hen his ruddy gold,
And shar'd it amongst the band:
To Vidrik came the largest part,
For 't was earn'd with his good hand.

Little car'd he for the booty, I ween,
But he thought of his meed of fame;
When men should say, in the Danish land,
That the Giant he overcame.

So gladly rode they to Bern again;
King Diderik gladdest of all:
There caus'd he Vidrik Verlandson
To sit next him in the hall.

ELVIR HILL.
FROM THE OLD DANISH.

Upon this Ballad Oehlenslaeger founded his "Elvir Shades," a translation
of which has already been given.

I rested my head upon Elvir Hill's side, and my eyes were beginning to
slumber;
That moment there rose up before me two maids, whose charms would take
ages to number.

One patted my face, and the other exclaim'd, while loading my cheek with
her kisses,
"Rise, rise, for to dance with you here we have sped from the undermost
caves and abysses.

"Rise, fair-headed swain, and refuse not to dance; and I and my sister
will sing thee
The loveliest ditties that ever were heard, and the prettiest presents
will bring thee."

Then both of them sang so delightful a song, that the boisterous river
before us
Stood suddenly quiet and placid, as though 't were afraid to disturb the
sweet chorus.

The boisterous stream stood suddenly still, though accustom'd to foam and
to bellow;
And, fearless, the trout play'd along with the pike, and the pike play'd
with him as his fellow.

The fishes, whose dwelling was deep in the flood, up, up from their
caverns did sally;
The gay little birds of the forest began to warble, forthwith, in the
valley.

"Now, listen thou fair-headed swain, and if thou wilt stand up and dance
for a minute,
We'll teach thee to open the sorcerer's book, and to read all the Runic
that's in it.

"The bear and the wolf thou shalt trammel, unto the thick stem of the
oak, at thy pleasure;
Before thee the dragon shall fly from his nest, and shall leave thee sole
lord of his treasure."

Then about and around on the moonlight hill, in their fairy fashion they
sported,
While unmov'd sat the gallant and fair young swain, whom they, in their
wantonness, courted.

"And wilt thou not grant us our civil request, proud stripling, and wilt
thou deny it?
By hell's ruddy blazes, our gold-handled knife shall lay thee for ever in
quiet."

And if my good luck had not manag'd it so, that the cock crew out, then,
in the distance,
I should have been murd