FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91  
92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   >>   >|  
, and the Asa folk collided with one another like pine-trees during a storm. The ship, too, with its precious weight, was well-nigh lost. At this Thor was wroth and, seizing his hammer, would have slain the giantess had not the other Asas held him back, bidding him not forget the last duty to the dead god. So Thor hallowed the pyre with a touch of his sacred hammer and kindled it with a thorn twig, which is the emblem of sleep. Last of all, before the pyre blazed up, All-Father Odin added to the pile of offerings his magic ring, from which fell eight new rings every ninth night, and bending he whispered in Balder's ear. But none to this day know the words that Odin spake thus in the ear of his dead son. Then the flames from the pyre rose high and the great ship drifted out to sea, and the wind caught the sails and fanned the flames till it seemed as though sky and sea were wrapped in golden flame. "And while they gazed, the sun went lurid down Into the smoke-wrapt sea, and night came on. But through the dark they watched the burning ship Still carried o'er the distant waters.... But fainter, as the stars rose high, it flared; And as, in a decaying winter fire, A charr'd log, falling, makes a shower of sparks-- So, with a shower of sparks, the pile fell in, Reddening the sea around; and all was dark." And thus did Balder the Beautiful pass from the peaceful steads of Asgard, as passes the sun when he paints the evening clouds with the glory of his setting. _Note._--Most of the poetical extracts throughout this chapter are taken from Matthew Arnold's "Balder Dead." THE PASSING OF BALDER I heard a voice, that cried, "Balder the Beautiful Is dead, is dead!" And through the misty air Passed like the mournful cry Of sunward sailing cranes. I saw the pallid corpse Of the dead sun Borne through the Northern sky. Blasts from Niffelheim Lifted the sheeted mists Around him as he passed. And the voice for ever cried, "Balder the Beautiful Is dead, is dead!" And died away Through the dreary night, In accents of despair. Balder the Beautiful, God of the summer sun, Fairest of all the Gods! Light from his forehead beamed, Runes were upon his tongue, As on the warrior's sword. All things in earth and air Bound were by magic spell Never to d
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91  
92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Balder

 

Beautiful

 

sparks

 
shower
 
flames
 

hammer

 
paints
 

Asgard

 

tongue

 

passes


clouds
 

poetical

 

extracts

 

forehead

 

beamed

 
steads
 

setting

 

evening

 

warrior

 
falling

decaying

 
winter
 

things

 

peaceful

 

Reddening

 

Passed

 

sheeted

 
mournful
 

flared

 

Around


passed

 

Lifted

 

pallid

 

Northern

 

corpse

 

Blasts

 

cranes

 

Niffelheim

 

sunward

 

sailing


Matthew

 

Arnold

 

summer

 

chapter

 

Fairest

 

despair

 
BALDER
 

Through

 

dreary

 

accents