The Project Gutenberg eBook, King Hacon's Death and Bran and the Black Dog, by George Borrow, Edited by Thomas J. Wise This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: King Hacon's Death and Bran and the Black Dog two ballads Translator: George Borrow Editor: Thomas J. Wise Release Date: October 7, 2008 [eBook #26803] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KING HACON'S DEATH AND BRAN AND THE BLACK DOG*** Transcribed from the 1913 Thomas J. Wise pamphlet by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org KING HACON’S DEATH AND BRAN AND THE BLACK DOG TWO BALLADS BY GEORGE BORROW LONDON: PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION 1913 KING HACON’S DEATH And now has happened in our day What was in ancient time foretold: Beneath his hand all Norroway’s land Has Hacon brought, the wise and bold. Full many a warrior summons he From all the country far and near; To Scotland’s realm, with shield and helm, Across the sea the King will steer. As many as sword and helm can bear With him must sail across the foam; All of fit age must follow their liege, Those who are not may tarry at home. It was Hacon, Norroway’s King, Survey’d the gallant band with pride: “I’m missing one—my Andfindson, O where does Olaf the stripling bide?” Then answer’d him the little footboy, Not far that stood from the Monarch’s knee: “Olaf, my Lord, will come on board As soon as weigh’d the anchors be.” Then out they stood from Bergen town, And out from Bergen’s mole, I trow; Silk is the sail they spread in the gale, Painted with blue is the deck below. “Now Magnus hear, my son so dear, At home I tell thee thou must stay: Aarhus to ward and Bergen to guard, For the keys of Norroway’s land are they.” “Listen all dearest father mine, Recall thy word I entreat of thee; To rule rough earls and Norroway churls Too ignorant far and too young I be.” “Then clothe thee straight and clothe thee well, Since thou wilt follow me, my child: But much I fear thou can’st not bear The toss of the sea and its billows wild.” So out they stood from Bergen town, And ’twas at fall of evening grey; The folk on the shore they griev’d full sore As that brave armament sail’d away. And when they came to Lindeness, And the mounting billow the sail bespray’d, In the breeze so fair the ship stood there As though to the bottom it fast were made. Then said the King as he lean’d upon His trusty faulchion’s hilt of gold: “I’m here in the dark, is there any clerk Or layman here can this thing unfold?” Then out spoke Nilaus Noderness, As a glance he flung upon the deep: “Doom’d men on board, have we my Lord, The truth from thee I cannot keep.” It was our Norroway Hacon then Thereat so sorely troubled grew: “I’m missing one, my Andfindson, Why meets not Olaf his father’s view?” Then answer’d him the little footboy, As apart he stood from the Norway King: “Beneath the deck lies Olaf sick, And much I fear he’s suffering.” It was Hacon the Norway King To visit Olaf with speed he goes: “What cheer, what cheer, my Olaf dear? Thy state to thy father straight disclose.” “I feel no rest within my breast, Methinks my very heart will rend: Would God, the King of all, would bring This horrible night to a speedy end.” They watched o’er Olaf Andfindson, They watched o’er Olaf long nights twain; And Hacon I say, of Norroway, By watching thus his death did gain. It was Olaf Andfindson, He yielded up his gentle sprite; ’Twas Hacon grey of Norroway Before him held the big wax light. O then King Hacon distrest he grew, The stripling’s corse he would not leave: He pin’d away and sick he lay, His hoary Counsellors how they grieve. “Cheer up,” they said. “We’ve fought and bled, And almost won these foreign shores; But if thou now from us should’st go A sad and dreary fate were ours.” “My time is come, I can’t survive; Write ye my testament, I pray, When I am gone do ye see done What with my dying breath I say: “My son, King Magnus, I advise Ever the law of God to heed; Justice above all things to love, And well, full well, with him ’twill speed. “Priests and widows let him defend, And his reign, I trow, will not be brief; The outlaw crew let him pursue, And hang unpitying every thief. “These are the first things I request, And now I’ll crave another thing; Ye’ll bury me with my ancestry In our Lady’s Church as beseems your King.” To Bergen’s shore came tidings o’er Which made the hearts of the dauntless faint: “Hacon is dead, our regal head, Relation near to Olaf Saint.” In Orkney isle expir’d the King, On a Thursday morning that befell; ’Twas Pentecost when the King they lost, The mighty King whom they lov’d so well. From high Kirkwall now sail’d they all, And to Bergen o’er their course they ply; They laid in grave the Monarch brave, In the spot where the Monarch wish’d to lie. A braver heart ne’er play’d a part, And never shone in Minstrel’s lay; No King on earth can vie in worth With Hacon the Good of Norroway. BRAN AND THE BLACK DOG The day we went to the hills to chase Of dogs we had a brave company; There heard we the songs of the feather’d race, The blare of the elk, and the roebuck’s cry. In the hills we had no common sport, With our dogs and our arms many deer we slew; When at noon we return’d to our silvan court, We were a well-pleas’d, laughing crew. That night the house of the Fenian king With a band of joyous guests was fill’d; The manner we sang, whilst we plied the string, In which the buck and the elk we kill’d. The valiant Finn arose next day, Just as the sun rose above the foam; And he beheld up the Lairgo way, A man clad in red with a black dog come. I’ll tell ye what was the stranger’s mien: His complexion was that of the strawberrie; White as the canach was his skin, Though black his hair, as black could be. He came up with a lofty gait, Said not for shelter he sought our doors; And wanted neither drink nor meat, But would match his dog ’gainst the best of ours. We brought ’gainst that of the stranger youth The very best dogs within our bounds; But the stranger dog had a desperate tooth, And quickly despatch’d for us fifty hounds. A strange fight this, the great Finn said, As he turn’d his face towards his clan; Then his face with rage grey fiery red, And he struck with his fist his good dog Bran. Bran look’d at his master with much surprise, That his master should strike him surprise he felt— “I could hew from the shoulder the hand,” Finn cries, “With which my dog that blow I dealt.” Then Bran he shook his collar of gold, The mountains echoed with his bay; His terrible eyes like fire-balls roll’d, And his mind was bent upon canine fray. “Take off from his neck the collar of gold, Not right for him now such a thing to bear; And a free good fight we shall behold Betwixt my dog and his black compeer.” Now a likeness I’ll draw of my good dog Bran: His head was cover’d with shaggy hair, His breast was broad and its colour tan, His houghs were crook’d, his quarters square. Four yellow feet had he I ween, His sides were black but his belly fair; A tinge of green on his back was seen, Of blood-red ears he’d a pointed pair. The dogs their noses together placed, Then their blood was scatter’d on every side; Desperate the fight, and the fight did last ’Till the brave black dog in Bran’s gripe died. “O sure was I,” did Ossian cry, From the pillar of the dogs with stern delight, “There was no dog in the Finn country Could inflict upon Bran the mortal bite. “O Bran was a stag-hound Morong bred, And possess’d each canine guile and sleight; There was no dog in leash e’er led Could consign our dog to the Western height. “There’s many a damsel, heavenly bright, With azure eye and yellow hair, In the land of the son of King Torc this night Would be proud with my dog her supper to share.” A grave the valiant hero made For his good black dog in the field’s green breast; Full fifty dogs the Fenians laid To the pibroch’s blast in the hill to the west. We went to the dwelling of high MacCuol, With the king to drink, and dice, and throw; The king was joyous, his hall was full, Though empty and dark this night I trow. * * * * * LONDON: Printed for THOMAS J. WISE, Hampstead, N.W. _Edition limited to Thirty Copies_. ***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK KING HACON'S DEATH AND BRAN AND THE BLACK DOG*** ******* This file should be named 26803-0.txt or 26803-0.zip ******* This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/6/8/0/26803 Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. *** START: FULL LICENSE *** THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license). Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg-tm License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided that - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact For additional contact information: Dr. Gregory B. Newby Chief Executive and Director gbnewby@pglaf.org Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: http://www.gutenberg.org This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.