Viking Tales of the North
Fridthjof's Saga
Page 2
Roars the storm again;
Quick the sheet is burst,
Snaps the yard in twain.
‘Gainst th’ half-buried ship, comotion-
Toss’d high waves to boarding go;
And howe’er they bale, is ocean
Not so soon bal’d out, we know!
Not e’en Fridthjof now doubts longer
That he carries death on board;
Yet than storm or billow stronger,
Higher sounds his lordly word:
“Hither Bjorn! the rudder
Grasp with bear-paw (2) strongly;
Vahhal’s pow’rs sure send not
Weather such as this;
Witchcraft’s workings! Helge,
Coward-scoundrel, doubtless
Conjured has these billows, —
I will up and see!”
Up the bending mast;
And there, fast clinging, threw
Many a glance o’er the waste.
Look! as isle that loose-torn drifteth,
Stops that whale Ellide’s way;
Sea-fiends two the monster lifteth
High on’s back, through boiling spray;
Hejd (3) is wrapp’d in snowy cov’ring,
Fashion’d like the white-furr’d bear, —
Ham (4) ‘mid whistling winds, grim, hov’ring,
Storm-bird like assaults the air.
“Now, Ellide! show us
Whether, as ‘tis boasted,
Hero-mood thy iron fast
Round oak-bosom holds!
Listen! art thou truly
Æger’s god-sprung daughter,
Up with copper-keel, and
Gore that spell-charm’d whale!”
Her young lord’s behest, —
With one bound-gulf clears
To the troll-whale’s breast.
From the wound a stream out-gushes,
Up toward heav’n, of smoking blood;
And, gashed through, the beast down-rushes,
Roaring, to the deepest mud;
Then, at once, the hero slingeth
Two sharp spears; one the ice-bear’s hide
Pierceth, the other deadly springeth
Through yon pitch-black eagle’s side.
“Bravely sruck, Ellide!
Not so soon will Helge’s
Dragon-ship leap upward
Out from bloody mud;
Hejd and Ham much longer
The up-toss’d sea will keep, for
Bitter ‘tis to bite the
Hard blue-shining steel.”
At once from the sea;
Only ground-swells led
To the isle on their lea.
And at once the sun fresh treadeth,
Monarch-like, in hall of blue;
Joy o’er ship and wave he spreadeth,
Hill and dale creates anew.
Sunset’s beamings crown with gold the
Craggy rock and grove-dark plain;
All with glad surprise behold the
Shores of Efjesund again.
“Ing’borg’s prayers — pale maidens
Up to Valhal rising —
Lily-white, on heav’n’s own
Gold-floors bent the knee;
Tears in light-blue eyes, and
Sighs from swan-down bosoms,
Th’ asas’ stern hearts melted, —
Thank, then, thank the gods!”
Sore jarred by the whale,
And water-logg’d goes,
All awear’d by her sail.
Yet more wearied than their dragon,
Totter Fridthjof’s gallant men;
Though each leans upon his weapon,
Scarcely upright stand they then.
Bjorn on powerful shoulder dareth
Four to carry to the land;
Fridthjof, all alone, eight beareth —
Sets them so round th’ upblaz’d brand.
“Nay, ye white-faced, shame not!
Waves are mighty vikings;
Hard’s th’ unequal struggle —
Ocean’s maids our foes.
See! there comes the mead-horn,
Wand’ring on bright gold-foot;
shipmates, cold limbs warm, and —
Here’s to Ingeborg!”
ENDNOTES:
2. A pun on the
name Bjorn, which means bear. Back
3-4. Hejd and Ham are the names of the two witches. Back
3-4. Hejd and Ham are the names of the two witches. Back
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