The cock flew up on the red gold chair,
He clapped his wings, and he crew so fair.
Herod orders his horse and rides to Bethlehem, to find the new-born king. As he comes in, Mary greets him, and tells him there is still mead and wine. He answers that she need not be so mild with him: he will have her son and nail him on the cross. "Then you must go to heaven for him," says Mary. Herod makes an attempt on Jesus, but is seized by twelve angels and thrown into the Jordan, where the Evil One takes charge of him.