Sigfred, Arminius and Other Papers
The World was very guilty of such a Ballet some three Ages since.
In the Notes to the Helgi Lays, in the Corpus Poeticum Boreale, I. 502, we have printed the sixteenth-century Danish ballad 'Aage og Else.' *Grundtvig, No. 90.) A version was hardly within the scope of the Corpus, nor was there time to make one at the translator's disposal. He has since, however, tried to English it, after Jamieson's example, in the manner of the Border ballads. It is given here, in the hope that those who, like Autolycus' customers, 'love a ballet,' will not be sorry to have a fine one even though it be presented in somewhat rough and ill-cut raiment.
- There sat three maidens
intil their bour,
And the twain o' them braidit the gold;
The third she grat for her ain true-love
That lay i' the black black mould.
- It was the gude Sir Ogie,
And he's ridden over the Leys,
To woo at the ladie Elsie,
That was sae fair to see.
- He has wooed at the ladie
Elsie,
That was sae fair to see;
All on their bridal-even
Dead at her feet drappit he.
- Sae sair the ladie Elsie
grat,
And wrang her hands the day,
That the gude Sir Ogie heard her
Sae deep in grave as he lay.
- Sae sair the ladie Elsie
grat,
And beat her hands the day,
That the gude Sir Ogie heard her
Sae deep in earth as he lay.
- Up stood the gude Sir
Ogie,
Wi' his kist upon his back,
And he's taen his way til his true love's bour:
Wow, but his strength was slack.
- He has rappit on the
door wi' the lid o' his kist,
For he lackit the hilt o' his skene.
'Stand up, stand up, thou proud Elsie,
And let thy true love in!'
- Sae lang in her bed proud
Elsie lay
And til herself said she ---
'Can this be the gude Sir Ogie,
That hither is come to me?'
- Then up spak the ladie
Elsie,
And the tear ran from her ee ---
'If ye may name the name of God
I let ye in to me.'
- 'Stand up, stand up,
thou proud Elsie,
And dup thy chamber door,
For I can name the name o' God
As weel as I could afore.'
- Then up stood the lady
Elsie,
And the tear ran from her ee,
She open'd and let the dead man in,
Wi-in her bour to be.
- She has taen her gold
caim in her hand
And caimed his yellow hair,
And ilka hair she red on him
Doun fell the saut saut tear.
- 'I bid ye speak, Sir
Ogie,
Whom I loe best o a',
Hoo fares it in the grave wi' you
Beneath the clay sae cauld?'
- 'O it fares wi' me all
in the grave
Beneath the clay sae cauld,
As I were high in Paradise,
Therefore talk thou nae care!'
- 'I bid ye speak, Sir
Ogie,
Whom I loe best of a':
May I follow ye intil this grave o' yours
Beneath the clay sae cauld?'
- 'O, it fares wi' me all
in the grave
Beneath the clay sae cauld
As I were in the pit o' Hell:
I rede thee sain thy sell.
- For ilka tide thou greets
for me
All in thy dowy mood,
My kist within is standing
Brimful o' the red life-blude.
- And ever up, my head
aboun,
The grass it grows sae green;
And ever doun, my feet about,
The worms o' hell they twine.
- And ilka tide thou lilts
a lay
All in thy merry mood,
My grave is hung all round about,
Wi' the roses o' the wood.
- The bonny grey cock sae
loud he craws,
He craws until the day;
And ilka lyke maun till the earth,
And I maun be away.
- The bonny red cock sae
loud he craws,
He craws until the day;
And ilka dead man maun till the earth
And I maun be away.
- The bonny black cock
sae loud he craws,
He craws until the day,
And a' the ports are steekit soon,
And I maun be away.'
- Up stood the gude Sir
Ogie,
Wi his kist upon his back,
And he's taken his way til the wide kirk-yard,
Wow, but his strength was slack!
- Then up stood the ladie
Elsie,
Richt steadfast was her mood,
And she's followed after her ain true-love
Through the midst o' the mirk mirk wood.
- When she was come through
the mirk mirk wood,
Until the kirk-yard wide,
The gude Sir Ogie's golden hair,
It withered all beside.
- When she was come through
the kirk-yard wide
Until the great kirk-door,
The gude Sir Ogie's rosy cheek
It withered all before.
- The gude Sir Ogie, foot
and hand,
Withered and fell away,
His hand but and his rosy cheek,
They mouldered into clay.
- 'Hear my words, thou
proud Elsie,
Whom I lo'e best of a',
I rede thee never mair to greet,
For thy true love ava.
- Rise up, rise up, thou
proud Elsie,
Rise up, and get thee hame!
I rede thee never mair to greet,
For thy true love again.
- Luke up until the heavens
now,
Until the stars sae sma',
And tell me how the nicht wears on,
And when the day sal daw.'
- She has lukit up til
the heavens,
Until the stars sae sma',
And the dead man creepit from out her sicht
Doun into his grave sae law.
- Sae nimbly did the dead
man creep
Doun, doun beneath the clay,
Sae heavily went proud Elsie,
Back til her hame again.
- Sair sair did proud Elsie
greet,
And sair to God did pray,
That she might win til anither licht
Within a year and day.
- It was the ladie Elsie,
And sick in bed she lay,
But she lay dead upon her bier
Before the threttieth day.
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