Excerpt
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....