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| KING OLUF and his brother bold | |
| ’Bout Norroway’s rocks a parley hold. | |
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| “The one of the two who best can sail | |
| Shall rule o’er Norroway’s hill and dale. | |
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| “Who first of us reaches our native ground | 5 |
| O’er all the region shall king be crowned.” | |
| |
| Then Harald Haardrode answer made: | |
| “Ay, let it be done as thou hast said. | |
| |
| “But if I to-day must sail with thee, | |
| Thou shalt change thy vessel, I swear, with me. | 10 |
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| “For thou hast got the Dragon of speed; | |
| I shall make with the Ox a poor figure indeed. | |
| |
| “The Dragon is swift as the clouds in chase; | |
| The Ox, he moveth in lazy pace.” | |
| |
| “Hear, Harald, what I have to say to thee, | 15 |
| What thou hast proposed well pleaseth me. | |
| |
| “If my ship in aught be better than thine, | |
| I ’ll readily, cheerfully, lend thee mine. | |
| |
| “Do thou the Dragon so sprightly take, | |
| And I with the Ox will the journey make. | 20 |
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| “But first to the church we ’ll bend our way, | |
| Ere our hand on sail or on oar we lay.” | |
| |
| And into the church Saint Oluf trode, | |
| His beautiful hair like the bright gold glowed. | |
| |
| But soon, out of breath, there came a man: | 25 |
| “Thy brother is sailing off fast as he can.” | |
| |
| “Let them sail, my friend, who to sail may choose; | |
| The word of our Lord we will not lose. | |
| |
| “The mass is the word of our blessed Lord. | |
| Take water, ye swains, for our table board. | 30 |
| |
| “We will sit at board, and the meat we will taste, | |
| Then unto the sea-shore quietly haste.” | |
| |
| Now down they all speed to the ocean-strand, | |
| Where the Ox lay rocking before the land. | |
| |
| And speedily they to the ocean bore | 35 |
| The anchor, and cable, and sail, and oar. | |
| |
| Saint Oluf he stood on the prow when on board: | |
| “Now forward, thou Ox, in the name of the Lord!” | |
| |
| He grappled the Ox by the horn so white: | |
| “Hie now, as if thou went clover to bite!” | 40 |
| |
| Then forward the Ox began to hie, | |
| In his wake stood the billows boisterously. | |
| |
| He hallooed to the lad on the yard so high: | |
| “Do we the Dragon of Harald draw nigh?” | |
| |
| “No more of the pomps of the world I see | 45 |
| Than the uppermost top of the good oak-tree. | |
| |
| “I see near the land of Norroway skim | |
| Bright silken sails with a golden rim. | |
| |
| “I see ’neath Norroway’s mountains proud | |
| The Dragon bearing of sail a cloud. | 50 |
| |
| “I see, I see, by Norroway’s side, | |
| The Dragon gallantly forward stride.” | |
| |
| On the Ox’s ribs a blow he gave: | |
| “Now faster, now faster, over the wave!” | |
| |
| He struck the Ox on the eye with force: | 55 |
| “To the haven much speedier thou must course.” | |
| |
| Then forward the Ox began to leap, | |
| No sailor on deck his stand could keep. | |
| |
| Then cords he took, and his mariners fast | |
| He tied to the vessel’s rigging and mast. | 60 |
| |
| ’T was then, ’t was then, the steersman cried: | |
| “But who shall now the vessel guide?” | |
| |
| His little gloves off Saint Oluf throws, | |
| And to stand himself by the rudder he goes. | |
| |
| “O, we will sail o’er cliff and height, | 65 |
| The nearest way, like a line of light!” | |
| |
| So o’er the hills and dales they career, | |
| To them they became like water clear. | |
| |
| So they sailed along o’er the mountains blue, | |
| Then out came running the Elfin crew. | 70 |
| |
| “Who sails o’er the gold in which we joy? | |
| Our ancient father who dares annoy?” | |
| |
| “Elf, turn to stone, and a stone remain | |
| Till I by this path return again!” | |
| |
| So they sailed o’er Skaaney’s mountains tall, | 75 |
| And stones became the little Elves all. | |
| |
| Out came a Carline with spindle and rock: | |
| “Saint Oluf! why sailest thou us to mock? | |
| |
| “Saint Oluf, thou who the red beard hast! | |
| Through my chamber wall thy ship hath passed.” | 80 |
| |
| With a glance of scorn did Saint Oluf say: | |
| “Stand there a flint-rock forever and aye.” | |
| |
| Unhindered, unhindered, they bravely sailed on, | |
| Before them yielded both stock and stone. | |
| |
| Still onward they sailed in such gallant guise, | 85 |
| That no man upon them could fasten his eyes. | |
| |
| Saint Oluf a bow before his knee bent, | |
| Behind the sail dropped the shaft that he sent. | |
| |
| From the stern Saint Oluf a barb shot free, | |
| Behind the Ox fell the shaft in the sea. | 90 |
| |
| Saint Oluf he trusted in Christ alone, | |
| And therefore first home by three days he won. | |
| |
| And that made Harald with fury storm, | |
| Of a laidly dragon he took the form. | |
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| But the Saint was a man of devotion full, | 95 |
| And the Saint got Norroway’s land to rule. | |
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| Into the church Saint Oluf trode, | |
| He thanked the Saviour in fervent mood. | |
| |
| Saint Oluf walked the church about, | |
| There shone a glory his ringlets out. | 100 |
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| Whom God doth help makes bravely his way, | |
| His enemies win both shame and dismay. | |
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