As the goblet ringing flies apart, And through the rift, the wild flames start; In storms the foe, with fire and sword; On the morrow the butler gropes alone, "The stone wall," saith he, "doth fall aside, *This poem is placed by Mr. Longfellow amongst his translations: we had always supposed it to be original, and still think it bears internal evidence of being from his own pen. FROM GRAF VON PLATEN. How I started up in the night, in the night, The streets, with their watchmen, were lost to my sigh In the night, in the night, Through the gate with the arch medieval. The mill-brook rushed through the rocky height, I leaned o'er the bridge in my yearning; Deep under me watched I the waves in their flight, In the night, in the night, Yet backward not one was returning. O'erhead were revolving, so countless and bright, The stars in melodious existence; And with them the moon, more serenely bedight;- In the night, in the night, Through the magical measureless distance. And upward I gazed, in the night, in the night, And again on the waves in their fleeting; Ah woe! thou hast wasted thy days in delight, In the night, in the night, The Remorse in thy heart that is beating. 528 TRANSLATIONS FROM THE DANISH. KING CHRISTIAN. A NATIONAL SONG OF DENMARK.-FROM JOHANNES EVALD. KING CHRISTIAN stood by the lofty mast His sword was hammering so fast, "Fly!" shouted they, "fly, he who can! He hoisted his blood-red flag once more, And smote upon the foe full sore, And shouted loud, through the tempest's roar, "Fly!" shouted they, " for shelter fly! The power?" North Sea! a glimpse of Wessel rent Thy murky sky! Then champions to thine arms were sent; Terror and Death glared where he went; THE ELECTED KNIGHT. [The following strange and somewhat mystical ballad is from Nyerup and Rahbek's Danske Viser of the Middle Ages. It seems to refer to the first preaching of Christianity in the North, and to the institution of Knight-Errantry. The three maidens I suppose to be Faith, Hope, and Charity. The irregularities of the original have been carefully preserved in the translation.] SIR OLUF he rideth over the plain, Full seven miles broad and seven miles wide, A tilt with him dare ride. He wore upon his mail Twelve little golden wheels; Anon in eddies the wild wind blew, And round and round the wheels they flew. He wore before his breast A lance that was poised in rest; And it was sharper than diamond-stone, He wore upon his helm A wreath of ruddy gold; And that gave him the Maidens Three, Sir Oluf questioned the Knight eftsoon "I am not Christ the Great, Thou shalt not yield thee yet; I am an Unknown Knight, Three modest Maidens have me bedight.” M M "Art thou a Knight elected, And have three Maidens thee bedight ; The first tilt they together rode They put their steeds to the test; Now lie the lords upon the plain, And their blood runs unto death; CHILDHOOD. THERE was a time when I was very small, Sweetly, as I recall it, tears do fall, And therefore I recall it with delight. I sported in my tender mother's arms, And rode a-horseback on best father's knee; Alike were sorrows, passions, and alarms, And gold, and Greek, and love, unknown to me. Then seemed to me this world far less in size, Likewise it seemed to me less wicked far; Like points in heaven, I saw the stars arise, And longed for wings that I might catch a star. I saw the moon behind the island fade, And thought, "O, were I on that island there, I could find out of what the moon is made, Find out how large it is, how round, how fair!" Wondering, I saw God's sun through western skies, Sink in the ocean's golden lap at night, And yet upon the morrow early rise, And paint the eastern heaven with crimson light; And thought of God, the gracious Heavenly Father, Who made me, and that lovely sun on high, And all those pearls of heaven thick-strung together, Dropped, clustering, from his hand o'er all the sky. |