butions presented his splendid poem, "The Easter
Lily," a poetic dramatization of our Lord's resurrection, about which the
poet, Baggesen, said that "it outweighed all Oehlenschlaeger's tragedies
and that he himself had moments when he would rather have been the author
of this incomparably beautiful poem than of everything he himself had
written."

Grundtvig began his translation of the sagas on a wave of high
enthusiasm. But as the years multiplied, the interest of his supporters
waned and he himself wearied of the task. He began, besides, to doubt his
ability to resurrect the heroic dead in such a manner that they could
revive the dropping spirit of the living.

In a welcome to Ingemann, on his return from a tour abroad, he expresses
the hope that the poet will now devote his gifts to a reincarnation of
his country's old heroes. He himself has tried to do this. "He has made
armor, shields and swords for them of saga's steel, and borrowed horses
for them from the ancient bards, but he has no cloth fit for the coats of
such elegant knights nor feathers beautiful enough to adorn their
helmets. He can sound a challenge but has no voice for singing; he can
ring a bell but can not play the lute." In other words, he can depict the
thoughts and ideals of the old heroes but lacks the poetical ability to
recreate them as living personalities--a remarkably true estimate of his
own limitations.

The discovery that his translation of the sagas was not accomplishing its
intended purpose, and a growing apprehension that the written word was,
perhaps, impotent to revive the spiritual life of his people, engendered
in him an increasing wish to leave "the mount of the dead" and re-enter
the world of the living. His economic circumstances also necessitated a
change. In 1818 he had married Elizabeth Blicher, the daughter of a
brother pastor, and he found it well nigh impossible to support his wife
and growing family on the meager returns from his writings and a small
pension which the government allowed him for his work with the sagas.

Spurred by these reasons, he applied for almost every vacancy in the
church, even the smallest, and, in 1821, succeeded in obtaining an
appointment to the pastorate at Prastoe, a small city on the south-eastern
shores of Sjaelland.

Grundtvig was well satisfied with his new charge. He was kindly received
by his congregation; the city was quite close to his beloved Udby, and
his mother still lived the