The Victory of Patience

The lovely maiden Ellensborg,
An orphan she was left;
Of parents, — father and mother both, —
In tender years bereft.

Her father and mother both had died,
Her brothers and sisters too,
When Lave Stisen, a wealthy knight,
The maiden came to woo.

He gained the slender Ellensborg,,
To her he pledged his hand,
And trusted her to his mother's care,
And left his native land. I

Off started Lave Stisen, he.
And went to the wars away;
Right glad was Esbern Anderson,
That he at home could stay.

As Lave Stisen vent on board,
And pushed his boat from land;
Off galloped Esbern Anderson
Across the yellow sand.

He mounted, Esbern Anderson,
Wrapt in his purple cloak,
Up to the ladies upper room,
And thus to the maiden spoke.

"My greeting little Ellensborg!
"This kindness show to me,
"Make me a shirt all richly wrought
"With gold embroidery."

"Should I make up a shirt for you,
"And broider it with gold,
"My trothplight man would hear of it,
"And all his love grow cold."

They knew not, they, while so they talked.
That any else were near;
There stood outside the waiting maid.
And every word could hear.

That little treacherous waiting maid.
She sat her down and wrote,
And off afar to a foreign land
To Stisen sent the note.

"A stag is in our garden ground,
"He nibbles off the leaf,
"And if you come not quickly home,
"Will bring the root to grief."

With sorrow Lave Stisen read
What she, the maid, had penn'd;
"Now help me God in heaven above!
"How will this story end?"

As Lave Stisen towards his home
Came riding up the street,
His mother and eke his trothplight maid
Went out the knight to meet.

They led him both so joyously
Into the banquet room;
So little knew fair Ellensborg,
What soon should be her doom.

"Welcome, my dearest trulove, home
"From all the toils of war!
"Where have you stay'd this long long time
"In foreign lands afar?"

"What time I march'd from home away,
"A modest maid wast thou;
"I hear that Esbern Andersen
"Is much too friendly now."

"So help me God, who dwells on high,
"And thou Our Virgin Queen!
"I treated him, as I had done,
"Had he my brother been."

He shut her up in a room of stone.
Where three whole years she stay'd;
And in her stead for leman took
The little waiting maid.

None to the maiden dared to speak,
Or e'en to her prison go;
Sir Lave's mother, and no one else,
Went thither to and fro.

And in Sir Lave's mother came
With step of stately grace;
"God's mercy! little Ellensborg,
"How pallid grows thy face!"

"Aye!" answered maiden Ellensborg,
So meek and gently bred;
"A poor lone orphan girl am I,
"My parents both are dead."

Sir Lave's mother heard her tale
Drew on her scarlet cloak,
And mounted up to the upper -room,
And thus her son bespoke.

"Good day. Sir Lave, greet thee well,
"My dearest son and heir!
"Now wilt thou not thy trulove wed,
"So good she is and fair?"

Sir Lave rose and spake in haste,
A wrathful man to view;
"O no, my dearest mother, no,
"That will I never do.

"No, mother, that I'll never do,
"I'd rather far be dead:
"Next Sunday make my marriage feast,
"My leman I shall wed."

"And if the marriage day is fix'd,
"And she to be thy wife,
"Grant heaven she make thee soon repent,
"And plague thee all thy life!"

Sir Lave took his scarlet cloak.
And -went to the room of stone,
Where still was pent little Ellensborg
And sorrowed all alone.

"Now list to me, little Ellensborg
"So gentle and so fair;
"Go to my bridal chamber thou,
"My bridal bed prepare.

"The silken counterpane above,
"The fur beneath it spread,
"My leman sleeps between the two,
"For her prepare the bed.

"To her, my leman, I shall give
"A gown of velvet pile;
"To thee I mean to give one too,
"But woollen that, and vile.

"A precious belt I'll give to her
"With gold to hold it fast.
"A girdle too I'll give to thee,
"But that shall be of bast."

And thus the maiden Ellensborg
With modest gentle air;
"Whatever clothes you give to me,
"Contented I shall wear."

It was that very Sunday next,
So holy was the tide.
Sir Lave Stisen off to church
Would with his leman ride.

The leman stood in the upper room
In velvet robe so gay,
And outside maiden Ellensborg
In gown of wadmal gray.

The leman girded on her belt,
With gold she made it fast;
Her's too the maiden Ellensborg,
And that was made of bast.

Then out the good kind mother spake,
Nor longer could forbear;
"God's mercy, child, and daughter mine!
"What wedding clothes to wear!"

As joyously as off to church
The leman drove away,
As sorely did his trulove grieve.
That she at home must stay.

When mass the priest had duly sung,
And lesson read beside,
He with his leman mounted horse
Home to his house to ride.

In came to the hall the little page.
In kirtle red was drest;
"And here Sir Lave's leman comes
"Under the mountain crest.

"Her wain is all so brightly gilt,
"Her horses dapple gray;
"I never yet, sweet Ellensborg,
"Saw any thing so gay."

The leman on the bridal chair
They placed to head the board,
And Esbern Andersen it was
The bridal goblet pour'd.

The guests they ate, and quaff'd the wine,
Nor stayed to drink too deep.
For soon Sir Lave Stisen rose,
Would fain retire to sleep.

They left the leman all in state
Reclin'd on silver bed;
Nor long did Lave Stisen wait,
But up to the chamber sped.

It chanced Sir Lave Stisen's cloak
From off his shoulders fell;
Fair Ellensborg she picked it up,
For still she loved him well.

She hasted so, little Ellensborg,
To pick him up his cloak.
That, as she stoop'd, her belt gave way,
And all asunder broke.

And thus spake maiden Ellensborg,
Her secret thoughts she told;
"Too fast holds that which ought to break,
"And broken is what should hold."

"Now what is that?" Sir Lave said,
In eager haste he spake,
"Say what is that which ought to hold,
"And what was that which brake?"

"What burst in two and ought to e held,
"That was my belt of bast;
"My heart it is that ought to break,
"And yet it holds so fast/'

Sir Lave's leman up and spake,
And laugh'd to see her pain;
"Twere very little loss, I deem,
"Should thy heart burst in twain/'

Sir Lave spake in other tone,
For no bad man was he
"To hear thy words little Ellensborg,
"I truly pity thee.

"Hark thee, my leman, take thee hence!
"Quick! leave the bridal bed,
"And hither thou, my trulove, come,
"For none bat thee I'll wed."

There to their bedside came the priest
And join'd them man and wife;
"Ood grant," said maiden Ellensborg,
"Our friendship last for life!"

And now the gentle Ellensborg
No longer grieves or weeps,
Bat nightly on Sir Lave's arm
In wedded comfort sleeps.

His mother to the bridal house
At early morning went,
To ask how with his youthful bride
The wedding night he spent.

"So pleas'd with her, my gentle bride,
"The livelong night I've lain,
"That deep and sorely do I rue,
"I ever gave her pain/'

"Now then. Sir Lave, list to me,
"And do the thing that's right;
"Thy leman give young Anderson
"To wed this very night."

Loud rose the joy of all the house,
And voice of song and lute;
To him he did his leman give
And granges two to boot.