XXTHE ENCHANTED MAIDEN

The story told by this Ballad takes us into no very remote region of Faërie; wicked stepdame, enchanted maid, and knightly deliverer are all familiar personages. The belief in human blood as means whereby the bewitched mortal is delivered from the beast-likeness is found in the folk-lore of many nations, and may be a dim memory of sacrificial cannibal feasts. But the beautiful Introductory Stanzas are noteworthy; for such detailed descriptions of Nature occur but rarely in Ballads, Danish or other. This one recalls the famous opening of one among the Ballads of Robin Hood:

“In summer when the shawes be sheen,And leves be large and long,It is full merrie in fair forestTo hear the foulës’ song,“To see the deere draw to the dale,And leave the hillës hie,And shelter them in the levës greene,Under the greenwood tree.”

“In summer when the shawes be sheen,And leves be large and long,It is full merrie in fair forestTo hear the foulës’ song,

“In summer when the shawes be sheen,

And leves be large and long,

It is full merrie in fair forest

To hear the foulës’ song,

“To see the deere draw to the dale,And leave the hillës hie,And shelter them in the levës greene,Under the greenwood tree.”

“To see the deere draw to the dale,

And leave the hillës hie,

And shelter them in the levës greene,

Under the greenwood tree.”

A verse of another Danish Ballad might have been spoken by Little John, who bids his “deremaster” pluck up heart, “and think this is a merrie time, all in a morning of May”:

“Os fry der Aarsens Tid og Tagdet Maj i Morgen er;den kommer os alle til Behagalt baade fjern og nær.”

“Os fry der Aarsens Tid og Tag

det Maj i Morgen er;

den kommer os alle til Behag

alt baade fjern og nær.”

Oh, well I wot where the greenwood growsThat standeth beside the firth,And in it there grow the fairest treesThat a man may see on earth!Therein the willow and linden grow,The fairest a man may find,And under them play the lordly beastsThat men call hart and hind.There they play, both hind and hart,And the beasts of the fair forest,And there she plays, the lily-white hind,With gold beneath her breast.1It was Nilus ErlandssonRode forth the deer to take;There he saw the lily-white hindThat ran thro’ bush and brake.—So the knight hath won his lady.2After went Nilus ErlandssonThat longed for her so sore;But never might he reach the hindFor three days’ space and more.3Snares he set on every pathWhere’er the hind might go,But all so cunning was sheHe might not take her so.4Sir Nilus thro’ the greenwoodRode after her in vain;His hounds he loosed by two, by three,To run her down amain.5So hot the hounds went on her trailThat never might she ’scape;She changed her all by grammaryeAnd fled in a falcon’s shape.6She shaped her as a falcon fleet,And perched in the linden green;Under the tree Sir Nilus stoodAnd sighed for toil and tene.7Sir Nilus took an axe in handTo fell the linden-tree,When out there sprang a yeoman fierceThat smote the shaft in three.8“And wilt thou fell my father’s woodAnd all by wrongful power,I swear to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,Thou shalt abye it sore!”9“Now let me fell this single tree,This tree alone of thine,For, but I take the falcon fair,I die of dule and pine!”10“Now lithe and listen, thou fair young knight,To the counsel that I bring;Ne’er shalt thou take her until she tasteThe flesh of a tamèd thing!”11A gobbet he hewed from out his breast,(And that was mickle pain!)She spread her wings and down she flewAnd fell on the bait amain.12She spread her wings and down she flewAnd on the bait she fell;She changed her shape to the fairest maidThat ever tongue might tell.13She stood in a sark of silk so redWhere the linden-tree did blow;The knight he took her in his arms,And there she wept her woe.14“Oh, I sat and broidered lily and rose,I guided my father’s gear,When in she came, my false stepdame,That never held me dear.15“She shaped me all as a lily-white hindTo run in fair greenwood,And my seven maidens as seven wolves,And bade them have my blood.”16The maid stood under the linden-tree,And loosed her golden hair,And thither they came that erst were wolves,Her seven maidens fair.17“Now thanks to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,Hast loosed me from sore alarms!Never shalt thou seek slumberBut in my lily-white arms.18“Now thanks to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,Hast saved me from pain and pest!Never shalt thou seek slumberBut on my lily-white breast.”—So the knight hath won his lady.

Oh, well I wot where the greenwood growsThat standeth beside the firth,And in it there grow the fairest treesThat a man may see on earth!

Oh, well I wot where the greenwood grows

That standeth beside the firth,

And in it there grow the fairest trees

That a man may see on earth!

Therein the willow and linden grow,The fairest a man may find,And under them play the lordly beastsThat men call hart and hind.

Therein the willow and linden grow,

The fairest a man may find,

And under them play the lordly beasts

That men call hart and hind.

There they play, both hind and hart,And the beasts of the fair forest,And there she plays, the lily-white hind,With gold beneath her breast.

There they play, both hind and hart,

And the beasts of the fair forest,

And there she plays, the lily-white hind,

With gold beneath her breast.

1It was Nilus ErlandssonRode forth the deer to take;There he saw the lily-white hindThat ran thro’ bush and brake.—So the knight hath won his lady.

It was Nilus Erlandsson

Rode forth the deer to take;

There he saw the lily-white hind

That ran thro’ bush and brake.

—So the knight hath won his lady.

2After went Nilus ErlandssonThat longed for her so sore;But never might he reach the hindFor three days’ space and more.

After went Nilus Erlandsson

That longed for her so sore;

But never might he reach the hind

For three days’ space and more.

3Snares he set on every pathWhere’er the hind might go,But all so cunning was sheHe might not take her so.

Snares he set on every path

Where’er the hind might go,

But all so cunning was she

He might not take her so.

4Sir Nilus thro’ the greenwoodRode after her in vain;His hounds he loosed by two, by three,To run her down amain.

Sir Nilus thro’ the greenwood

Rode after her in vain;

His hounds he loosed by two, by three,

To run her down amain.

5So hot the hounds went on her trailThat never might she ’scape;She changed her all by grammaryeAnd fled in a falcon’s shape.

So hot the hounds went on her trail

That never might she ’scape;

She changed her all by grammarye

And fled in a falcon’s shape.

6She shaped her as a falcon fleet,And perched in the linden green;Under the tree Sir Nilus stoodAnd sighed for toil and tene.

She shaped her as a falcon fleet,

And perched in the linden green;

Under the tree Sir Nilus stood

And sighed for toil and tene.

7Sir Nilus took an axe in handTo fell the linden-tree,When out there sprang a yeoman fierceThat smote the shaft in three.

Sir Nilus took an axe in hand

To fell the linden-tree,

When out there sprang a yeoman fierce

That smote the shaft in three.

8“And wilt thou fell my father’s woodAnd all by wrongful power,I swear to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,Thou shalt abye it sore!”

“And wilt thou fell my father’s wood

And all by wrongful power,

I swear to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,

Thou shalt abye it sore!”

9“Now let me fell this single tree,This tree alone of thine,For, but I take the falcon fair,I die of dule and pine!”

“Now let me fell this single tree,

This tree alone of thine,

For, but I take the falcon fair,

I die of dule and pine!”

10“Now lithe and listen, thou fair young knight,To the counsel that I bring;Ne’er shalt thou take her until she tasteThe flesh of a tamèd thing!”

“Now lithe and listen, thou fair young knight,

To the counsel that I bring;

Ne’er shalt thou take her until she taste

The flesh of a tamèd thing!”

11A gobbet he hewed from out his breast,(And that was mickle pain!)She spread her wings and down she flewAnd fell on the bait amain.

A gobbet he hewed from out his breast,

(And that was mickle pain!)

She spread her wings and down she flew

And fell on the bait amain.

12She spread her wings and down she flewAnd on the bait she fell;She changed her shape to the fairest maidThat ever tongue might tell.

She spread her wings and down she flew

And on the bait she fell;

She changed her shape to the fairest maid

That ever tongue might tell.

13She stood in a sark of silk so redWhere the linden-tree did blow;The knight he took her in his arms,And there she wept her woe.

She stood in a sark of silk so red

Where the linden-tree did blow;

The knight he took her in his arms,

And there she wept her woe.

14“Oh, I sat and broidered lily and rose,I guided my father’s gear,When in she came, my false stepdame,That never held me dear.

“Oh, I sat and broidered lily and rose,

I guided my father’s gear,

When in she came, my false stepdame,

That never held me dear.

15“She shaped me all as a lily-white hindTo run in fair greenwood,And my seven maidens as seven wolves,And bade them have my blood.”

“She shaped me all as a lily-white hind

To run in fair greenwood,

And my seven maidens as seven wolves,

And bade them have my blood.”

16The maid stood under the linden-tree,And loosed her golden hair,And thither they came that erst were wolves,Her seven maidens fair.

The maid stood under the linden-tree,

And loosed her golden hair,

And thither they came that erst were wolves,

Her seven maidens fair.

17“Now thanks to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,Hast loosed me from sore alarms!Never shalt thou seek slumberBut in my lily-white arms.

“Now thanks to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,

Hast loosed me from sore alarms!

Never shalt thou seek slumber

But in my lily-white arms.

18“Now thanks to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,Hast saved me from pain and pest!Never shalt thou seek slumberBut on my lily-white breast.”—So the knight hath won his lady.

“Now thanks to thee, Nilus Erlandsson,

Hast saved me from pain and pest!

Never shalt thou seek slumber

But on my lily-white breast.”

—So the knight hath won his lady.

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