te thorn bushes, and
perceived then a small green mound, upon which stood in a circle six
beeches. But the seventh, the tallest, stood in the centre, and towered
above them all; and around its trunk wound an ornamental staircase made
of white wood; and made of the same white wood there was a slight
platform fitted in where the broad branches of the beech spread
themselves out. The railing of both staircase and platform was
ingeniously carved.

From this airy bower floated down the wonderful tones.

Halfred drew nearer, and spied through the branches and the crevices of
the platform. His heart throbbed high with amazement, awe, and
yearning.

There he saw the player.

On the railing leaned a boy who was wonderfully beautiful, so
beautiful, Halfred said to me, that never had he seen such beauty upon
earth--so beautiful as the elves must be, in which the heathen people
believe.

He was altogether white--his slender face was white as the stone which
the Greeks call "Alabaster;" the folded garment which reached from his
neck to his knees was white, and white were the leathern shoes upon his
feet.

But the eyes and hair of the boy were like gold.

And Halfred said to me that the eyes were the golden brown of the
eagle's eyes. In the shining hair, however, which a net of the same
colour confined, instead of a hat, played hither and thither, bright
sun-tinted gleams, as though a sunbeam had lost itself therein, and now
vainly sought to find an outlet.

And the boy played upon a small three-sided stringed instrument, such
as only the Skalds of Hibernia carry, and played a wholly unknown
melody.

And he played and sang so beautifully, that Halfred had never yet heard
such playing and singing; mournful and yet blissful at the same time,
was the melody, like the pain of yearning, which yet for no pleasure of
the earth would the heart resign.

And Halfred told me that for the first time since that midsummer night
a warm breath passed again over his soul.

And the beautiful boy in the airy bower enchained his eyes, and the
mournful yearning song entranced his soul.

And for the first time, for many, many years, his breast could heave
with a full drawn breath.

And tears filled his eyes, and restored and healed him, and made him
young once more, like cool dew upon the heath after a burning sun.

And at the close of every two lines the words of the song rang
harmoniously together, like--and yet again not altogether