The Dream Wife by C.E. St. John-Mildmay 1866
"Spoke the Valkyr, stern beholding--
'Ne'er shall ye twain woo and kiss,
Day by day your love unfolding,
All the Gods forbid your bliss.
Woden, lord of worlds and ages,
Me hath sent to speak his will,
Far from where the battle rages,
Lo! his bidding I fulfil.'
"She, methought, her face all flushing,
Bathed my locks in reddest blood,
Flames of light so rosy blushing,
Woden's balm so bright and good
Still I see her fingers glowing,
Bright with gems and blazing rings,
Steeped in blood so freely flowing,
Welling from the wounds of kings.
"Yes! that lady, dark as raven,
Bound my brow with gory hood;
All my hair was shorn and shaven--
Sad the plight in which I stood:
Still her hands were gore-bedabbled,
Still her fingers dropped with blood;
Something in my ear she babbled,
Then I woke--to find thee good."
Bold my heart with peril played
Not a man of them came nigh me,
Blithely sang my tuneful blade:
Till at last my doom was spoken,
Ten to one beat down my shield
Well my death was then ywroken,
Loud clashed swords on fated field.
"Thick I spread the ravens' table,
One I swept like wind away,
Ere those bitter foes were able
Once to wound me in the fray
Nay! my sword with temper eager
Shore a leg from off a wight;
Off he limped, so wan and meagre,
Mine the pledge he lost in fight."
"Methought, O wife, the blood was flowing
Down my sides in crimson rill;
’Tis but the debt of suffering owing,
The toilsome task I must fulfil.
Fairly won my wounds, no snarling,
Others' wives for me must weep;--
Such my visions, Auda darling,
When my eyelids close in sleep.
"Methought, O wife, with weapons bloody
Both my close-set lips were scored;
Those twin-sisters fair and ruddy
Deeper blushed at kiss of sword.
Still fond hope was ever smiling,
Blooming like the fairest flower;
'Thou shalt ’scape'--such words beguiling
Cheered me in that darksome hour.
"Methought my foemen, axes wielding
Both my arms at once lopped off;
Wound on wound, no buckler shielding,
Woe on woe, and bitter scoff.
Worse I dreamt--my forehead splitting,
Cleft in twain by force of hand,
O'er my brow, like goblin flitting,
Gaped and grinned the grisly brand.
"Methought that lady wise and witty,
Wearing crown of silver sheen;
O'er me bowed her head in pity,
Fast the pearls fell from her een.
Mistress she of hoards unbroken,
Bound my wounds with gentle skill;
What, my love, doth this betoken?--
Bodes it good or bodes it ill?"
-Gísli Saga, Ch.18
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G%C3%ADsla_saga_Illustration_4_-_The_Dream_Wife.jpg
Quote:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/gto/gto22.htm
'Ne'er shall ye twain woo and kiss,
Day by day your love unfolding,
All the Gods forbid your bliss.
Woden, lord of worlds and ages,
Me hath sent to speak his will,
Far from where the battle rages,
Lo! his bidding I fulfil.'
"She, methought, her face all flushing,
Bathed my locks in reddest blood,
Flames of light so rosy blushing,
Woden's balm so bright and good
Still I see her fingers glowing,
Bright with gems and blazing rings,
Steeped in blood so freely flowing,
Welling from the wounds of kings.
"Yes! that lady, dark as raven,
Bound my brow with gory hood;
All my hair was shorn and shaven--
Sad the plight in which I stood:
Still her hands were gore-bedabbled,
Still her fingers dropped with blood;
Something in my ear she babbled,
Then I woke--to find thee good."
Bold my heart with peril played
Not a man of them came nigh me,
Blithely sang my tuneful blade:
Till at last my doom was spoken,
Ten to one beat down my shield
Well my death was then ywroken,
Loud clashed swords on fated field.
"Thick I spread the ravens' table,
One I swept like wind away,
Ere those bitter foes were able
Once to wound me in the fray
Nay! my sword with temper eager
Shore a leg from off a wight;
Off he limped, so wan and meagre,
Mine the pledge he lost in fight."
"Methought, O wife, the blood was flowing
Down my sides in crimson rill;
’Tis but the debt of suffering owing,
The toilsome task I must fulfil.
Fairly won my wounds, no snarling,
Others' wives for me must weep;--
Such my visions, Auda darling,
When my eyelids close in sleep.
"Methought, O wife, with weapons bloody
Both my close-set lips were scored;
Those twin-sisters fair and ruddy
Deeper blushed at kiss of sword.
Still fond hope was ever smiling,
Blooming like the fairest flower;
'Thou shalt ’scape'--such words beguiling
Cheered me in that darksome hour.
"Methought my foemen, axes wielding
Both my arms at once lopped off;
Wound on wound, no buckler shielding,
Woe on woe, and bitter scoff.
Worse I dreamt--my forehead splitting,
Cleft in twain by force of hand,
O'er my brow, like goblin flitting,
Gaped and grinned the grisly brand.
"Methought that lady wise and witty,
Wearing crown of silver sheen;
O'er me bowed her head in pity,
Fast the pearls fell from her een.
Mistress she of hoards unbroken,
Bound my wounds with gentle skill;
What, my love, doth this betoken?--
Bodes it good or bodes it ill?"
-Gísli Saga, Ch.18
 |
| The Dream Wife. From 'The Story of Gisli the Outlaw', trans. Sir G. W. Dasent (Edinburgh, 1866). |
Source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G%C3%ADsla_saga_Illustration_4_-_The_Dream_Wife.jpg
Quote:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/gto/gto22.htm
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