| |
| CURSED by the gods and crowned with shame, | |
| Fell father of a direful brood, | |
| Whose crimes have filled the heaven with flame | |
| And drenched the earth with blood; | |
| |
| Loki, the guileful Loki, stands | 5 |
| Within a rocky mountain-gorge; | |
| Chains gird his body, feet, and hands, | |
| Wrought in no mortal forge. | |
| |
| Coiled on the rock, a mighty snake | |
| Above him, day and night, is hung, | 10 |
| With dull malignant eyes awake, | |
| And poison-dropping tongue. | |
| |
| Drop follows drop in ceaseless flow, | |
| Each falling where the other fell, | |
| To lay upon his blistered brow | 15 |
| The liquid fire of hell. | |
| |
| But lo, beside the howling wretch | |
| A woman stands, devoid of dread, | |
| And one pale arm is seen to stretch | |
| Above his tortured head! | 20 |
| |
| All through the day is lifted up, | |
| And all the weary night-time through, | |
| One patient hand that holds a cup | |
| To catch the poison-dew. | |
| |
| Sometimes the venom overfills | 25 |
| The cup, and she must pour it forth; | |
| With Loki’s curses then the hills | |
| Are rent from south to north. | |
| |
| But she in answer only sighs, | |
| And lays her lips upon his face, | 30 |
| And, with love’s anguish in her eyes, | |
| Resumes her constant place. | |
| |
