Malfred and Mogens

The Yarl march'd forth to battle field,
And there he lost his life,
And many a brave and honest man
Fell in that deadly strife.

The King of Norse his summons sent
To arm and take the field,
And would that lyar, gallant Yarl,
Should bear the royal shield.

Sir Ivar rose and bade his squire
To saddle and bring his horse;
"To Bergen I will ride today,
"And see the king of Norse."

With purple cloak around him slung
He passed the castle gate,
And mounted to the council hall,
Where sat the king in state.

In to the hall Sir Ivar came,
"A yarl so brave and good.
And rose with grace the King of Norse,
As he before him stood.

Uprose that noble King of Norse,
The royal cushion press'd;
"Come hither, Ivar Ulfson, Yarl,
"And here beside me rest.

"The King of Swede has challenged me
"For honour and for life,
"My kingdom at my hand demands,
"My daughter too to wife.

"But hark. Sir Ivar Ulfson, Yarl,
"My trust I place in you;
"I'll furnish you with coat of mail,
"And steed and saddle too.

"To you my banner I shall trust
"To bear it like a knight;
"Let not the crown of Norway fall
"A prize to Swedish might."

"So help me Friga, help me Thor, "
"And never me forsake,
"Thy banner I shall well defend,
"My life thereon I stake.'

So spake Sir Ivar Ulfson, Yarl,
And round him wrapp'd his cloak.
And up to the ladies' chamber went.
And thus the Queen bespoke.

"Hail, Queen of Norse, so nobly born
"Of England's royal race;
"I trust to you my daughters small,
"And pray you show them grace.

"The one can link a chain of gold,
"The second, she can sew,
"The third is still a baby child,
"Alone can hardly go.

"A little baby child the third
"With apples still at play,
"And pale their cheeks — Their mother's dead,
"Dead and beneath the clay."

"Go then, Sir Ivar, go in peace,
"Thy mind from care be free;
"As though they were the King's and mine,
"I'll. cherish all the three."

With all his bright gold trappings on
Came out Sir Ivar's horse,
And bare to court his daughters three
Before the Queen of Norse.

Sir Ivar forth to Sweden marched,
His troops to victory led;
He saved his crown for Norway's king.
But fell in battle dead.

Thereon the Scalds a poem sang
His glorious deeds to tell,
And, long as Norway stands, will sing,
How brave Sir Ivar fell.

The Queen of Norse in chamber lay,
And grievous sick was she,
And to and fro, to nurse her, went
The Yarl's fair daughters three.

The Queen of Norse her servants call'd,
And on her errand sped;
"Go, fetch the fortune-telling wife,
"To stand before my bed."

In came the fortune-telling wife,
And stood before the board;
"What will you, Queen of Norse, with me?
"Why have you sent me word?"

"Now hear, good fortune -telling wife,
"What I would ask of thee;
"If thou dost know these maidens' fate,
"Conceal it not from me."

"I freely tell at your behest
"What none but you may hear,
"There's for the third, the fairest maid,
"The hardest lot to bear.

"Fair Ulvilde off to Scotland sent
"Will be a noble's wife,
"But, ere have pass'd a year and day,
"Is doom'd to lose her life.

"Fair Rngnfred here, in Norway's land,
"Both rank and fame shall reach,
"And own abundant land and gold,
"And wise shall be of speech.

"For Malfred, fairest of the three,
"For her are all my fears;
"Her Mogens, royal prince, betrothed
"In childhood's early years."

Long did her troubled anxious thoughts,
Through the Queen's bosom whirl:
"My son a royal maid shall wed,
"And not this needy girl."

Up spake the haughty Queen of Norse,
"My knights to council call,
"And ye, bid Mogens, royal prince,
"Attend me in the hall."

Into the hall Prince Mogens came,
And stood before the board;
"What will you, mother dear, with me?
"Why have you sent me word?"

"Now tell me, Mogens, royal prince,
"Tell me on word of knight,
"Is any maid in Norway's land
"Thy" love and heart's delight?"

"I love no maid in all this world,
"Or any living dame,
"Except Sir Ivar's youngest child,
"Whom, prithee, let me claim."

"But what with Malfred shouldst thou do?
"She works not golden thread;
"Nay! Mogens, hark thee, royal prince,
"A richer thou shalt wed.

"O what with Malfred shouldst thou do,
"A young and friendless maid?
"Nay, my son, cause me not this grief,
"Be from thy purpose stay'd."

"If I fair Malfred may not have,
"Nor make the maid my wife,
"I vow that I'll no other wed,
"Or maid or dame, for life."

The Queen of Norse bade build a boat,
Of rotten plank so frail,
And gave that young and faithful pair
Full bitter cause to wail.

She placed the maid on board the boat.
And drove it off from land;
"God grant that thou may'st drown at sea,
"And never reach a strand!"

When daylight waned, and o'er the deck
The waves dash'd to and fro,
Trembling the Yarl's fair daughter sat.
Nor ceased her tears to flow.

The vessel drifted off to Spain,
And drove upon the sand,
And soon on horseback came a prince,
A chief in Spanish land.

The weeping maid he gently rais'd,
And on his horse bestowed,
And back to his mother's.house with her
By th' easiest path-way rode.

And there a month fair Malfred stay'd,
And there she stayed for three;
And grew to be the loveliest maid,
That man with eyes might see.

Queen Judith sicker grew, and sank,
And in her bower lay dead,
As Mogens saddled his good grey steed,
And forth one evening sped.

Bat while he through the green-wood pass'd,
And not a house was nigh.
Twelve robbers met, and stopp'd his horse,
Nor power had he to fly.

They bound the Prince both hand and foot,
And dragg'd him down to shore,
And sail'd with him to a foreign land
And great the woes he bore.

Fair Malfred on the balcony,
Was gazing down below,
And there the prince, her trulove, saw
Sit in a boat and row.

Fair Malfred sought the royal bower
Wrapp'd in her purple cloak,
And stood before the queen of Spain,
And thus the Queen bespoke.

"Hail! gracious lady. Queen of Spain,
"O kindly give me rede,
"How from a cruel robber band
"My brother may be freed."

"I'll give thee rede, dear daughter mine,
"The safest rede I may;
"A purse of gold and silver coin,
"Thy brother's price to pay."

She ransom'd him, the royal prince,
Unbound his fair white hand;
A horse and saddle too she gave,
And welcomed him to land.

The Spanish lord his servants bade
The meats and wine prepare,
And many a knight to his castle bade
His marriage feast to share.

"A maid from a distant foreign land
"Is she, I mean to wed;
"For, though with gold I bought the maid,
"She's good and gently bred."

The bride they placed on bridal bench.
They pour'd the mead and wine;
But still, while all around was gay.
Her cheeks were wet with brine.

When on the steps at th' evening hour
The dew began to fall,
The gentle bride to bed retired,
And left the banquet halL

All on her costly bridal bed
They laid the lovely may,
Nor long did he, the Spanish lord,
To follow her delay.

The Prince had donn'd his coat of mail,
And crept beneath the bed,
And waited long in silence there
To hear the bridegroom's tread.

And then unsheath'd the royal prince
His silver-mounted knife,
And ruthless stabb'd the Spanish lord,
And took his guiltless life.

He slew that lord, and left his corpse
All bleeding on the floor;
"Rise, Malfred, rise, and haste with me
"To flee the Spanish shore/'

Out to the stable-yard they went,
They took the Spaniard's steed,
And down to the shore, the bride and he,
They rode at utmost speed.

They found a boat and stepped on board,
And steer'd before the gale,
And late one night beneath a grove
They moor'd and furl'd their sail.

He took ashore his lady love
So gently on his arm,
And placed her on the grassy sward
So far, he thought, from harm.

But where they laid them down to sleep
Under a linden tree,
A mountain Elf the lovers saw.
And full of rage was he.

The vengeful Elf crept from his cell,
And, all to wreak his spite,
The lady from her lover's arm
He stole away by night.

Three days Prince Mogens search'd the land,
But found his bride no more,
And wound aloft his silken sail,
And steer'd for Norway's shore.

The Prince bade ask both far and near,
If aught of her were seen;
He spared not of his niddj gold,
And less the silver sheen.

With all his search he nothing heard,
He nothing of her found,
For in the cavern Malfred lay
With Elf-wives under ground.

Prince Mogens on his trusty steed
To th' Upland rode away,
And maiden Thorelille betrothed,
A fair and lovely may.

As week by week five months or more
Were pass'd away and gone,
His bride, that in the cavern dwelt,
Brought forth an infant son.

There year by year nine winters through
Must, she with Elves reside,
And there her son so strong was grown,
On horseback he could ride.

She waited till on Christmas eve.
The Elves their dance begun.
And then from out that dismal cave
She carried off her son.

She led him over the mountain wold;
She reached the yellow sand.
And found a vessel at anchor there.
And push'd it off from land

Her fair white hand the rudder steer'd,
And stoutly tugg'd the oar,
Till with her son she reached a bay,
And there debark'd on shore.

To Mogens house fair Malfred went,
Up to his courtyard gate.
And there stood Mogens, royal prince,
In sable robe of state.

"O hear me, Mogens, royal prince,
"What now I say to thee;
"Think of the past and call to mind
"The troth thou gavest me."

"Plighted to Thor is the troth,
"That once to thee I gave;
"Nor knew I, but that thou wast dead,
"And sleeping in thy grave."

"And must I," Malfred so replied
In tone of grief so mild,
"Must I then bear a leman's name?
"Unfathered go my child?"

"Silver and gold I'll give thee both,
"And moated forts so fair;
"To manhood rear this gallant boy,
"And live devoid of care."

"I cannot live from trouble free,
"Nor lay my grief aside,
"While Thorelille's thy wedded wife,
"And me thy bed denied."

Fair Malfred, still thy grief and care,
"In peace let Thor dwell,
"And I will sometimes ride across,
"And comfort thee as well."

"Thy leman I will never be,
"Nor bear a leman's name;
"Thou 'st vow'd in Spain to marry me,
"That promise now I claim."

Uprose then Mogens, royal prince.
And round him wrapped his cloak,
And, mounting to the ladies bower,
He thus to Thord spoke.

"O hear me, Thord, dearest wife,
"And thou my course decide;
"Here's Lady Malfred come to land,
"My first affianced bride."

"Then saddle for me my good grey steed,
"I'll here no longer stay;
"If Lady Malfred's come to land,
"Let her not go away."

Up to the ladies' bower aloft
The lovely Malfred came,
And rose the gentle Thorelille,
And met the stranger dame.

"Welcome, fair Malfred, welcome home
"To these your lordly towers!
"I to my mother's house will go,
"Your husband shall be your's."

"O Stay, dear Lady Thorelille,
"To this my plan agree;
"Prince Mogens shall with my good will
"Retain both you and me."

In Norway's land this came to pass,
And still their fame survives;
For eighteen winters dwelt the Prince
With both his noble wives

In mutual love and peace they lived
Each to the other true,
Nor e'er exchanged one angry word
Those eighteen winters through.