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Ellen of Villenskov and Other Ballads By: Thomas James Wise (1859-1937) |
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BY
GEORGE BORROW LONDON:
PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION
1913
ELLEN OF VILLENSKOV.
There lies a wold in Vester Haf,
There builds a boor his hold;
And thither he carries hawk and hound,
He’ll stay through winter’s cold. He takes with him both hound and cock,
He means there long to stay;
The wild deer in the wood that are
For his arrival pay. He hews the oak and poplar tall,
He fells the good beech tree;
Then fill’d was the laidly Trold with spite
That he should make so free. He hews him posts, he hews him balks,
He early toils and late;
Out spake the Trolds within the hill:
“Who knocks at such a rate?” Then up and spake the youngest Trold,
As emmet small to view:
“O here is come a Christian man,
But verily he shall rue.” Upstood the smallest of the Trolds,
And round he roll’d his eyes:
“O we will hie to the yeoman’s house,
And o’er him hold assize. “He hews away our sheltering wood,
Meanwhile shall we be tame?
No! I from him his wife will take,
And make him suffer shame.” All the Trolds in the hill that were
Wild for the fray upbound;
They hie away to the yeoman’s house,
Their tails all curling round. Seven and a hundred were the Trolds,
Their laidliness was great;
To the yeoman’s house they’ll go as guests,
With him to drink and eat. The hound is yelling in the yard,
The herdsman blows his horn;
Crows the cock and clucks the hen
As the yeoman throws them corn. Of Villenskov the yeoman saw
The Trolds the window through:
“Now help me Jesu, Mary’s son,
Those trolds have me in view.” He sign’d the cross in every nook,
But mostly in his room;
Some of the Trolds in fright thereat
Flew to the forest’s gloom. Some flew east, and some flew west,
And some flew north away;
And others flew to the valleys deep,
Where still, I trow, they stay. But ah! the smallest of the Trolds
Bold enter’d at the door;
For crossing he refus’d to flee,
Was bent on mischief sore. The housewife thought of a good device,
She plac’d him at the board,
And before him set both ale and meat,
With many a courteous word. “Hear, husbandman of Villenskov,
Attend to what I say;
Who has to thee permission given
To build where I have sway? “Since thou to build within my bounds
Hast ta’en the liberty,
Thou shalt to me thy housewife give,
For I with her will lie.” Then answer made the hapless man,
As God gave him the thought:
“Thou shalt not Ellen get from me,
Like her I value nought.” He answer made unto the Trold:
“Let but my wife alone,
And do thou take my money and goods,
And keep them for thy own.” “Then I will Ellen take, and thee,
And tread ye both to gore;
And I will take thy silver and gold
And hide it ’neath my floor.” The yeoman and his household all
Were seized with mighty fright:
“Better that one of us be lost
Than all destroy’d outright.” Then up and stood the desp’rate man,
With sore affliction rife;
And he has given his Ellen dear
To the young Trold for wife. Then wax’d he glad, and sprang about,
So fondly her he pressed;
O then how pale her cheeks became,
She was so sore distrest! Then out and spake the afflicted Dame
Whilst shedding many a tear:
“O God in mercy look on me,
My fate is hard to bear. “I did possess as fair a man
As ever walk’d on mead,
But now perforce with laidly Trold
Must do adulterous deed.” He kiss’d her once, he kiss’d her twice,
Her heart yet sadder grew;
The laidliest Devil he became
That man did ever view. When the third time he her would kiss
She call’d on Mary’s son;
Then he became a lovely knight,
His elfin shape was gone... Continue reading book >>
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