| |
| AND King Olaf heard the cry, | |
| Saw the red light in the sky, | |
| Laid his hand upon his sword, | |
| As he leaned upon the railing, | |
| And his ships went sailing, sailing | 5 |
| Northward into Drontheim fiord. | |
| |
| There he stood as one who dreamed; | |
| And the red light glanced and gleamed | |
| On the armor that he wore; | |
| And he shouted, as the rifted | 10 |
| Streamers o’er him shook and shifted, | |
| “I accept thy challenge, Thor!” | |
| |
| To avenge his father slain, | |
| And reconquer realm and reign, | |
| Came the youthful Olaf home, | 15 |
| Through the midnight sailing, sailing, | |
| Listening to the wild wind’s wailing, | |
| And the dashing of the foam. | |
| |
| To his thoughts the sacred name | |
| Of his mother Astrid came, | 20 |
| And the tale she oft had told | |
| Of her flight by secret passes | |
| Through the mountains and morasses, | |
| To the home of Hakon old. | |
| |
| Then strange memories crowded back | 25 |
| Of Queen Gunhild’s wrath and wrack, | |
| And a hurried flight by sea; | |
| Of grim Vikings, and the rapture | |
| Of the sea-fight, and the capture, | |
| And the life of slavery. | 30 |
| |
| How a stranger watched his face | |
| In the Esthonian market-place, | |
| Scanned his features one by one, | |
| Saying, “We should know each other; | |
| I am Sigurd, Astrid’s brother, | 35 |
| Thou art Olaf, Astrid’s son!” | |
| |
| Then as Queen Allogia’s page, | |
| Old in honors, young in age, | |
| Chief of all her men-at-arms; | |
| Till vague whispers, and mysterious, | 40 |
| Reached King Valdemar, the imperious, | |
| Filling him with strange alarms. | |
| |
| Then his cruisings o’er the seas, | |
| Westward to the Hebrides | |
| And to Scilly’s rocky shore; | 45 |
| And the hermit’s cavern dismal, | |
| Christ’s great name and rites baptismal | |
| In the ocean’s rush and roar. | |
| |
| All these thoughts of love and strife | |
| Glimmered through his lurid life, | 50 |
| As the stars’ intenser light | |
| Through the red flames o’er him trailing, | |
| As his ships went sailing, sailing | |
| Northward in the summer night. | |
| |
| Trained for either camp or court, | 55 |
| Skilful in each manly sport, | |
| Young and beautiful and tall; | |
| Art of warfare, craft of chases, | |
| Swimming, skating, snow-shoe races, | |
| Excellent alike in all. | 60 |
| |
| When at sea, with all his rowers, | |
| He along the bending oars | |
| Outside of his ship could run. | |
| He the Smalsor Horn ascended, | |
| And his shining shield suspended | 65 |
| On its summit, like a sun. | |
| |
| On the ship-rails he could stand, | |
| Wield his sword with either hand, | |
| And at once two javelins throw; | |
| At all feasts where ale was strongest | 70 |
| Sat the merry monarch longest, | |
| First to come and last to go. | |
| |
| Norway never yet had seen | |
| One so beautiful of mien, | |
| One so royal in attire, | 75 |
| When in arms completely furnished, | |
| Harness gold-inlaid and burnished, | |
| Mantle like a flame of fire. | |
| |
| Thus came Olaf to his own, | |
| When upon the night-wind blown | 80 |
| Passed that cry along the shore; | |
| And he answered, while the rifted | |
| Streamers o’er him shook and shifted, | |
| “I accept thy challenge, Thor!” | |
| |
