Romantic Ballads | Page 3

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ROMANTIC BALLADS, TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH

AND MISCELLANEOUS PIECES
Contents:

Preface
Lines from Allan Cunningham to George Borrow
The
Death-raven. From the Danish of Oehlenslaeger
Fridleif and Helga.
From the Danish of Oehlenslaeger
Sir Middel. From the Old Danish

Elvir-shades. From the Danish of Oehlenslaeger
The
Heddybee-spectre. From the Old Danish
Sir John. From the Old
Danish
May Asda. From the Danish of Oehlenslaeger
Aager and
Eliza. From the Old Danish
Saint Oluf. From the Old Danish
The
Heroes of Dovrefeld. From the Old Danish
Svend Vonved. From the
Old Danish
The Tournament. From the Old Danish
Vidrik
Verlandson. From the Old Danish
Elvir Hill. From the Old Danish

Waldemar's Chase
The Merman. From the Old Danish
The
Deceived Merman. From the Old Danish
Miscellanies:
Cantata
The Hail-storm. From the Norse
The Elder-witch
Ode.
From the Gaelic
Bear song. From the Danish of Evald
National
song. From the Danish of Evald
The Old Oak
Lines to Six-foot
Three
Nature's Temperaments. From the Danish of Oehlenslaeger

The Violet-gatherer. From the Danish of Oehlenslaeger
Ode to a
Mountain-torrent. From the German of Stolberg
Runic Verses

Thoughts on Death. From the Swedish of C. Lohman
Birds of
Passage. From the Swedish
The Broken Harp
Scenes
The
Suicide's Grave. From the German
PREFACE
The ballads in this volume are translated from the Works of
OEHLENSLAEGER, (a poet who is yet living, and who stands high in
the estimation of his countrymen,) and from the KIAEMPE VISER, a
collection of old songs, celebrating the actions of the ancient heroes of
Scandinavia.
The old Danish poets were, for the most part, extremely rude in their
versification. Their stanzas of four or two lines have not the full rhyme

of vowel and consonant, but merely what the Spaniards call the
"assonante," or vowel rhyme, and attention seldom seems to have been
paid to the number of FEET on which the lines moved along. But,
however defective their poetry may be in point of harmony of numbers,
it describes, in vivid and barbaric language, scenes of barbaric grandeur,
which in these days are never witnessed; and, which, though the
modern muse may imagine, she generally fails in attempting to
pourtray, from the violent desire to be smooth and tuneful, forgetting
that smoothness and tunefulness are nearly synonymous with tameness
and unmeaningness.
I expect shortly to lay before the public a complete translation of the
KIAEMPE VISER, made by me some years ago; and of which, I hope,
the specimens here produced will not give an unfavourable idea.
It was originally my intention to publish, among the "Miscellaneous
Pieces," several translations from the Gaelic, formerly the language of
the western world; the noble tongue
"A labhair Padric' nninse Fail na Riogh.
'San faighe caomhsin Colum
naomhta' n I."
Which Patrick spoke in Innisfail, to heathen chiefs of old
Which
Columb, the mild prophet-saint, spoke in his island-hold -
but I have retained them, with one exception, till I possess a sufficient
quantity to form an entire volume.
FROM ALLAN CUNNINGHAM,
TO GEORGE BORROW,

On his proposing to translate the 'Kiaepe Viser.'
Sing, sing, my friend; breathe life again
Through Norway's song and
Denmark's strain:
On flowing Thames and Forth, in flood,
Pour
Haco's war-song, fierce and rude.
O'er England's strength, through
Scotland's cold,
His warrior minstrels marched of old -
Called on
the wolf and bird of prey
To feast on Ireland's shore and bay;
And
France, thy forward knights and bold,
Rough Rollo's ravens croaked

them cold.
Sing, sing of earth and ocean's lords,
Their songs as
conquering as their swords;
Strains, steeped