Classic Poem

KING D IETRICH and his warriors, returning from the fray,
Wearily in the greenwood sate, at close of summer's day;
And, save the young King Dietrich, who woke the watch to keep,
All stretched their limbs upon the grass, and softly sank to sleep.

Before the blazing camp-fire the King in silence strode,
The flashing of his armor bright shone far into the wood;
At times, as in a musing mood, he sternly knit his brows,
In fancy fought his battles o'er, or frowned upon his foes.

Slow creeping, then, on hands and knees, behind the bushes green,
A savage woman's form was by the wondering chieftain seen;
And, as she nearer stole, he saw, by the fire's reflecting glare,
Her scrawny neck, her arms and cheeks, all rough with shaggy hair.

Her elf-locks, matted thick with leaves, in wildest tangles hung,
And pendent, like a she-wolf's dugs, her hairy bosoms swung;
Her amorous, wrinkled, blear old eyes, did leer upon the King,
While, in a harsh, hoarse, guttural voice, she thus began to sing:

" Gentle and young, loving and fair, a Maiden-Queen am I,
With spreading lands and castles strong, and towers that pierce the sky;
I've decked their lofty chambers all daintily for thee,
Then, warrior, leave thy weary wars to win the love of me!

" Oh listen, Hero, listen! I have many a year been roaming
Around this forest wild and gloomy, waiting for thy coming!
I know a spell can shield thee well from every mortal harm,
Then hie away with me, my Love, encircled in thine arm! "

" Aroynt thee, hag! " the loathing chief with angry scowl did say,
And clapped his hand upon his brand to fright the thing away:
But she was a foul and wicked witch, cunning in gramarie,
Over the King she cast a spell, all under the greenwood tree; —

A spell of magic mighty, it charmed him to the ground,
As if each limb with linked chains of iron strong were bound,
As if a brooding Nightmare on his breast, in horror, rode,
And will lay motionless, weighed down beneath the loathed load.

She took his golden helm, that aye shone first in dense melee,
Unlaced his hauberk, bore his shield and trusty sword away;
While thus the King lamented, all powerless from her charms:
" Alas! that ever a woman's hand should spoil me of my arms! "

With his armor, through the darkness away the foul witch hied,
She left the young King motionless, the dying fire beside;
But still the spell is on him, it drives him to the wood,
Unarmed, through forests drear, to seek the Witch-Queen's wild abode.

Sadly the spell-bound King did turn, a parting look to take
Of the slumbering companions he dared not then awake:
" How will the brave knights wonder and grieve, at early dawn,
When none can tell them how I went, or whither I am gone! "

Far through the forest gloomy wanders the Hero good,
O'er hills, dells, rocks, streams, fallen trees, and tangled underwood;
Till at last the spell mysterious to a hill the Chieftain bore,
Where he saw the grinning hag reclining close by a cavern door.

" Give me my hauberk, helm, and sword, thou foul Shefiend of Hell,
Or, by my soul — — " but over him she cast a mightier spell:
To the ground he sank in heavy trance, could neither feel nor speak;
She twined round him her hairy arms, and kissed his senseless cheek.

With cruel shears she cut his flowing locks of golden hair,
And, save a squalid garment, his manly limbs were bare;
Then, with her cunning witchery, she stole his wits away,
And drove him to the wild wood to wander night and day.

Oh wearily, oh drearily, the witless Hero hied
Over the bleak wide wilderness, and barren mountain's side;
O'er rugged chasms with dark ravines, through torrents deep he goes,
Unsheltered, scorched by summer's heat, shivering in winter's snows.

A year he wandered, all alone. How desolate was he!
" Wilt leave thy travels, gentle Prince, to win the love of me? "
The Hero answered: " Better far to wander all my life,
Than take the foulest Witch in all the world to be my wife!

" Give me my arms, and tell me in what region may be found
The many brave companions I left sleeping on the ground! "
" They're in the Soldan's dungeons, pining fast away,
Scarcely through their window bars peeps in the doubtful day. "

" My sword, for love of God, my sword! and let me set them free! "
" Nay, fiery Prince, not till thou art a kind leman to me.
Thy knights shall die in slavery, and thou shalt rove the land
Again distraught, if thou wilt not accept my proffered hand. "

" How can I woo thee in the woods, thou maiden fair and meek?
Or how embrace thy hairy form, or kiss thy bristly cheek?
How can a Christian Knight, like me, a heathen woman wed,
Or bring a wicked Witch-Queen into his royal bed? "

" The daughter of a Christian King am I; but, strange to tell,
Soon after I was born, ere yet baptized in holy well,
An Elfin-Queen stole me, at noon, out of my cradle-bed,
And left a little changeling child there sleeping in my stead.

" She brought me to this forest cave, wherein she used to dwell;
She taught me all her occult lore of charm and magic spell;
She witched my form, 'tis like her own; and, when death closed her reign,
She left me Queen of tower and town, and all her wide domain.

" She warned me I should wander here, forlorn and desolate,
Till I should win the Bravest Knight to be my Royal Mate:
I'll give him brighter armor than ever yet he wore,
Will empty the Soldan's dungeons ere this young moon be o'er.

" I know a wondrous well, will make me worthy of thy bed,
Then away with me, King Dietrich! " the savage maiden said.
With mystic, muttered words, she drew a charmed circle round,
Quick, from the air, a winged steed alighted on the ground.

A wondrous steed and beautiful! How smooth his glossy crest!
The green and gold contended for the sunshine on his breast,
The purple tipt his wings above, the vermeil soft within,
His mild eyes shone, like pitying stars watching this world of sin.

Vaulted the Witch-Queen nimbly upon his glistening back,
One hairy arm wound round the King, one round the courser's neck;
With steady wings, like oars, the bird rowed through the sea of air,
While clouds came floating by, like dreams, in colors rich and rare.

And murmuringly within himself the winged creature sings,
With still small voice makes music to the whirring of his wings;
As when the Spring-birds, carolling in morn's returning beams,
Join pensively the plaintive tune of penitential streams.

They see through distant vales the rivers wind, like silver threads;
Far down below, in mist and snow, are capped the mountain heads;
But, in the nearing landscape, now appears the Minsterspire,
And faint they hear the good priests' voices chanting in the choir.

The psalm is done. The lessons when the priest began to read,
To her steed the Witch-Queen whispered, and reined his onward speed;
Circling round and round he sank, slow sailing on the wing,
Till safe before the broad church-door his riders he did bring.

With the Prince into the Minster the eager Witch-Queen passed;
To see so rough and foul a face the people stared aghast!
Far up the aisle, beside the Font, two priests in white robes stood,
She went down into the Holy Well, and touched the crystal flood.

To cleanse her soul from sinfulness the solemn words were said,
And over her the priests and all the congregation prayed;
Up from the Font she rose, so changed, so wonderfully fair,
Prostrate the people fell, as if an Angel had been there!

Oh how can written words pretend to paint that change surprising!
How bright she shone, instinct with beauty, from the Font uprising!
And trickled from her snowy brow, the brow that wept to lose 'em,
The glittering, pearly water-drops, hastening to her bosom.

Proudly to King Dietrich she raised her modest eye:
" If she should ask the boon again, would he again deny? "
The priest, the bride were there; the nuptial chant the choir did sing:
And, ere her finger well was dry, it pressed the round red ring.