C.D. Warner, et al., comp. The Library of the World’s Best Literature.
An Anthology in Thirty Volumes. 1917.
The Sacrifice
By Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (1779–1850)
E
Hakon—My dear son,
It is yet early, therefore is it cold;
Thou shiverest, child!
Erling—That matters not, my father.
I am so glad that thou didst promise me
That I should see the sun arise to-day;
A sunrise have I never seen before.
Hakon—Dost see the golden rays which yonder break
Far in the east?
Erling[clapping his hands]—What lovely roses, father!
Oh, see the lovely roses, how they blush!
But tell me, my dear father, whence do come
Such masses of these lovely pearls, which are
Strewed over all the valley down below?
Oh, how they glitter up towards the roses!
Hakon—Those are no pearls; it is but morning dew.
That which thou callest roses is the sun.
Dost see it rise?
Erling—Oh, what a ball of fire!
How crimson red! O father dear, can we
Not travel thither to the morning sun?
Hakon—Towards the sun our life must ever strive;
For seest thou that lovely ruddy glow
Which glitters yonder?—that is Odin’s eye.
The other, which by night thou seest shine
With a far softer and a paler glow,
Has he now left in pledge in Mimer’s well,
That there it may obtain the drink which makes
His eye more fresh and more acute.
Erling—And where
And what is Mimer’s well?
Hakon—The mighty sea
There, deep below, which dashes ’gainst the rocks,—
That is the deep-dug well of ancient Mimer,
That strengthens Odin’s eye; and doubly bright
The sun arises, joyful and refreshed
By the cool morning waves.
Erling—Oh, how on high
It rises up! I can no longer bear
To gaze upon it, for it burns my eyes.
Hakon—The Almighty Father mounts upon his throne,
And soon the whole world will he look upon.
The golden throne doth dazzle earthly eyes;
Who dares presume to gaze upon the king
Of light and day in his full midday glow?
Erling[turning round frightened]—Oh, oh! my father, who are those? such grim
And old white men, who in the shadow stand
Behind the trees there?
Hakon—Speak not so, my son!
Those are the statues of the mighty gods,
Formed in the hard stone by the hands of men.
They do not dazzle us with summer flames;
To them may Askur’s sons kneel down in peace,
And gaze with reverence upon their face.
Come, let us go and see them closer, come.
Erling—Oh no, my father, I do fear! Dost see
That old, long-bearded, hoary-headed man?
He looks so fierce and grim upon me. Oh,
He makes me quite afraid!
Hakon—O Erling, Erling!
That is god Odin—art afraid of Odin?
Erling—No, no; of Odin I am not afraid,—
The real Odin yonder in the sky,
He will not harm me: he is good and bright;
He calls forth flowers from the lap of earth,
And like a flower does he gleam himself.
But that white, pallid sorcerer, he stares
As though he sought to take my life-blood.
Hakon—Ha!
Erling—My father, let me go and fetch my wreath;
I left it hanging yonder on a bush
When thou didst show me when the sun arose:
And let us then go home again, my father,
Away from these grim, ancient statues here;
For thou mayst well believe the grim old man
Has no good-will towards thee, father dear.
Hakon—Go fetch thy wreath, child, then come back at once.
The sacrificial lamb should be adorned.
Ye mighty gods, behold from Valaskjalf
Earl Hakon’s faith and truth confirmed by deeds!
Hakon—Kneel down, my son, to Odin, ere thou goest;
Stretch out thy little hands towards the sky,
And say, “Great Father! hear the little Erling’s prayer,
And mercifully take him in thy charge.”
Erling[kneels down, looking towards the sun, stretches out his hands, and says innocently and childlike]—Great Father, hear the little Erling’s prayer,
And mercifully take him in thy charge!
My father dear, thou’st let thy dagger drop.
How sharp and bright it is! When I am big
Then I shall also have such weapons, and
Will help thee ’gainst thy enemies, my father.
Hakon—What sorcerer is’t that places in thy mouth
Such words as these to scare me, and to make
Me tremble?
Erling—O my father! what’s the matter?
What has, then, Erling done? Why art thou wroth?
Hakon—Come, Erling, follow me behind the gods.
Erling—Behind the grim men?
Hakon—Follow, and obey.
Behind the statue do the roses grow;
No pale white roses,—ruddy roses they,
Blood-red and purple roses. Ha! it is
A joy to see how quickly they shoot forth.
Follow, I say,—obey!
Erling[weeping]—My father dear,
I am so frightened at the purple roses.
Hakon—Away! already Heimdal’s cock does crow,
And now the time is come, the time is come![Exeunt.]