Legends of the isles and Highland Gatherings :: :: University of Virginia Library

THE SEA-KING'S BURIAL.

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[“The old Norse kings, when about to die, had their body laid into a ship; the ship sent forth with sails set, and slow fire burning in it, that, once out at sea, it might blaze up in flame, and in such manner bury worthily the old hero, at once in the sky and in the ocean.” —Carlyle's Hero Worship.]

I

“My strength is failing fast,”
Said the Sea-king to his men;—
“I shall never sail the seas
Like a conqueror, again.
But while yet a drop remains
Of the life-blood in my veins,
Raise, oh, raise me from the bed;—
Put the crown upon my head;—
Put my good sword in my hand;
And so lead me to the strand,
Where my ship at anchor rides
Steadily;
If I cannot end my life
In the bloody battle-strife,
Let me die as I have lived,
On the sea.”

II

They have raised King Balder up,
Put his crown upon his head;

They have sheath'd his limbs in mail,
And the purple o'er him spread;
And amid the greeting rude
Of a gathering multitude,
Borne him slowly to the shore—
All the energy of yore
From his dim eyes flashing forth—
Old sea-lion of the North;—
As he look'd upon his ship
Riding free.
And on his forehead pale
Felt the cold refreshing gale,
And heard the welcome sound
Of the sea.

III

“Hurra! for mighty Balder!
As he lived, so he will die!
Hurra! hurra! for Balder!”
Said the crowd as he went by.
“He will perish on the wave,
Like the old Vikinger brave;
And in high Valhalla's halls
Hold eternal festivals;
And drink the blood-red draught
None but heroes ever quaff'd,
With Odin and the spirits
Of the free.
In the fire, or in the wreck,
He will die upon the deck,
And be buried like a monarch
Of the sea.”

IV

Old Balder heard their shouts
As they bore him to the beach;
And his fading eye grew bright
With the eloquence of speech,
As he heard the mighty roar
Of the people on the shore,
And the trumpets pealing round
With a bold triumphal sound,
And saw the flags afar
Of a hundred ships of war,
That were riding in the harbour
Gallantly.
And said Balder to his men—
And his pale cheek flush'd again—
“I have lived, and I will die
On the sea.”

V

They have borne him to the ship
With a slow and solemn tread;
They have placed him on the deck
With his crown upon his head,
Where he sat as on a throne;
And have left him there alone,
With his anchor ready weigh'd,
And the snowy sails display'd
To the favouring wind, once more
Blowing freshly from the shore;
And have bidden him farewell
Tenderly;

Saying, “King of mighty men,
We shall meet thee yet again,
In Valhalla, with the monarchs
Of the sea.”

VI

Underneath him in the hold
They had placed the lighted brand;
And the fire was burning slow
As the vessel from the land,
Like a stag-hound from the slips,
Darted forth from out the ships;—
There was music in her sail
As it swell'd before the gale,
And a dashing at her prow
As it cleft the waves below,
And the good ship sped along,
Scudding free.
As on many a battle morn
In her time she had been borne,
To struggle, and to conquer
On the sea.

VII

And the King with sudden strength
Started up, and paced the deck,
With his good sword for his staff,
And his robe around his neck;—
Once alone, he waved his hand
To the people on the land;—
And with shout and joyous cry
Once again they made reply,

Till the loud exulting cheer
Sounded faintly on his ear;
For the gale was o'er him blowing,
Fresh and free;
And ere yet an hour had pass'd,
He was driven before the blast,
And a storm was on his path,
On the sea.

VIII

And still upon the deck—
While the storm about him rent,
King Balder paced about
Till his failing strength was spent.
Then he stopp'd awhile to rest—
Cross'd his hands upon his breast,
And look'd upward to the sky,
With a dim but dauntless eye;
And heard the tall mast creak,
And the fitful tempest speak
Shrill and fierce, to the billows
Rushing free;
And within himself he said,
“I am coming, oh, ye dead!
To join you in Valhalla,
O'er the sea.

IX

“So blow, ye tempests—blow,
And my spirit shall not quail;
I have fought with many a foe;—
I have weather'd many a gale;

And in this hour of death,
Ere I yield my fleeting breath—
Ere the fire now burning slow
Shall come rushing from below,
And this worn and wasted frame
Be devoted to the flame—
I will raise my voice in triumph,
Singing free;—
To the great All-father's home
I am driving through the foam,
I am sailing to Valhalla,
O'er the sea.

X

“So, blow, ye stormy winds—
And ye flames ascend on high;—
In the easy, idle bed
Let the slave and coward die!
But give me the driving keel,
Clang of shields and flashing steel;—
Or my foot on foreign ground
With my enemies around!
Happy, happy, thus I'd yield,
On the deck or in the field,
My last breath, shouting on
‘To Victory.’
“But since this has been denied,
They shall say that I have died
Without flinching, like a monarch
Of the sea.”

XI

And Balder spake no more,
And no sound escaped his lip;—
And he look'd, yet scarcely saw
The destruction of his ship;
Nor the fleet sparks mounting high,
Nor the glare upon the sky;—
Scarcely heard the billows dash,
Nor the burning timber crash;—
Scarcely felt the scorching heat
That was gathering at his feet,
Nor the fierce flames mounting o'er him
Greedily.
But the life was in him yet,
And the courage to forget
All his pain, in his triumph
On the sea.

XII

Once alone a cry arose,
Half of anguish, half of pride,
As he sprang upon his feet,
With the flames on every side.
“I am coming!” said the King,
“Where the swords and bucklers ring—
Where the warrior lives again
With the souls of mighty men—
Where the weary find repose,
And the red wine ever flows;—
I am coming, great All-Father,
Unto thee!

Unto Odin, unto Thor,
And the strong true hearts of yore—
I am coming to Valhalla,
O'er the sea.”

XIII

Red and fierce upon the sky
Until midnight, shone the glare,
And the burning ship drove on—
Like a meteor of the air.
She was driven and hurried past,
'Mid the roaring of the blast.
And of Balder, warrior-born,
Naught remain'd at break of morn,
On the charr'd and blacken'd hull,
But some ashes and a skull;
And still the vessel drifted
Heavily,
With a pale and hazy light
Until far into the night,
When the storm had spent its rage
On the sea.

XIV

Then the ocean ceased her strife
With the wild winds lull'd to rest,
And a full, round, placid moon
Shed a halo on her breast;
And the burning ship still lay
On the deep sea, far away;

From her ribs of solid oak,
Pouring forth the flame and smoke;
Until, burnt through all her bulk
To the water's edge, the hulk
Down a thousand fathoms sunk
Suddenly,
With a low and sullen sound;
While the billows sang around
Sad requiems for the monarch
Of the sea.