Old Danish Ballads Author:Jacob Grimm General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1856 Original Publisher: Hope and co. Subjects: Danish poetry English poetry Ballads, Danish Songs, Danish Literary Criticism / Poetry Poetry / General Poetry / Anthologies Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint... more » of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE ROYAL HERD GIRL. Ragnar it the pirate who was starved to death in an English duty eon, and whose death-song is one of the finest Danish poems. With rapid pace a strange report Had run o'er all the land ; King Sigard had his daughter lost Borne off by thievish hand. His head in mantle closely wrapped King Sigard paced his hall; Who sate at mess could see his grief, His knights and followers all. On checquer'd board they roll'd the dice1 That should the knight decide, And on Prince Ragnar fell the lot In search of her to ride. He sought her all the winter long, He sought her five years round; But nowhere could the stolen maid In all these years be found But as one day the Prince he rode Across a forest lawn, There met him there a peasant boy, About the morning dawn. " Come here to me, my pretty boy, " And list to what I say ; " Where thou hast seen the fairest maid, " Point out to me the way." " Then list to me, thou brave young knight, " Nor be thine anger stirr'd; " The fairest maid that e'er I saw, " Is keeping Tabor's herd. " Her cap is made of coarse grey wool, " Her dress the skin of goats, " But like spun gold the yellow hair " That on her bosom floats." Then rode he through the meadow green And through the tangled thorn, There found the maid, as e'en she drave The goats from off the corn. 10 He took her kindly by the arm, And stroked her ...« less