Grimhild's Vengeance: Three Ballads

At Grimhild’s feet he kneeled:
“O part us from those hardy knights,
Or help against them yield.”

“Fight on, fight on, my good men all,
On whom I bread bestow;
From fighting ye must not desist
Till Folker lyeth low.”

“Now hear thou, Sister Grimhild,
I am gored with many a wound;
Thou ne’er to me wert true or good,
And that I now have found.

“Now I’ve not closed an eye, an eye
For days and nights full seven;
I’ll avenge my murder certainly
Ere life from me is riven.

“Gone is my sword so trusty,
And my good steel spear’s in twain;
But all my care I would forget
Could I a weapon gain.”

Then answered him young Hubba Yern,
He stood by him so near:
“I’ll lend to thee the gallant sword,
My brother loved so dear.

“Methink thou art a hero bold,
And mighty strong beside;
And that maybe in verity
On thy fiddle bow espied.”

“Ah, thanks to thee, young Hubba Yern!
A true kemp thee I call;
I’ll serve thee faithful in return,
So shall my brothers all.”

Then hewed he, Folker Spillemand,
’Twas heard up to the sky;
He’d rather perish like a man
Than basely quit and fly.

* * * * *

notes

1

The question of priority is rather obscure, but it appears, from a letter written by Grimm in February, 1813, in reply to the critics of his work, that his translation was begun in 1801, when he was not aware of the work undertaken by Abrahamson, Nyerup and Rahbek, but that before his book was published, Nyerup communicated to him some of the results of the investigations of the three Danish editors. Grimm seems to have worked upon an edition of Syv published in Copenhagen in 1787, which accounts for the corrupt state of some of Grimm’s text. A good deal of unpleasant controversy was awakened on the subject, but all this has now long slumbered under the dust of a century.

2

Squires in attendance upon Hogen.