The Project Gutenberg eBook, Young Swaigder, or The Force of Runes, by
Anonymous, Edited by Thomas Wise, Translated by George Borrow

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Title: Young Swaigder, or The Force of Runes
and Other Ballads

Author: Anonymous

Editor: Thomas Wise

Release Date: May 29, 2009 [eBook #28986]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YOUNG SWAIGDER, OR THE FORCE OF
RUNES***

Transcribed from the 1913 Thomas J. Wise pamphlet by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

YOUNG SWAIGDER
OR
THE FORCE OF RUNES
AND OTHER BALLADS

BY
GEORGE BORROW

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION

1913

_Copyright in the United States of America_
_by Houghton_, _Mifflin & Co. for Clement Shorter_.

YOUNG SWAIGDER
OR
THE FORCE OF RUNES

It was the young Swaigder,
With the little ball he played;
The ball flew into the Damsel's lap,
And pale her cheeks it made.

The ball flew into the Damsel's bower.
He went of it in quest;
Before he out of the bower came,
Much care had filled his breast!

"The ball, the ball thou shouldst not fling,
Shouldst cast it not at me;
There sits a maid in a foreign land,
She sighs and weeps for thee.

"Thou never more shalt peace obtain,
Or close in sleep thine eyes,
Till thou has freed the lovely maid,
In thrall for thee that lies."

It was the young Swaigder,
Placed his cap upon his head,
And into the high chamber
Unto his knights he sped.

"Here, quaffing mead from out the shell
Sit ye, my Courtmen bold,
Whilst I go to the mountain drear,
Speech with the Dead to hold!

"Here, quaffing mead and ruddy wine,
Sit ye my men so brave,
Whilst I go to the mountain drear,
With my mother speech to have!"

It was the young Swaigder,
And he began to call--
Riven were wall and marble stone,
And the h