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If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Collected Works of Henrik Ibsen Vol. 02 (of 11) - -Author: Henrik Ibsen - -Editor: William Archer - -Release Date: August 30, 2021 [eBook #66186] - -Language: English - -Produced by: KD Weeks, Eileen Gormly, Sigal Alon and the Online - Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This - file was produced from images generously made available by - The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COLLECTED WORKS OF HENRIK -IBSEN VOL. 02 (OF 11) *** - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. In the printed -original, emphasis is indicated by gesperrt (spaced) text, but is here -also delimited as the italic. - -Footnotes have been collected at the end of each section or act in which -they are referenced. - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any other textual issues encountered during its -preparation. - - - - -THE COLLECTED WORKS OF - HENRIK IBSEN - - VOLUME II - - THE VIKINGS AT HELGELAND - - THE PRETENDERS - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - THE COLLECTED WORKS OF - HENRIK IBSEN - - _Copyright Edition. Complete in 11 Volumes._ - _Crown 8vo, price 4s. each._ - - =ENTIRELY REVISED AND EDITED BY= - =WILLIAM ARCHER= - - Vol. I. Lady Inger, The Feast at Solhoug, Love’s - Comedy - - Vol. II. The Vikings, The Pretenders - - Vol. III. Brand - - Vol. IV. Peer Gynt - - Vol. V. Emperor and Galilean (2 parts) - - Vol. VI. The League of Youth, Pillars of Society - - Vol. VII. A Doll’s House, Ghosts - - Vol. VIII. An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck - - Vol. IX. Rosmersholm, The Lady from the Sea - - Vol. X. Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder - - Vol. XI. Little Eyolf, John Gabriel Borkman, When - We Dead Awaken - - LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN - 21 BEDFORD STREET, W.C. - - THE COLLECTED WORKS OF - HENRIK IBSEN - - COPYRIGHT EDITION - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - VOLUME II - - THE VIKINGS AT - HELGELAND - - THE PRETENDERS - - WITH INTRODUCTIONS BY - - WILLIAM ARCHER - -[Illustration: title page] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - LONDON - WILLIAM HEINEMANN - 1910 - - - - - - - - - _Collected Edition, First printed_ 1906 - Second Impression 1910 - - - - - - - - - _Copyright 1906 by William Heinemann_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - INTRODUCTION TO “THE VIKINGS AT HELGELAND” vii - - INTRODUCTION TO “THE PRETENDERS” xx - - “THE VIKINGS AT HELGELAND” 1 - _Translated by_ WILLIAM ARCHER - - “THE PRETENDERS” 117 - _Translated by_ WILLIAM ARCHER - - - - - - - THE VIKINGS AT HELGELAND. - - INTRODUCTION. - - - Ibsen himself has told us, in his preface to the second edition of - _The Feast at Solhoug_, how the reading of the Icelandic - family-sagas suggested to him, in germ, the theme of _The Vikings at - Helgeland_. What he first saw, he says, was the contrasted figures - of the two women who ultimately became Hiördis and Dagny, together - with a great banquet-scene at which an interchange of taunts and - gibes should lead to tragic consequences. So far as one can gather - from this statement, the particular theme which he ultimately - borrowed from the _Volsung-Saga_ had not yet entered his mind. On - the other hand, the conception of the two women’s characters was - certainly not new to him, seeing that a similar contrast presents - itself in his very earliest work, _Catilina_, between the - aptly-named Furia and the gentle Aurelia; while even in _Lady Inger - of Ostråt_ it reappears, somewhat disguised, in the contrast between - Inger Gyldenlöve and her daughter Eline. While the scheme of _The - Vikings_ was still entirely vague, however, fresh influences, both - of a personal and of a literary nature, intervened, and, transposing - the theme from the purely dramatic into the lyrical key, he produced - _The Feast at Solhoug_. The foster-sisters, Hiördis and Dagny became - the sisters Margit and Signe, and the banquet, instead of being the - culminating-point of the dramatic action, became its mere - background. - - The fact probably is that in 1855 the poet found himself still - unripe for the intense effort of dramatic concentration involved in - such a work as _The Vikings_. Probably, too, he knew that neither - his actors nor his public at the Bergen Theatre were prepared to go - back to the primitive austerity of the heroic age, as it was - beginning to body itself forth in his mind. The good Bergensers were - accustomed either to French intrigue (such as he had given them in - _Lady Inger_), or to Danish lyrical romanticism; and he perhaps - foresaw that the ruling taste of Bergen would be as hard to contend - against as, in the sequel, the ruling taste of Copenhagen actually - proved to be. At all events, from whatever mingling of motives, he - put the heroic theme aside for two years, while he kept to the key - of lyrical romanticism not only in the _Feast at Solhoug_, written - in the summer of 1855, but also in the very feeble _Olaf - Liliekrans_, conceived much earlier, but written in 1856. Not until - he had left Bergen behind him and returned to Christiania in the - summer of 1857, did the poet take up again, and rapidly work out, - the theme of _The Vikings_. It is almost inconceivable that only a - year should have intervened between it and _Olaf Liliekrans_. - - Paul Botten-Hansen, perhaps Ibsen’s closest friend of those days, - has stated that _The Vikings_ was begun in verse. If so, the metre - chosen was probably the twelve-syllable measure of Oehlenschläger’s - _Balder’s Death_, supposed to represent the iambic trimeter of the - Greek dramatists. In an essay _On the Heroic Ballad_, written in - Bergen in the early months of 1857, Ibsen had condemned, as a medium - for the treatment of Scandinavian themes, the iambic deca-syllable - (our blank verse) in which Oehlenschläger had written most of his - plays, and which Ibsen himself had adopted in his early imitation of - Oehlenschläger, _The Hero’s Grave_. Blank verse Ibsen regarded as - “entirely foreign” to Norwegian-Danish prosody, and, moreover, a - product of Christian influences; whereas pagan antiquity, if treated - in verse at all, ought to be treated in the pagan measure of the - Greeks. At the same time we find him expressing a doubt whether - Oehlenschläger’s _Hakon Jarl_ might not have been just as poetic in - prose as in verse—a doubt which clearly shows in what direction his - thoughts were turning. It must be regarded as a great mercy that he - abandoned the iambic trimeter, which, in Oehlenschläger’s hands, was - nothing but an unrhymed Alexandrine with the cæsura displaced. - - This same essay _On the Heroic Ballad_ throws a curious light on the - difficulties which occasioned the long delay between the conception - and the execution of _The Vikings_. He lays it down that “the heroic - ballad is much better fitted than the saga for dramatic treatment. - The saga is a great, cold, rounded and self-contained epos, - essentially objective, and exclusive of all lyricism.... If, now, - the poet is to extract a dramatic work from this epic material, he - must necessarily bring into it a foreign, a lyrical, element; for - the drama is well known to be a higher blending of the lyric and the - epos.” This “well-known” dogma he probably accepted from the German - æstheticians with whom, about this time, he seems to have busied - himself. A little further on, he adds that the accommodating prosody - of the ballads gives room for “many freedoms which are of great - importance to dramatic dialogue,” and consequently prophesies a - great future for the drama drawn from this source. It was a luckless - prophecy. He himself, though apparently he little guessed it, had - done his last work in lyrical romance; and though it has survived, - sporadically, in Danish and even in German literature, it can count - but few masterpieces during the past half-century. Perhaps, however, - Hauptmann’s _Sunken Bell_ might be taken as justifying Ibsen’s - forecast.[1] - - It must have been very soon after this essay was published (May - 1857) that Ibsen discovered how to impose dramatic form upon the - epic material of the sagas, without dragging in any foreign lyrical - element. He suddenly saw his way, it would seem, to reproducing in - dialogue the terse, unvarnished prose of the sagas themselves, - eloquent in reticence rather than in rhetorical or lyrical - abundance. - - Had he, or had he not, in the meantime read Björnson’s one-act play, - _Between the Battles_? It was not produced until October 27, 1857, - by which time _The Vikings_ must have been almost, if not quite, - finished. But Ibsen may have seen it in manuscript several months - earlier, and it may have put him on the track of the form in which - to cast his saga-material. The style of _The Vikings_ is - incomparably firmer, purer, more homogeneous and clear-cut than that - of _Between the Battles_; but Björnson’s mediæval comedietta (it is - really little more) may quite well have given Ibsen a valuable - impulse towards the adaptation of the saga-style to drama. The - point, however, is of little moment. It is much more important to - note that while Ibsen was writing _The Vikings_ Björnson was writing - his peasant-idyll _Synnöve Solbakken_; so that these two - corner-stones of modern Norwegian literature were laid, to all - intents and purposes, simultaneously. - - In an autobiographic letter to Peter Hansen,[2] written in 1870, - Ibsen mentions this play very briefly: “_The Vikings at Helgeland_ I - wrote whilst I was engaged to be married. For Hiördis I had the same - model as I took afterwards for Svanhild in _Love’s Comedy_.” More - noteworthy is his preface to a German translation of the play, - published in 1876. It runs as follows: - - “In issuing a German translation of one of my earlier dramatic - works, it may not be superfluous to remark that I have taken the - material of this play, not from the _Nibelungenlied_, but in - part—and in part only—from a kindred Scandinavian source, the - _Volsung-Saga_. More essentially, however, my poem may be said to be - founded upon the various Icelandic family-sagas, in which it often - seems that the titanic conditions and occurrences of the - _Nibelungenlied_ and the _Volsung-Saga_ have simply been reduced to - human dimensions. Hence I think we may conclude that the situations - and events depicted in these two documents were typically - characteristic of our common Germanic life in the earliest - historical times. If this view be justified, it disposes of the - reproach that in the present drama our national mythic world is - brought down to a lower plane than that to which it belongs. The - idealised, and in some degree impersonal, myth-figures are - exceedingly ill-adapted for representation on the stage of to-day; - and, however this may be, it was not my aim to present our mythic - world, but simply our life in primitive times.” - - The reasoning of this passage does not seem very cogent; but it - expresses clearly enough the design which the poet proposed to - himself. Before discussing the merits of the play, however, I may as - well complete the outline of its external history. - - Part of that external history is written by Ibsen himself, in - letters to the Christiania Press of the day. In the autumn of 1857, - he presented the play to the Christiania Theatre, then occupied by a - Danish company, under Danish management. After a long delay, he - ascertained that it had been accepted and would be produced in March - 1858. He then proposed to consult with the manager as to the casting - of the piece, but found that that functionary had no clear - conception of either the plot or the characters, and therefore left - him a couple of months in which to study it. At the end of that time - the poet again reminded the potentate of his existence, and learned - that “since the economic status and prospects of the theatre did not - permit of its paying fees for original works,” the proposed - production could not take place. Ibsen hints that, had the choice - been offered him, he would have consented to the performance of the - piece without fee or reward. As the choice was not offered him, he - regarded the whole episode as a move in the anti-national policy of - the Danish management; and the controversy which arose out of the - incident doubtless contributed to the nationalisation of the - Christiania Theatre—the supersession of Danish by Norwegian - managers, actors and authors—which took place during the succeeding - decade. - - In the meantime, almost simultaneously with the rejection of the - play by the Christiania Theatre, it was rejected by the Royal - Theatre in Copenhagen. The director, J. L. Heiberg, was then - regarded as an autocrat in the æsthetic world; and his report on - _The Vikings_ is now a curiosity of literature. He declared that - nothing was so “monotonous, tiresome and devoid of all poetry” as - the Icelandic family-sagas; he could not endure their “wildness and - rawness” on the stage; the saga style, as reproduced by Ibsen, - seemed to him “mannered and affected”; and he concluded his judgment - in these terms: “A Norwegian theatre will scarcely take its rise - from such experiments, and the Danish theatre has fortunately no - need for them.” - - The play was published in April 1858 as a supplement to a - Christiania illustrated paper, the author receiving an “honorarium” - of something less than £7. On November 24, 1858, it was produced at - the little “Norwegian Theatre” in Christiania, of which the poet was - then director. At the Bergen Theatre it was produced in 1859, at the - Christiania Theatre (by that time pretty well Norwegianised) in - 1861. It did not make its way to Copenhagen and Stockholm until - 1875. In 1876 it was acted at the Court Theatres of Munich and - Dresden, and at the Vienna Burgtheater. Thenceforward it was pretty - frequently seen on the German stage; but it does not seem to have - reached Berlin (Deutsches Theater) until 1890. In 1892 it was - produced in Moscow. The only production in the English language of - which any account has reached me took place in 1903 at the Imperial - Theatre, London, when Miss Ellen Terry appeared as Hiördis and Mr. - Oscar Asche as Sigurd. The scenery and dresses were designed by Miss - Terry’s son, Mr. Gordon Craig. - - It would need not merely an essay, but a volume, to discuss the - relation of _The Vikings_ to its mythic material, and to other - modern treatments of that material—Friedrich Hebbel’s _Die - Nibelungen_, Richard Wagner’s _Ring der Nibelungen_, &c. The poet’s - actual indebtedness to the _Volsung-Saga_ is well summarised by - Henrik Jæger in his “Life of Ibsen”: “Like Sigurd Fafnir’s-bane,” he - says, “Sigurd Viking has achieved the deed which Hiördis (Brynhild) - demands of the man who shall wed her; and, again like his heroic - namesake, he has renounced her in favour of his foster-brother, - Gunnar, himself taking another to wife. This other woman reveals the - secret in the course of an altercation with Hiördis (Brynhild), who, - in consequence of this discovery, brings about Sigurd’s death and - her own. The reader will observe that we must keep to very general - terms if they are to fit both the saga and the drama. Are there any - further coincidences? Yes, one. After Gudrun has betrayed the - secret, there comes a scene in which she seeks to appease Brynhild, - and begs her to think no more of it; then follows a scene in which - Sigurd explains to Brynhild how it all happened; and finally a scene - in which Brynhild goads Gunnar to kill Sigurd. All these scenes have - their parallels in the third act of _The Vikings_; but their order - is different, and none of their wording has been adopted.” From the - family-sagas, again, not only the stature of the characters, so to - speak, but several details of incident and dialogue are borrowed. - The boasting-match at Gunnar’s feast, which, as we have seen, was - one of the first elements of the story to present itself to Ibsen’s - mind, has many analogies in Icelandic lore. Örnulf’s questions as to - how Thorolf fell are borrowed from _Egils Saga_, and so is the idea - of his “drapa,” or funeral chant over his dead sons. Sigurd and - Hiördis are, perhaps, almost as closely related to Kiartan and - Gudrun in the _Laxdæla Saga_ as to Sigurd Fafnir’s bane and - Brynhild. Indeed, Ibsen seems to have reckoned too confidently on - the unfamiliarity of his public with the stores of material upon - which he drew. Not, of course, that there could be any question of - plagiarism. The sagas were as legitimately at Ibsen’s service as - were Plutarch and Holinshed at Shakespeare’s. But having been - himself, as he tells us, almost ignorant of the existence of these - sagas until he came across N. M. Petersen’s translation of them he - forgot that people who had long known and loved them might resent - the removal of this trait and that from its original setting, and - might hold it to be, in its new context, degraded and - sentimentalised. “It may be,” writes H. H. Boyesen, in his generally - depreciatory remarks on the play, “that my fondness for these sagas - themselves prevents me from relishing the modification and - remoulding to which Ibsen has subjected them.” Dr. Brandes, too, - points to a particular instance in which the sense of degradation - could not but be felt. The day-dream as to the hair-woven bowstring - which Hiördis relates to Sigurd in the third act (p. 84) is in - itself effective enough; but any one who knows the splendid passage - in _Nials Saga_, on which it is founded, cannot but feel that the - actual (or at any rate legendary) event is impoverished by being - dragged in under the guise of a mere morbid fantasy. - - On the whole, I think Ibsen can scarcely escape the charge of having - sentimentalised the sagas in the same way, though not in the same - degree, in which Tennyson has sentimentalised the Arthurian legends. - Indeed, Sigurd the Strong is not without points of resemblance to - the Blameless King of the _Idylls_. But, for my part, I cannot - regard this as a very serious charge. _The Vikings_ is the work of a - man still young (29), who had, moreover, developed very slowly. It - is still steeped in romanticism, though not in the almost boyish - lyricism of its predecessors. The poet is not yet intellectually - mature—very far from it. But here, for the first time, we are - unmistakably face to face with a great imagination and a - specifically dramatic endowment of the first order. The germs of - promise discernible in _Lady Inger_ have ripened into rare technical - mastery. - - Ibsen was doubtless right in feeling that the superhuman figures of - the mythical sagas were impossible on the non-musical stage, just as - Wagner was right in feeling that the world of myth could be embodied - only in an atmosphere of music. The reduction, then, of the Volsungs - and Niblungs to the stature of the men of the family-sagas was not - only judicious, but necessary. But was it judicious to go to the - myth-sagas for the initial idea of a play which had to be developed - in terms of the family-sagas? Scarcely, I think. The weak points in - the structure of the story are precisely those at which the poet has - had to replace supernatural by natural machinery. To slay a dragon - and to break through a wall of fire, even with magical aid, are - exploits which we can accept, on the mythic plane, as truly - stupendous. But it is impossible to be really impressed by the - slaying of Hiördis’s bear, or to share in the breathless admiration - with which that achievement is always mentioned. If the bear is to - be regarded as a fabulous monster, it might just as well be a dragon - at once; if it is to be accepted as a real quadruped, the killing of - it is no such mighty matter. We feel it, in fact, to be a mere - substitute, a more or less ludicrous makeshift. And in the same way, - Sigurd’s renunciation of Hiördis becomes very difficult to accept - when all supernatural agency—magic potion, or other sleight of - wizardry—is eliminated. We feel that he behaves like a nincompoop in - despairing of winning her for himself, merely because she does not - show an obviously “coming on” disposition, and like an immoral - sentimentalist in handing her over to Gunnar. This, to be sure, is - the poet’s own criticism of his action. It is the lie which Sigurd - and Gunnar conspire to tell, or rather to enact, that lies at the - root of the whole tragedy. We have here Ibsen’s first treatment of - the theme with which he is afterwards so much concerned—the - necessity of truth as the basis of every human relation. Gunnar’s - acquiescence in Sigurd’s heroic mendacity is as clearly condemned - and punished as, in _Pillars of Society_, Bernick’s acquiescence in - Johan’s almost equally heroic self-sacrifice. Both plays convey a - warning against excesses of altruism, and show that we have no right - to offer sacrifices which the person benefiting by them has no right - to accept. But to indicate a correct moral judgment of Sigurd’s - action is not to make it psychologically plausible. We feel, I - repeat, that the poet is trying in vain to rationalise a series of - actions which are comprehensible only on the supernatural plane. - - This unreality of plot involved a similar unreality, or at any rate - extreme simplicity, of characterisation. All the personages are - drawn in large, obvious traits, which never undergo the smallest - modification. Sigurd is throughout the magnanimous hero, Dagny the - submissive, amiable wife, Hiördis the valkyrie-virago, Gunnar the - well-meaning weakling, not cowardly but inefficient. By far the most - human and most individual figure is old Örnulf, in whom the spirit - of the family-sagas is magnificently incarnated. We feel throughout - the inexperience of the author, his incuriousness of half-tones in - character, his tendency to view human relations and problems in a - purely sentimental light. To compare Hiördis with Hedda Gabler, - Sigurd with Halvard Solness, is to realise what an immeasurable - process of evolution the poet was destined to go through. Indeed, we - as yet seem far enough off even from Duke Skule and Bishop Nicholas. - - But the man of inventive imagination and the man of the theatre are - already here in all their strength. Whatever motives and suggestions - Ibsen found in the sagas, the construction of the play is all his - own and is quite masterly. Exposition, development, the carrying on - of the interest from act to act—all this is perfect in its kind. The - play is “well-made” in the highest sense of the word. Already the - poet shows himself consummate in his art of gradually lifting veil - after veil from the past, and making each new discovery involve a - more or less striking change in the relations of the persons on the - stage. But it is not technically alone that the play is great. The - whole second act is a superbly designed and modulated piece of - drama; and, for pure nobility and pathos, the scene of Örnulf’s - return—entirely of the poet’s own invention—is surely one of the - greatest things in dramatic literature. It is marvellous that even - æsthetic prejudice should have prevented a man like J. L. Heiberg - from recognising that he was here in presence of a great poet. The - interest of the third act is mainly psychological, and the - psychology, as we have seen, is neither very profound nor very - convincing. But the fourth act, again, rises to a great height of - romantic impressiveness. Whatever hints may have come from the - sagas, the picture of Örnulf’s effort of self-mastery is a very - noble piece of work; and the plunge into supernaturalism at the - close, in the child’s vision of Asgårdsreien, with his mother - leading the rout, seems to me an entirely justified piece of - imaginative daring. I cannot even agree with Dr. Brandes in - condemning as “Geheimniskrämerei” Sigurd’s dying revelation of the - fact that he is a Christian. It seems to me to harmonise entirely - with the whole sentimental colouring of the play. The worst flaws I - find in this act are the terrible asides placed in the mouths of - Gunnar and Dagny after the discovery of Sigurd’s death. - - The word _Vikings_ in the title is a very free rendering of - _Hærmændene_, which simply means “warriors.” As “warriors,” however, - is a colourless word, and as Örnulf, Sigurd, and Gunnar all are, or - have been, actually vikings, the substitution seemed justifiable. I - would beg, however hopelessly, that “viking” should be pronounced so - as to rhyme _not_ with “liking” but with “seeking,” or at worst with - “kicking.” Helgeland, it may be mentioned, is a province or district - in the north of Norway. - - Örnulf’s “drapa” and his snatches of verse are rhymed as well as - alliterated in the original. I had the less hesitation in - suppressing the rhyme, as it was actually foreign to the practice of - the skalds. - - THE PRETENDERS. - - INTRODUCTION. - - - Six years elapsed between the composition of _The Vikings_ and that - of _The Pretenders_.[3] In the interval Ibsen wrote _Love’s Comedy_, - and brought all the world of Norwegian philistinism, and (as we - should now say) suburbanism, about his ears. Whereas hitherto his - countrymen had ignored, they now execrated him. In his - autobiographic letter of 1870, to Peter Hansen, he wrote: “The only - person who at that time approved of the book was my wife.... My - countrymen excommunicated me. All were against me. The fact that all - were against me—that there was no longer any one outside my own - family circle of whom I could say ‘He believes in me’—must, as you - can easily see, have aroused a mood which found its outlet in _The - Pretenders_.” It is to be noted that this was written during a - period of estrangement from Björnson. I do not know what was - Björnson’s attitude towards _Love’s Comedy_ in particular; but there - can be no doubt that, in general, he believed in and encouraged his - brother poet, and employed his own growing influence in efforts to - his advantage. In representing himself as standing quite alone, - Ibsen probably forgets, for the moment, his relation to his great - contemporary. - - Yet the relation to Björnson lay at the root of the - character-contrast on which _The Pretenders_ is founded. Ibsen - always insisted that each of his plays gave poetic form to some - motive gathered from his own experience or observation; and this is - very clearly true of the present play. Ever since _Synnöve - Solbakken_ had appeared in 1857, Björnson, the expansive, eloquent, - lyrical Björnson, had been the darling child of fortune. He had gone - from success to success unwearied. He was recognised throughout - Scandinavia (in Denmark no less than in Norway) as the leader of the - rising generation in almost every branch of imaginative literature. - He was full, not only of inspiration and energy, but of serene - self-confidence. Meanwhile Ibsen, nearly five years older than he, - had been pursuing his slow and painful course of development in - comparative obscurity, in humiliating poverty, and amid almost - complete lack of appreciation. “Mr. Ibsen is a great cipher” (or - “nullity”) wrote a critic in 1858; another, in 1863, laid it down - that “Ibsen has a certain technical and artistic talent, but nothing - of what can be called ‘genius.’” The scoffs of the critics, however, - were not the sorest trials that he had to bear. What was hardest to - contend against was the doubt as to his own poetic calling and - election that constantly beset him. This doubt could not but be - generated by the very tardiness of his mental growth. We see him - again and again (in the case of _Olaf Liliekrans_, of _The Vikings_, - of _Love’s Comedy_, and of _The Pretenders_ itself), conceiving a - plan and then abandoning it for years—no doubt because he found - himself, in one respect or another, unripe for its execution. Every - such experience must have involved for him days and weeks of - fruitless effort and discouragement. To these moods of scepticism as - to his own powers he gave expression in a series of poems (for the - most part sonnets) published in 1859 under the title of _In the - Picture Gallery_. In it he represents the “black elf” of doubt, - whispering to him: “Your soul is like the dry bed of a mountain - stream, in which the singing waters of poetry have ceased to flow. - If a faint sound comes rustling down the empty channel, do not - imagine that it portends the return of the waters—it is only the dry - leaves eddying before the autumn wind, and pattering among the - barren stones.” In those years of struggle and stress, of depressing - criticism, and enervating self-criticism, he must often have - compared his own lot and his own character with Björnson’s, and - perhaps, too, wondered whether there were no means by which he could - appropriate to himself some of his younger and more facile - brother-poet’s kingly self-confidence. For this relation between two - talents he partly found and partly invented a historic parallel in - the relation between two rival pretenders to the Norwegian throne, - Håkon Håkonsson and Skule Bårdsson. - - Dr. Brandes, who has admirably expounded the personal element in the - genesis of this play, compares Håkon-Björnson and Skule-Ibsen with - the Aladdin and Nureddin of Oehlenschläger’s beautiful dramatic - poem. Aladdin is the born genius, serene, light-hearted, a trifle - shallow, who grasps the magic lamp with an unswerving confidence in - his right to it. (“It is that which the Romans called _ingenium_” - says Bishop Nicholas, “truly I am not strong in Latin; but ’twas - called _ingenium_.”) Nureddin, on the other hand, is the far - profounder, more penetrating, but sceptical and self-torturing - spirit. When at last he seizes Aladdin’s lamp, as Skule annexes - Håkon’s king’s thought, his knees tremble, and it drops from his - grasp, just as the Genie is ready to obey him. - - It is needless to cite the passages from the scenes between Skule - and Bishop Nicholas in the second act, Skule and Håkon in the third, - Skule and Jatgeir in the fourth, in which this element of personal - symbolism is present. The reader will easily recognise them, while - recognising at the same time that their dramatic appropriateness, - their relevance to the historic situation as the poet viewed it, is - never for a moment impaired. The underlying meaning is never allowed - to distort or denaturalise the surface aspect of the picture.[4] The - play may be read, understood, and fully appreciated, by a person for - whom this underlying meaning has no existence. One does not point it - out as an essential element in the work of art, or even as adding to - its merit, but simply as affording a particularly clear instance of - Ibsen’s method of interweaving “Wahrheit” with “Dichtung.” - - So early as 1858, soon after the completion of _The Vikings_, Ibsen - had been struck by the dramatic material in _Håkon Håkonsson’s - Saga_, as related by Snorri Sturlasson’s nephew, Sturla Thordsson, - and had sketched a play on the subject. At that time, however, he - put the draft aside. It was only as the years went on, as he found - himself “excommunicated” after _Love’s Comedy_, and as the contrast - between Björnson’s fortune and his became ever more marked, that the - figures of Skule and Håkon took more and more hold upon his - imagination. In June 1863, he attended a “Festival of Song” at - Bergen, and there met Björnson, who had been living abroad since - 1860. Probably under the stimulus of this meeting he set to work - upon _The Pretenders_ immediately on his return to Christiania, and - wrote it with almost incredible rapidity. The manuscript went to the - printers in September; the book was published in October 1863 - (though dated 1864), and the play was produced at the Christiania - Theatre, under the author’s own supervision, on January 17, 1864. - The production was notably successful; yet no one seems fully to - have realised what it meant for Norwegian literature. Outside of - Norway, at any rate, it awoke no echo. George Brandes declares that - scarcely a score of copies of the play found their way to Denmark. - Not until Ibsen had left Norway (April 1864) and had taken the - Danish reading public by storm with _Brand_ and _Peer Gynt_, did - people go back upon _The Pretenders_ and discover what an - extraordinary achievement it was. In January 1871, it was produced - at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen, where Emil Poulsen found in Bishop - Nicholas one of the great triumphs of his career. It was produced by - the Meiningen Company and at the Munich Hoftheater in 1875, in - Stockholm in 1879, at the Königliches Schauspielhaus, Berlin, and at - the Vienna Burgtheater in 1891; and it has from time to time been - acted at many other Scandinavian and German theatres. The character - of Nicholas has fascinated many great actors: what a pity that it - did not come in the way of Sir Henry Irving when he was at the - height of his power! But of course no English actor-manager would - dream of undertaking a character which dies in the middle of the - third act. - - Ibsen’s treatment of history in this play may be proposed as a model - to other historic dramatists. Although he has invented a great deal, - his inventions supplement rather than contradict the records. - Chronology, indeed, he treats with considerable freedom, and at the - same time with ingenious vagueness. The general impression one - receives in reading the play is that the action covers a space of - four or five years; as a matter of fact it covers twenty-two years, - between the folkmote in Bergen, 1218, and Skule’s death, 1240. All - the leading characters are historical; and although much is read - into them which history does not warrant, there is little that - history absolutely forbids us to conceive. The general features of - the struggle between the two factions—Håkon’s Birkebeiner, or - Birchlegs, and Skule’s Vargbælgs—are correctly enough reproduced. In - his treatment of this period, the Norwegian historian, J. E. Sars, - writing thirteen years after the appearance of _The Pretenders_, - uses terms which might almost have been suggested by Ibsen’s play. - “On the one side,” he says, “we find strength and certainty, on the - other lameness and lack of confidence. The old Birchlegs[5] go to - work openly and straightforwardly, like men who are immovably - convinced of the justice of their cause, and unwaveringly assured of - its ultimate victory. Skule’s adherents, on the other hand, are ever - seeking by intrigues and chicanery to place stumbling-blocks in the - way of their opponents’ enthusiasm.” Håkon represented Sverre’s - ideal of a democratic kingship, independent of the oligarchy of - bishops and barons. “He was,” says Sars, “reared in the firm - conviction of his right to the Throne; he grew up among the veterans - of his grandfather’s time, men imbued with Sverre’s principles, from - whom he accepted them as a ready-made system, the realisation of - which could only be a question of time. He stood from the first in a - clear and straightforward position to which his whole personality - corresponded.... He owed his chief strength to the repose and - equilibrium of mind which distinguished him, and had its root in his - unwavering sense of having right and the people’s will upon his - side.” His great “king’s-thought,” however, seems to be an invention - of the poet’s. Skule, on the other hand, represented the old - nobility in its struggle against the new monarchy. “He was the - centre of a hierarchic aristocratic party; but after its repeated - defeats this party must have been lacking alike in number and in - confidence.... It was clear from the first that his attempt to - reawaken the old wars of the succession in Norway was undertaken in - the spirit of the desperate gambler, who does not count the chances, - but throws at random, in the blind hope that luck may befriend - him.... Skule’s enterprise had thus no support in opinion or in any - prevailing interest, and one defeat was sufficient to crush him.” - - In the character of Bishop Nicholas, too, Ibsen has widened and - deepened his historical material rather than poetised with a free - hand. “Bishop Nicholas,” says Sars, “represented rather the - aristocracy ... than the cloth to which he belonged. He had begun - his career as a worldly chieftain, and, as such, taken part in - Magnus Erlingsson’s struggles with Sverre; and although he must have - had some tincture of letters, since he could contrive to be elected - a bishop ... there is no lack of indications that his spiritual lore - was not of the deepest. During his long participation in the civil - broils, both under Sverre and later, we see in him a man to whose - character any sort of religious or ecclesiastical enthusiasm must - have been foreign, his leading motives being personal ambition and - vengefulness rather than any care for general interests—a cold and - calculating nature, shrewd but petty and without any impetus, of - whom Håkon Håkonsson, in delivering his funeral speech ... could - find nothing better to say than that he had not his equal in worldly - wisdom (_veraldar vit_).” I cannot find that the Bishop played any - such prominent part in the struggle between the King and the Earl as - Ibsen assigns to him, and the only foundation for the great - death-bed scene seems to be the following passage from _Håkon - Håkonsson’s Saga_, Cap. 138: “As Bishop Nicholas at that time lay - very sick, he sent a messenger to the King praying him to come to - him. The King had on this expedition seized certain letters, from - which he gathered that the Bishop had not been true to him. With - this he upbraided him, and the Bishop, confessing it, prayed the - King to forgive him. The King replied that he did so willingly, for - God’s sake; and as he could discern that the Bishop lay near to - death, he abode with him until God called him from the world.” - - In the introduction to _The Vikings at Helgeland_ I have suggested - that in that play Ibsen had reached imaginative and technical - maturity, but was as yet intellectually immature. The six years that - elapsed between _The Vikings_ and _The Pretenders_ placed him at the - height of his intellectual power. We have only to compare Skule, - Håkon, and Bishop Nicholas with Gunnar, Sigurd, and Örnulf to feel - that we have passed from nobly-designed and more or less animated - waxworks to complex and profoundly-studied human beings. There is no - Hiördis in _The Pretenders_, and the female character-drawing is - still controlled by purely romantic ideals;[6] but how exquisitely - human is Margrete in comparison with the almost entirely - conventional Dagny! The criticism of life, too, which in _The - Vikings_ is purely sentimental, here becomes intense and searching. - The only point of superiority in _The Vikings_—if it be a point of - superiority—is purely technical. The action of the earlier play is - concentrated and rounded. It has all the “unity,” or “unities,” that - a rational criticism can possibly demand. In a word, it is, in form - as well as essence, an ideal tragedy. _The Pretenders_, on the other - hand, is a chronicle-play, far more close-knit than Shakespeare’s or - Schiller’s works in that kind, but, nevertheless, what Aristotle - would call “episodic” in its construction. The weaving of the plot, - however, is quite masterly, betokening an effort of invention and - adjustment incomparably greater than that which went to the making - of _The Vikings_. It was doubtless his training in the school of - French intrigue that enabled Ibsen to depict with such astonishing - vigour that master wire-puller, Bishop Nicholas. This form of - technical dexterity he was afterwards to outgrow and bring into - disrepute. But from _The Vikings_ to _Pillars of Society_ he - practised, whenever he was writing primarily for the stage, the - methods of the “well-made play”; and in everything but - concentration, which the very nature of the subject excluded, _The - Pretenders_ is thoroughly “well-made.” - - With this play, though the Scandinavian criticism of 1864 seems to - have been far from suspecting the fact, Ibsen took his place among - the great dramatists of the world. In wealth of characterisation, - complexity and nobility of emotion, and depth of spiritual insight, - it stands high among the masterpieces of romantic drama. It would be - hard to name a more vigorous character-projection than that of - Bishop Nicholas, or any one dramatic invention more superbly - inspired than the old man’s death scene, with the triumphant - completion of his _perpetuum mobile_. But even if the Bishop were - entirely omitted, the play would not be _Hamlet_ without the Prince - of Denmark. The characters of Håkon and Skule, and the struggle - between them, would still make one of the greatest historic dramas - in literature. - - It has not been generally noticed, I think, that Ibsen found in - Björnson’s _King Sverre_, published in 1861, a study of Bishop - Nicholas in his younger days. The play, as a whole, is a poor one, - and does not appear in the collected edition of Björnson’s works; - but there is distinct merit in the drawing of the Bishop’s - character. Furthermore, it ought to be remembered that _The - Pretenders_ was not the first work, or even the first great work, of - its class in Norwegian literature. In 1862, Björnson had published - his splendid trilogy of _Sigurd Slembe_, which, though more fluid - and uneven than _The Pretenders_, contains several passages of - almost Shakespearean power. It was certainly greater than anything - Ibsen had done up to that date. Ibsen reviewed it on its appearance, - in terms of unmixed praise, yet, as one cannot but feel, rather - over-cautiously. - - If anything could excuse the coolness of Norwegian criticism towards - _The Pretenders_, it was the great and flagrant artistic blemish of - the Ghost Scene in the last act. This outburst of prophetico-topical - satire is a sheer excrescence on the play, indefensible, but, at the - same time, fortunately negligible. It is, however, of interest as a - symptom of Ibsen’s mood in the last months before he left Norway, - and also as one of the links in that chain which binds all his works - together. Just as Skule’s attempt to plagiarise Håkon’s - king’s-thought points backwards to Gunnar’s moral lapse in taking - advantage of the fraud on Hiördis, so the ironic rhymes of the - Bagler-Bishop’s ghost point forwards to the lyric indignation and - irony of _Brand_ and _Peer Gynt_. - - W. A. - ------ - -Footnote 1: - - Though he himself wrote no more plays in the key of _The Feast at - Solhoug_, the “accommodating prosody” of the ballads had doubtless - its influence on the metres of _Peer Gynt_. - -Footnote 2: - - _Correspondence_, Letter 74. - -Footnote 3: - - The original title _Kongsemnerne_ might be more literally - translated “The Scions of Royalty.” It is rendered by Brandes in - German “Königsmaterie,” or “the stuff from which kings are made.” - -Footnote 4: - - This remark does not apply, of course, to the satiric “parabasis” - uttered by the Bishop’s ghost in the fifth act. That is a totally - different matter. - -Footnote 5: - - The followers of Håkon’s grandfather, King Sverre. See Note, p. - 125. - -Footnote 6: - - On page 277 will be found a reference to Brandes’s _Ibsen and - Björnson_; but I may as well give here the substance of the - passage. In the original form of the play, three speeches of - Ingeborg’s, in her scene with Skule, ran as follows: “It is man’s - right to forget,” “It is woman’s happiness to remember,” and “To - have to sacrifice all and be forgotten, that is woman’s saga.” It - was only on Brandes’s remonstrance that Ibsen substituted the - present form of these speeches, in which they became, not the - generalised expression of an ideal, but merely utterances of - Ingeborg’s individual character. - - - - - THE - VIKINGS AT HELGELAND - - (1858) - - CHARACTERS. - - ÖRNULF OF THE FIORDS, _an Icelandic Chieftain._ - SIGURD THE STRONG, _a Sea-King._ - GUNNAR HEADMAN,[7] _a rich yeoman of Helgeland._ - THOROLF, _Örnulf’s youngest son._ - DAGNY, _Örnulf’s daughter._ - HIÖRDIS, _his foster-daughter._ - KÅRE THE PEASANT, _a Helgeland-man._ - EGIL, _Gunnar’s son, four years old._ - ÖRNULF’S SIX OLDER SONS. - ÖRNULF’S AND SIGURD’S MEN. - _Guests, house-carls, serving-maids, outlaws, etc._ - - _The action takes place in the time of Erik Blood-axe (about 933_ - A.D.) _at, and in the neighbourhood of, Gunnar’s house, on the - island of Helgeland, in the north of Norway._ - - _Pronunciation of Names_: Helgeland=Helgheland; Örnulf=Örnoolf; - Sigurd=Sigoord; Gunnar=Goonnar; Thorolf=Toorolf; Hiördis=Yördeess; - Kåre=Koarë; Egil=Ayghil. The letter “ö” as in German. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - THE - VIKINGS AT HELGELAND. - - PLAY IN FOUR ACTS. - - - ACT FIRST. - - - _A rocky coast, running precipitously down to the sea at the back. - To the left, a boat-house; to the right, rocks and pinewoods. - The masts of two warships can be seen down in the cove. Far - out to the right, the sea, dotted with reefs and skerries, on - which the surf is running high; it is a stormy snow-grey - winter-day._ - - SIGURD _comes up from the ships; he is clad in a white tunic with a - silver belt, a blue cloak, cross-gartered hose, untanned - brogues, and a steel cap; at his side hangs a short sword._ - ÖRNULF _comes in sight immediately afterwards, high up among - the rocks, clad in a dark lamb-skin tunic with a breastplate - and greaves, woollen stockings, and untanned brogues; over his - shoulders he has a cloak of brown frieze, with the hood drawn - over his steel cap, so that his face is partly hidden. He is - very tall and massively built, with a long white beard, but is - somewhat bowed by age; his weapons are a round shield, sword, - and spear._ - - SIGURD _enters first, looks around, sees the boat-shed, goes quickly - up to it, and tries to burst open the door._ - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Appears among the rocks, starts on seeing_ SIGURD, _seems to - recognise him, descends and cries:_] Give place, Viking! - - SIGURD. - - [_Turns, lays his hand on his sword, and answers:_] ’Twere the first - time if I did! - - ÖRNULF. - - Thou shalt and must! I need the shelter for my stiff-frozen men. - - SIGURD. - - And I for a weary woman! - - ÖRNULF. - - My men are worth more than thy women! - - SIGURD. - - Then must outlaws be highly prized in Helgeland! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Raising his spear._] Thou shalt pay dear for that word! - - SIGURD. - - [_Drawing his sword._] Now will it go ill with thee, old man! - - [ÖRNULF _rushes upon him;_ SIGURD _defends himself._ - - DAGNY _and some of_ SIGURD’S _men come up from the strand;_ ÖRNULF’S - _six sons appear on the rocks to the right._ - - DAGNY. - - [_Who is a little in front, clad in a red kirtle, blue cloak, and - fur hood, calls down to the ships:_] Up, all Sigurd’s men! My - husband is fighting with a stranger! - - ÖRNULF’S SONS. - - Help! Help for our father! [_They descend._ - - SIGURD. - - [_To his men._] Hold! I can master him alone! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_To his sons._] Let me fight in peace! [_Rushes in upon_ SIGURD.] I - will see thy blood! - - SIGURD. - - First see thine own! - - [_Wounds him in the arm so that his spear falls._ - - ÖRNULF. - - A stout stroke, Viking! - Swift the sword thou swingest, - keen thy blows and biting; - Sigurd’s self, the Stalwart, - stood before thee shame-struck. - - SIGURD. - - [_Smiling._] Then were his shame his glory! - - ÖRNULF’S SONS. - - [_With a cry of wonder._] Sigurd himself! Sigurd the Strong! - - ÖRNULF. - - But sharper was thy stroke that night thou didst bear away Dagny, my - daughter. - - [_Casts his hood back._ - - SIGURD AND HIS MEN. - - Örnulf of the Fiords! - - DAGNY. - - [_Glad, yet uneasy._] My father and my brothers. - - SIGURD. - - Stand thou behind me. - - ÖRNULF. - - Nay, no need. [_Approaching_ SIGURD.] I no sooner saw thee than I - knew thee, and therefore I stirred the strife; I was fain to prove - the fame that tells of thee as the stoutest man of his hands in - Norway. Hereafter let peace be between us. - - SIGURD. - - Best if so it could be. - - ÖRNULF. - - Here is my hand. Thou art a warrior indeed; stouter strokes than - these has old Örnulf never given or taken. - - SIGURD. - - [_Seizes his outstretched hand._] Let them be the last strokes given - and taken between us two; and be thou thyself the judge in the - matter between us. Art willing? - - ÖRNULF. - - That am I, and straightway shall the quarrel be healed. [_To the - others._] Be the matter, then, known to all. Five winters ago came - Sigurd and Gunnar Headman as vikings to Iceland; they lay in harbour - close under my homestead. Then Gunnar, by force and craft, carried - away my foster-daughter, Hiördis; but thou, Sigurd, didst take - Dagny, my own child, and sailed with her over the sea. For that I - now doom thee to pay three hundred pieces of silver, and thereby - shall thy misdeed be atoned. - - SIGURD. - - Fair is thy judgment, Örnulf; the three hundred pieces will I pay, - and add thereto a silken cloak fringed with gold. ’Tis a gift from - King Æthelstan of England, and better has no Icelander yet borne. - - DAGNY. - - Well said, my brave husband; and my father, I thank thee. Now at - last is my mind at ease. - - [_She presses her father’s and brothers’ hands, and talks - low to them._ - - ÖRNULF. - - Then thus stands the troth between us; and from this day shall Dagny - be to the full as honourably regarded as though she had been - lawfully betrothed to thee, with the good will of her kin. - - SIGURD. - - And in me canst thou trust, as in one of thine own blood. - - ARNULF. - - That I doubt not, and will forthwith prove thy friendship. - - SIGURD. - - Ready shalt thou find me; say, what dost thou crave? - - ÖRNULF. - - Thy help in rede and deed. I have sailed hither to Helgeland to seek - out Gunnar Headman and call him to account for the carrying away of - Hiördis. - - SIGURD. - - [_Surprised._] Gunnar! - - DAGNY. - - [_In the same tone._] And Hiördis—where are they? - - ÖRNULF. - - In Gunnar’s homestead, I trow. - - SIGURD. - - And it is——? - - ÖRNULF. - - Not many bow-shots hence; did ye not know? - - SIGURD. - - [_With suppressed emotion._] No, truly I have had scant tidings of - Gunnar since we sailed from Iceland together. While I have wandered - far and wide and served many outland kings, Gunnar has stayed at - home. We made the land here at daydawn, storm-driven. I knew, - indeed, that Gunnar’s homestead lay here in the north, but—— - - DAGNY. - - [_To_ ÖRNULF.] So _that_ errand has brought thee hither? - - ÖRNULF. - - That and no other. [_To_ SIGURD.] Our meeting is the work of the - Mighty Ones above; they willed it so. Had I wished to find thee, - little knew I where to seek. - - SIGURD. - - [_Thoughtfully._] True, true!—But concerning Gunnar—tell me, Örnulf, - art thou minded to go sharply to work, with all thy might, be it for - good or ill? - - ÖRNULF. - - That must I. Listen, Sigurd, for thus it stands: Last summer I rode - to the Council where many honourable men were met. When the - Council-days were over, I sat in the hall and drank with the men of - my shire, and the talk fell upon the carrying-away of the women; - scornful words they gave me, because for all these years I had let - that wrong rest unavenged. Then, in my wrath, I swore to sail to - Norway, seek out Gunnar, and crave reckoning or revenge, and never - again to set foot in Iceland till my claim was made good. - - SIGURD. - - Ay, ay, since so it stands, I see well that if need be the matter - must be pressed home. - - ÖRNULF. - - It must; but I shall not crave overmuch, and Gunnar has the fame of - an honourable man. I am glad, too, that I set forth on this quest; - the time lay heavy on me in Iceland; out upon the blue waters had I - grown old and grey, and meseemed that I must fare forth once again - before I——; well well—Bergthora, my good wife, was dead these many - years; my elder sons sailed on viking-ventures summer by summer; and - since Thorolf was growing up—— - - DAGNY. - - [_Joyfully._] Thorolf is with thee? Where is he? - - ÖRNULF. - - On board the ship. [_Points towards the background, to the right._] - Scarce shalt thou know the boy again, so stout and strong and fair - has he grown. He will be a mighty warrior, Sigurd; one day he will - equal thee. - - DAGNY. - - [_Smiling._] I see it is now as ever: Thorolf stands nearest thy - heart. - - ÖRNULF. - - He is the youngest, and like his mother; therefore it is. - - SIGURD. - - But tell me—thy errand to Gunnar—thinkest thou to-day——? - - ÖRNULF. - - Rather to-day than to-morrow. Fair amends will content me; should - Gunnar say me nay, then must he abide what may follow. - - KÅRE THE PEASANT _enters hastily from the right; he is clad in a - grey frieze cloak and low-brimmed felt hat; he carries in his - hand a broken fence-rail._ - - KÅRE. - - Well met, Vikings! - - ÖRNULF. - - Vikings are seldom well met. - - KÅRE. - - If ye be honourable men, ye will grant me refuge among you; Gunnar - Headman’s house-carls are hunting me to slay me. - - ÖRNULF. - - Gunnar’s? - - SIGURD. - - Then hast thou done him some wrong! - - KÅRE. - - I have done myself right. Our cattle grazed together upon an island, - hard by the coast; Gunnar’s men carried off my best oxen, and one of - them flouted me for a thrall. Then I raised my sword against him and - slew him. - - ÖRNULF. - - That was a lawful deed. - - KÅRE. - - But this morning his men came in arms against me. By good hap I - heard of their coming, and fled; but my foemen are on my tracks, and - short shrift can I look for at their hands. - - SIGURD. - - Ill can I believe thee, peasant! In bygone days I knew Gunnar as I - know myself, and this I wot, that never did he wrong to a peaceful - man. - - KÅRE. - - Gunnar has no part in this wrong-doing; he is in the southland; nay, - it is Hiördis his wife—— - - DAGNY. - - Hiördis! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_To himself._] Ay, ay, ’tis like her! - - KÅRE. - - I offered Gunnar amends for the thrall, and he was willing; but then - came Hiördis, and egged her husband on with many scornful words, and - hindered the peace. Since then has Gunnar gone to the south, and - to-day—— - - SIGURD. - - [_Looking out to the left._] Here comes a band of wayfarers towards - the north. Is it not——? - - KÅRE. - - It is Gunnar himself! - - ÖRNULF. - - Be of good heart; I trow I can make peace between you. - - GUNNAR HEADMAN, _with several men, enters from the left. He is in - peaceful attire, wearing a brown tunic, cross-gartered hose, a - blue mantle, and a broad hat; he has no weapon but a small - axe._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_Stops in surprise and uncertainty on seeing the knot of men._] - Örnulf of the Fiords! Yes, surely——! - - ÖRNULF. - - Thou seest aright. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Approaching._] Then peace and welcome to thee in my land, if thou - come in peace. - - ÖRNULF. - - If thy will be as mine, there shall be no strife between us. - - SIGURD. - - [_Standing forward._] Well met, Gunnar! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Gladly._] Sigurd—foster-brother! [_Shakes his hand._] Now truly, - since thou art here, I know that Örnulf comes in peace. [_To_ - ÖRNULF.] Give me thy hand, greybeard! Thy errand here in the north - is lightly guessed: it concerns Hiördis, thy foster-daughter. - - ÖRNULF. - - As thou sayest; great wrong was done me when thou didst bear her - away from Iceland without my will. - - GUNNAR. - - Thy claim is rightful; what the youth has marred, the man must mend. - Long have I looked for thee, Örnulf, for this cause; and if amends - content thee, we shall soon be at one. - - SIGURD. - - So deem I too. Örnulf will not press thee over hard. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Warmly._] Nay, Örnulf, didst thou crave her full worth, all my - goods were not enough! - - ÖRNULF. - - I shall go by law and usage, be sure of that. But now another - matter. [_Pointing to_ KÅRE.] Seest thou yonder man? - - GUNNAR. - - Kåre! [_To_ ÖRNULF.] Thou knowest, then, that there is a strife - between us? - - ÖRNULF. - - Thy men have stolen his cattle, and theft must be atoned. - - GUNNAR. - - Murder no less; he has slain my thrall. - - KÅRE. - - Because he flouted me. - - GUNNAR. - - I have offered thee terms of peace. - - KÅRE. - - But Hiördis had no mind to that, and this morning, whilst thou wert - gone, she fell upon me and now hunts me to my death. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Angrily._] Sayest thou true? Has she——? - - KÅRE. - - True, every word. - - ÖRNULF. - - Therefore the peasant besought me to stand by him, and that will I - do. - - GUNNAR. - - [_After a moment’s thought._] Thou hast dealt honourably with me, - Örnulf; therefore it is fit that I should yield to thy will. Hear - then, Kåre: I am willing to let the slaying of the thrall and the - wrongs done toward thee quit each other. - - KÅRE. - - [_Gives_ GUNNAR _his hand._] It is a good offer; I am content. - - ÖRNULF. - - And he shall have peace for thee and thine? - - GUNNAR. - - Peace shall he have, both at home and where soever he may go. - - SIGURD. - - [_Pointing to the right._] See yonder! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Disturbed_.] It is Hiördis! - - ÖRNULF. - - With armed men! - - KÅRE. - - She is seeking me! - - HIÖRDIS _enters, with a troop of house-carls. She is clad in black, - wearing a kirtle, cloak, and hood; the men are armed with - swords and axes; she herself carries a light spear._ - - HIÖRDIS - - [_Stops on entering._] We meet here in force, meseems. - - DAGNY. - - [_Rushes to meet her._] Peace and joy to thee, Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Coldly._] I thank thee.—’Twas told me thou wert not far off. - [_Comes forward, looking sharply at those assembled._] Gunnar, - and—Kåre, my foeman—Örnulf and his sons, and——[_As she catches sight - of_ SIGURD, _she starts almost imperceptibly, is silent a moment, - but collects herself and says:_] Many I see here who are known to - me—but little I know who is best minded towards me. - - ÖRNULF. - - We are all well-minded towards thee. - - HIÖRDIS. - - If so be, thou wilt not deny to give Kåre into my husband’s hands. - - ÖRNULF. - - There is no need. - - GUNNAR. - - There is peace and friendship between us. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With suppressed scorn._] Friendship? Well well, I know thou art a - wise man, Gunnar! Kåre has found mighty friends, and doubtless thou - deem’st it safest—— - - GUNNAR. - - Thy taunts avail not! [_With dignity._] Kåre is at peace for us! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Restraining herself._] Well and good; if thou hast sworn him - peace, the vow must be held. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Forcibly, but without anger._] It must and it shall. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_To_ HIÖRDIS.] Another pact had been well-nigh made ere thy coming. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Sharply._] Between thee and Gunnar? - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Nods._] It had to do with thee. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Well can I guess what it had to do with; but this I tell thee, - foster-father, never shall it be said that Gunnar let himself be - cowed because thou camest in arms to the isle. Hadst thou come - alone, a single wayfarer, to our hall, the quarrel had more easily - been healed. - - GUNNAR. - - Örnulf and his sons come in peace. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Mayhap; but will it sound otherwise in the mouths of men; and thou - thyself, Gunnar, didst show scant trust in the peace yesterday, in - sending our son Egil to the southland so soon as it was told us that - Örnulf’s warship lay in the fiord. - - SIGURD. - - [_To_ GUNNAR.] Didst thou send thy son to the south? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Ay, that he might be in safety should Örnulf fall upon us. - - ÖRNULF. - - Scoff not at that, Hiördis; what Gunnar has done may prove wise in - the end, if so be thou hinder the pact. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Life must take its chance; come what will, I had liever die than - save my life by a shameful pact. - - DAGNY. - - Sigurd makes atonement, and will not be deemed the lesser man for - that. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Sigurd best knows what his own honour can bear. - - SIGURD. - - On that score shall I never need reminding. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Sigurd has done famous deeds, but bolder than all was Gunnar’s deed, - when he slew the white bear that guarded my bower. - - GUNNAR. - - [_With an embarrassed glance at_ SIGURD.] Nay, nay, no more of that! - - ÖRNULF. - - In truth it was the boldest deed that e’er was seen in Iceland; and - therefore—— - - SIGURD. - - The more easily can Gunnar yield, and ne’er be held faint-hearted. - - HIÖRDIS. - - If amends are to be made, amends shall be craved as well. Bethink - thee, Gunnar, of thy vow! - - GUNNAR. - - That vow was ill bethought; wilt thou hold me to it? - - HIÖRDIS. - - That will I, if we two are to dwell under one roof after this day. - Know then, Örnulf, that if atonement is to be made for the carrying - away of thy foster-daughter, thou, too, must atone for the slaying - of Jökul my father, and the seizing of all his goods and gear. - - ÖRNULF. - - Jökul was slain in fair fight;[8] thy kinsmen did me a worse wrong - when they sent thee to Iceland and beguiled me into adopting[9] - thee, unwitting who thou wert. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Honour, and no wrong, was thy lot in fostering Jökul’s daughter. - - ÖRNULF. - - Nought but strife hast thou brought me, that I know. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Sterner strife may be at hand, if—— - - ÖRNULF. - - I came not hither to bandy words with women!—Gunnar, hear my last - word: art willing to make atonement? - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_To_ GUNNAR.] Think of thy vow! - - GUNNAR. - - [_To_ ÖRNULF.] Thou hearest, I have sworn a vow, and that must I—— - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Irritated._] Enough, enough! Never shall it be said that I made - atonement for slaying in fair fight. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Forcibly._] Then we defy thee and thine. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_In rising wrath._] And who has the right to crave atonement for - Jökul? Where are his kinsmen? There is none alive! Where is his - lawful avenger? - - HIÖRDIS. - - That is Gunnar, on my behalf. - - ÖRNULF. - - Gunnar! Ay, hadst thou been betrothed to him with thy - foster-father’s good-will, or had he made atonement for carrying - thee away, then were he thy father’s lawful avenger; but—— - - DAGNY. - - [_Apprehensive and imploring._] Father, father! - - SIGURD. - - [_Quickly._] Speak it not! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Raising his voice._] Nay, loudly shall it be spoken! A woman - wedded by force has no lawful husband! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Vehemently._] Örnulf! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_In a wild outburst._] Flouted and shamed! [_In a quivering - voice._] This—this shalt thou come to rue! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Continuing._] A woman wedded by force is in law no more than a - leman! Wilt thou regain thine honour, then must thou—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Controlling herself._] Nay, Örnulf, I know better what is fitting. - If I am to be held as Gunnar’s leman—well and good, then must he win - me honour by his deeds—by deeds so mighty that my shame shall be - shame no more! And thou, Örnulf, beware! Here our ways part, and - from this day shall I make war at all times upon thee and thine; - thou shalt know no safety for life or limb, thou, nor any whom - thou——[_Looking fiercely at_ KÅRE.] Kåre! Örnulf has stood thy - friend, forsooth, and there is peace between us; but I counsel thee - not to seek thy home yet awhile; the man thou slewest has many - avengers, and it well might befall——See, I have shown thee the - danger; thou must e’en take what follows. Come, Gunnar, we must gird - ourselves for the fight. A famous deed didst thou do in Iceland, but - greater deeds must be done here, if thou wouldst not have thy—thy - leman shrink with shame from thee and from herself! - - GUNNAR. - - Curb thyself, Hiördis; it is unseemly to bear thee thus! - - DAGNY. - - [_Imploringly._] Stay, foster-sister—stay; I will appease my father. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Without listening to her._] Homewards, homewards! Who could have - foretold me that I should wear out my life as a worthless leman? But - if I am to bear this life of shame, ay, even for one day more, then - must my husband do such a deed—such a deed as shall make his name - more famous than all other names of men. - - [_Goes out to the right._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_Softly._] Sigurd, promise me this, that we shall have speech - together ere thou leave the land. - - [_Goes out with his men to the right._ - - [_The storm has meanwhile ceased; the mid-day sun is now - visible, like a red disc, low upon the rim of the sea._ - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Threateningly._] Thou shalt pay dear for this day’s work, - foster-daughter! - - DAGNY. - - Father, father! Surely thou wilt not harm her! - - ÖRNULF. - - Let me be! Now, Sigurd, now can no amends avail between Gunnar and - me. - - SIGURD. - - What thinkest thou to do? - - ÖRNULF. - - That I know not; but far and wide shall the tale be told how Örnulf - of the Fiords came to Gunnar’s hall. - - SIGURD. - - [_With quiet determination._] Maybe; but this I tell thee, Örnulf, - thou shalt never bear arms against him so long as I am alive. - - ÖRNULF. - - So, so! And what if nought else be my will? - - SIGURD. - - It shall not be—let thy will be never so strong. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Angrily._] Go then; join thou with my foes; I dare outface the - twain of you! - - SIGURD. - - Hear me out, Örnulf; the day shall never dawn that shall see thee - and me at strife. There is honourable peace between us, Dagny is - dearer to me than weapons or gold, and never shall I forget that - thou art her nearest kinsman. - - ÖRNULF. - - There I know thee again, brave Sigurd! - - SIGURD. - - But Gunnar is my foster-brother; we have sworn each other faith and - friendship. Both in war and peace have we faced fortune together, - and of all men he is dearest to me. Stout though he be, he loves not - war;—but as for me, ye know, all of you, that I shrink not from - strife; yet here I stand forth, Örnulf, and pray for peace on - Gunnar’s behalf. Let me have my will! - - ÖRNULF. - - I cannot; I should be a scoff to all brave men, were I to fare - empty-handed back to Iceland. - - SIGURD. - - Thou shalt not fare empty-handed. Here in the cove my two long-ships - are lying, with all the wealth I have won in my viking-ventures. - There are many costly gifts from outland kings, good weapons by the - chestful, and other priceless chattels. Take thou one of the ships; - choose which thou wilt, and it shall be thine with all it - contains—be that the atonement for Hiördis, and let Gunnar be at - peace. - - ÖRNULF. - - Brave Sigurd, wilt thou do this for Gunnar? - - SIGURD. - - For a faithful friend, no man can do too much. - - ÖRNULF. - - Give half thy goods and gear! - - SIGURD. - - [_Urgently._] Take the whole, take both my ships, take all that is - mine, and let me fare with thee to Iceland as the poorest man in thy - train. What I give, I can win once more; but if thou and Gunnar come - to strife, I shall never see a glad day again. Now, Örnulf, thy - answer? - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Reflecting._] Two good long-ships, weapons, and other chattels—too - much gear can no man have; but——[_Vehemently._] No, no!—Hiördis has - threatened me; I will not! I were dishonoured should I take thy - goods! - - SIGURD. - - Yet listen—— - - ÖRNULF. - - No, I say! I must fight for my own right, be my fortune what it may. - - KÅRE. - - [_Approaching._] Right friendly is Sigurd’s rede, but if thou wilt - indeed fight thine own battle with all thy might, I can counsel thee - better. Dream not of atonement so long as Hiördis has aught to say; - but revenge can be thine if thou wilt hearken to me. - - ÖRNULF. - - Revenge? What dost thou counsel? - - SIGURD. - - Evil, I can well see! - - DAGNY. - - [_To_ ÖRNULF.] Oh, do not hear him! - - KÅRE. - - Hiördis has declared me an outlaw; she will set snares for my life; - do thou swear to see me scatheless, and this night will I burn - Gunnar’s hall and all within it. Is that to thy mind? - - SIGURD. - - Dastard! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Quietly._] To my mind? Knowest thou, Kåre, what were more to my - mind? [_In a voice of thunder._] To hew off thy nose and ears, thou - vile thrall. Little dost thou know old Örnulf if thou thinkest to - have his help in such a deed of shame! - - KÅRE. - - [_Who has shrunk backwards._] If thou fall not upon Gunnar he will - surely fall upon thee. - - ÖRNULF. - - Have I not weapons, and strength to wield them? - - SIGURD. - - [_To_ KÅRE.] And now away with thee! Thy presence is a shame to - honourable men! - - KÅRE. - - [_Going off._] Well well, I must shift for myself as best I may. But - this I tell you: if ye think to deal gently with Hiördis, ye will - come to rue it. I know her—and I know where to strike her sorest! - - [_Goes down towards the shore._ - - DAGNY. - - He is hatching some revenge. Sigurd, it must be hindered! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Angrily._] Nay, let him do as he will; she is worth no better! - - DAGNY. - - That meanest thou not; bethink thee, she is thy foster-child. - - ÖRNULF. - - Woe worth the day when I took her under my roof! Jökul’s words begin - to come true. - - SIGURD. - - Jökul’s? - - ÖRNULF. - - Ay, her father’s. When I gave him his death-wound he fell back upon - the sward, and fixed his eyes on me and sang: - - Jökul’s kin for Jökul’s slayer - many a woe shall still be weaving; - Jökul’s hoard whoe’er shall harry - thence shall harvest little gladness. - - When he had sung that, he was silent awhile, and laughed; and - thereupon he died. - - SIGURD. - - Why should’st thou heed his words? - - ÖRNULF. - - Who knows? The story goes, and many believe it, that Jökul gave his - children a wolf’s heart to eat, that they might be fierce and fell; - and Hiördis has surely had her share, that one can well see. - [_Breaks off on looking out towards the right._] Gunnar!—Do we two - meet again! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Enters._] Ay, Örnulf, think of me what thou wilt, but I cannot - part from thee as thy foe. - - ÖRNULF. - - What is thy purpose? - - GUNNAR. - - To hold out the hand of peace to thee ere thou depart. Hear me all - of you: go with me to my homestead, and be my guests as long as ye - will. We lack not meat or drink or sleeping-room, and there shall be - no talk of our quarrel either to-day or to-morrow. - - SIGURD. - - But Hiördis——? - - GUNNAR. - - Yields to my will; she changed her thought on the homeward way, and - deemed, as I did, that we would soon be at one if ye would but be - our guests. - - DAGNY. - - Yes, yes; let it be so. - - SIGURD. - - [_Doubtfully._] But I know not if—— - - DAGNY. - - Gunnar is thy foster-brother; little I know thee if thou say him - nay. - - GUNNAR. - - [_To_ SIGURD.] Thou hast been my friend where’er we fared; thou wilt - not thwart me now! - - DAGNY. - - And to depart from the land, leaving Hiördis with hate in her - heart—no, no, that must we not! - - GUNNAR. - - I have done Örnulf a great wrong; until it is made good, I cannot be - at peace with myself. - - SIGURD. - - [_Vehemently._] All else will I do for thee, Gunnar, but not stay - here! [_Mastering himself._] I am King Æthelstan’s sworn henchman, - and I must be with him in England ere the winter is out. - - DAGNY. - - But that thou canst be, none the less! - - GUNNAR. - - No man can know what lot awaits him; mayhap this is our last - meeting, Sigurd, and thou wilt repent that thou didst not stand by - me to the end. - - DAGNY. - - And long will it be ere thou see me glad again, if thou set sail - to-day. - - SIGURD. - - [_Determined._] Well, be it so! It shall be as ye will, - although——But no more of that; here is my hand; I will stay to feast - with thee and Hiördis. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Shakes his hand._] I knew it, Sigurd, and I thank thee.—And thou, - Örnulf, say’st thou likewise? - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Gruffly._] I shall think upon it. Bitterly has Hiördis galled - me;—I will not answer to-day. - - GUNNAR. - - It is well, old warrior; Sigurd and Dagny will know how to smooth - thy brow. Now must I prepare the feast; peace be with you the while, - and well met in my hall. [_Goes out by the right._ - - SIGURD. - - [_To himself._] Hiördis has changed her thought, said he? Little he - knows her; I rather deem that she is plotting——[_Interrupting - himself and turning to his men._] Come, follow me all to the ships; - good gifts will I choose for Gunnar and his household. - - DAGNY. - - Gifts of the best we have. And thou, father—thou shalt have no peace - for me until thou yield thee. - - _She goes with_ SIGURD _and his men down towards the shore - at the back._ - - ÖRNULF. - - Yield me? Ay, if there were no women-folk in Gunnar’s house, - then——Oh, if I but knew where to strike her!—Thorolf, thou here! - - THOROLF. - - [_Who has entered hastily._] As thou seest. Is it true that thou - hast met with Gunnar? - - ÖRNULF. - - Yes. - - THOROLF. - - And art at strife with him? - - ÖRNULF. - - H’m—with Hiördis, at least. - - THOROLF. - - Then be of good cheer; soon shalt thou be avenged! - - ÖRNULF. - - Avenged? Who shall avenge me? - - THOROLF. - - Listen: as I stood on board the ship, there came a man running, with - a staff in his hand, and called to me: “If thou be of Örnulf’s - shipfolk, then greet him from Kåre the Peasant, and say that now - will I avenge the twain of us.” Thereupon he took a boat and rowed - away, saying as he passed: “Twenty outlaws are at haven in the - fiord; with them I fare southward, and ere eventide shall Hiördis be - childless.” - - ÖRNULF. - - He said that! Ha, now I understand; Gunnar has sent his son away; - Kåre is at feud with him—— - - THOROLF. - - And now he is rowing southward to slay the boy! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_With sudden resolution._] Up, all! That booty will we fight for! - - THOROLF. - - What wilt thou do? - - ÖRNULF. - - Leave that to me; it shall be I, and not Kåre, that will take - revenge! - - THOROLF. - - I will go with thee! - - ÖRNULF. - - Nay, do thou follow with Sigurd and thy sister to Gunnar’s hall. - - THOROLF. - - Sigurd? Is he in the isle? - - ÖRNULF. - - There may’st thou see his warships; we are at one—do thou go with - him. - - THOROLF. - - Among thy foes? - - ÖRNULF. - - Go thou to the feast. Now shall Hiördis learn to know old Örnulf! - But hark thee, Thorolf, to no one must thou speak of what I purpose; - dost hear? to no one! - - THOROLF. - - I promise. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Takes his hand and looks at him affectionately._] Farewell then, - my fair boy; bear thee in courtly wise at the feast-house, that I - may have honour of thee. Beware of idle babbling; but what thou - sayest, let it be keen as a sword. Be friendly to those that deal - with thee in friendly wise; but if thou be taunted, hold not thy - peace. Drink not more than thou canst bear; but put not the horn - aside when it is offered thee in measure, lest thou be deemed - womanish. - - THOROLF. - - Nay, be at ease! - - ÖRNULF. - - Then away to the feast at Gunnar’s hall. I too will come to the - feast, and that in the guise they least think of. [_Blithely to the - rest._] Come, my wolf-cubs; be your fangs keen;—now shall ye have - blood to drink. - - [_He goes off with his elder sons to the right, at the - back._ - - SIGURD _and_ DAGNY _come up from the ships, richly dressed for the - banquet. They are followed by two men, carrying a chest, who - lay it down and return as they came._ - - THOROLF. - - [_Looking out after his father._] Now fare they all forth to fight, - and I must stay behind; it is hard to be the youngest of the - house.—Dagny! all hail and greetings to thee, sister mine! - - DAGNY. - - Thorolf! All good powers!—thou art a man, grown! - - THOROLF. - - That may I well be, forsooth, in five years—— - - DAGNY. - - Ay, true, true. - - SIGURD. - - [_Giving him his hand._] In thee will Örnulf find a stout carl, or I - mistake me. - - THOROLF. - - Would he but prove me——! - - DAGNY. - - [_Smiling._] He spares thee more than thou hast a mind to? Thou wast - ever well-nigh too dear to him. - - SIGURD. - - Whither has he gone? - - THOROLF. - - Down to his ship;—go you on; he will follow. - - SIGURD. - - I await my men; they are mooring my ships and bringing ashore wares. - - THOROLF. - - There must I lend a hand! - - [_Goes down towards the shore._ - - SIGURD. - - [_After a moment’s reflection._] Dagny, my wife, now that we are - alone, I have that to tell thee which must no longer be hidden. - - DAGNY. - - [_Surprised._] What meanest thou? - - SIGURD. - - There may be danger in this faring to Gunnar’s hall. - - DAGNY. - - Danger? Thinkest thou that Gunnar——? - - SIGURD. - - Nay, Gunnar is brave and true—yet better had it been that I had - sailed from the isle without crossing his threshold. - - DAGNY. - - Thou makest me fear! Sigurd, what is amiss? - - SIGURD. - - First answer me this: the golden ring that I gave thee, where hast - thou it? - - DAGNY. - - [_Showing it._] Here, on my arm; thou badest me wear it. - - SIGURD. - - Cast it to the bottom of the sea, so deep that none may ever set - eyes on it again; else may it be the bane of many men! - - DAGNY. - - The ring! - - SIGURD. - - [_In a low voice._] That night when we bore away the twain of - you—dost remember? - - DAGNY. - - Do I remember! - - SIGURD. - - It is of that I would speak. - - DAGNY. - - [_In suspense._] What is it? Say on! - - SIGURD. - - Thou knowest there had been a feast; thou didst seek thy chamber - betimes; but Hiördis still sat among the men in the feast-hall. The - horn went busily round, and many a great vow was sworn. I swore to - bear away a fair maid with me from Iceland; Gunnar swore the same as - I, and passed the cup to Hiördis. She grasped it and stood up, and - vowed this vow, that no warrior should have her to wife, save him - who should go to her bower, slay the white bear that stood bound at - the door, and carry her away in his arms. - - DAGNY. - - Yes, yes; all this I know! - - SIGURD. - - All men deemed that it might not be, for the bear was the fiercest - of beasts; none but Hiördis might come near it, and it had the - strength of twenty men. - - DAGNY. - - But Gunnar slew it, and by that deed won fame throughout all lands. - - SIGURD. - - [_In a low voice._] He won the fame—but—I did the deed! - - DAGNY. - - [_With a cry._] Thou! - - SIGURD. - - When the men left the feast-hall, Gunnar prayed me to come with him - alone to our sleeping-place. Then said he: “Hiördis is dearer to me - than all women; without her I cannot live.” I answered him: “Then go - to her bower; thou knowest the vow she hath sworn.” But he said: - “Life is dear to him that loves; if I should assail the bear, the - end were doubtful, and I am loath to lose my life, for then should I - lose Hiördis too.” Long did we talk, and the end was that Gunnar - made ready his ship, while I drew my sword, took Gunnar’s harness - upon me, and went to the bower. - - DAGNY. - - [_With pride and joy._] And thou—thou didst slay the bear! - - SIGURD. - - I slew him. In the bower it was dark as under a raven’s wing; - Hiördis deemed it was Gunnar that sat by her—she was heated with the - mead—she drew a ring from her arm and gave it to me—it is that thou - wearest now. - - DAGNY. - - [_Hesitating._] And thou wast alone that night with Hiördis in her - bower? - - SIGURD. - - My sword lay drawn between us. [_A short pause._] Ere the dawn, I - bore Hiördis to Gunnar’s ship; she dreamed not of our guile, and he - sailed away with her. Then went I to thy sleeping-place and found - thee there among thy women;—what followed, thou knowest; I sailed - from Iceland with a fair maid, as I had sworn, and from that day - hast thou stood faithfully at my side whithersoever I have wandered. - - DAGNY. - - [_Much moved._] My brave husband! And that great deed was thine!—Oh, - I should have known it; it could have been none else! Hiördis, that - proud and stately woman, couldst thou have won, yet didst choose me! - Now wouldst thou be tenfold dearer to me, wert thou not already - dearer than all the world. - - SIGURD. - - Dagny, my sweet wife, now thou knowest all—that need be known. I - could not but warn thee; for that ring—Hiördis must never see it! - Wouldst thou do my will, then cast it from thee—into the depths of - the sea. - - DAGNY. - - Nay, Sigurd, it is too dear to me; is it not thy gift? But be at - ease, I will hide it from every eye, and never shall I breathe a - word of what thou hast told me. - - THOROLF _comes up from the ships, with_ SIGURD’S _men._ - - THOROLF. - - All is ready for the feast. - - DAGNY. - - Come then, Sigurd—my brave, my noble warrior! - - SIGURD. - - Beware, Dagny—beware! With thee it rests now whether this meeting - shall end in peace or in blood. [_Cheerfully to the others._] Away - then, to the feast in Gunnar’s hall! - - [_Goes out with_ DAGNY _to the right; the others follow._ - - - - - ACT SECOND. - - - _The feast-room in_ GUNNAR’S _house. The entrance-door is in the - back; smaller doors in the side-walls. In front, on the left, - the greater high-seat; opposite it, on the right, the lesser. - In the middle of the floor, a wood fire is burning on a - built-up hearth. In the background, on both sides of the door, - are daïses for the women of the household. From each of the - high-seats, a long table, with benches, stretches backwards, - parallel with the wall. It is dark outside; the fire lights - the room._ - - HIÖRDIS _and_ DAGNY _enter from the right._ - - DAGNY. - - Nay, Hiördis, it passes my wit to understand thee. Thou hast shown - me all the house; I know not what thing thou lackest, and all thou - hast is fair and goodly;—then why bemoan thy lot? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Cage an eagle and it will bite at the wires, be they of iron or of - gold. - - DAGNY. - - In one thing at least thou art richer than I; thou hast Egil, thy - little son. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Better no child, than one born in shame. - - DAGNY. - - In shame? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Dost thou forget thy father’s saying? Egil is the son of a leman; - that was his word. - - DAGNY. - - A word spoken in wrath—why wilt thou heed it? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Nay, nay, Örnulf was right; Egil is weak; one can see he is no - freeborn child. - - DAGNY. - - Hiördis, how canst thou——? - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Unheeding._] Doubt not that shame can be sucked into the blood, - like the venom of a snake-bite. Of another mettle are the freeborn - sons of mighty men. I have heard of a queen that took her son and - sewed his kirtle fast to his flesh, yet he never blinked an eye. - [_With an evil look._] Dagny, that will I try with Egil! - - DAGNY. - - [_Horrified._] Hiördis, Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Laughing._] Ha-ha-ha! Dost thou think I meant my words? [_Changing - her tone._] But, believe me or not as thou wilt, there are times - when such deeds seem to lure me. Doubtless it is in my blood—for I - am of the race of the Jötuns,[10] they say.—Come, sit thou here, - Dagny. Far hast thou wandered in these five long years; tell me, - thou hast ofttimes been a guest in the halls of kings? - - DAGNY. - - Many a time—and chiefly with Æthelstan of England. - - HIÖRDIS. - - And everywhere thou hast been held in honour, and hast sat in the - highest seats at the board? - - DAGNY. - - Doubtless. As Sigurd’s wife—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - Ay, ay—a famous man is Sigurd—though Gunnar stands above him. - - DAGNY. - - Gunnar? - - HIÖRDIS. - - One deed did Gunnar do that Sigurd shrank from. But let that be! - Tell me, when Sigurd went a-viking and thou with him, when thou - didst hear the sword-blades sing in the fierce war-game, when the - blood streamed red on the deck—came there not over thee an - untameable longing to plunge into the strife? Didst thou not don - harness and take up arms? - - DAGNY. - - Never! How canst thou think it? I, a woman! - - HIÖRDIS. - - A woman, a woman,—who knows what a woman may do!—But one thing thou - canst tell me, Dagny, for that thou surely knowest: when a man - clasps to his breast the woman he loves—is it true that her blood - burns, that her bosom throbs—that she swoons in a strange ecstasy? - - DAGNY. - - [_Blushing._] Hiördis, how canst thou——! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Come, tell me——! - - DAGNY. - - Surely thou thyself hast known it. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Ay once, and only once; it was that night when Gunnar sat with me in - my bower; he crushed me in his arms till my byrnie[11] burst, and - then, then——! - - DAGNY. - - [_Exclaiming._] What! Sigurd——! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Sigurd? What of Sigurd? I spoke of Gunnar—that night when he bore me - away—— - - DAGNY. - - [_Collecting herself._] Yes, yes, I remember.—I know well—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - That was the only time; never, never again! I deemed I was - bewitched; for that Gunnar could so clasp a woman——[_Stops and looks - at_ DAGNY.] What ails thee? Methinks thou turnest pale and red! - - DAGNY. - - Nay, nay! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Without heeding her._] Aye, the merry viking-raid should have been - _my_ lot; it had been better for me, and—mayhap for all of us. That - were life, full and rich life! Dost thou not wonder, Dagny, to find - me here alive? Art not afraid to be alone with me in the hall, thus - in the dark? Deem’st thou not that I must have died in all these - years, and that it is my ghost that stands at thy side? - - DAGNY. - - [_Painfully ill at ease._] Come—let us go—to the others. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Seizing her by the arm._] No, stay! Seems it not strange to thee, - Dagny, that any woman can yet live who has spent here five such - nights? - - DAGNY. - - Five nights? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Here in the north each night is a whole winter long. [_Quickly and - with an altered expression._] Yet the place is fair enough, doubt it - not! Thou shalt see sights here such as thou hast not seen in the - halls of the English king. We shall be together as sisters whilst - thou bidest with me; we shall go down to the sea when the storm - blows up afresh; thou shalt see the billows racing to the land like - wild, white-maned horses. And then the whales far out in the offing! - They dash one against another like steel-clad warriors! Ha, what joy - to be a witch-wife and ride on a whale’s back—to speed before the - bark, and wake the storm, and lure men to the deeps with lovely - songs of sorcery! - - DAGNY. - - Fie, Hiördis, how canst thou speak such things! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Canst _thou_ sing sorceries, Dagny? - - DAGNY. - - [_With horror._] I! - - HIÖRDIS. - - I trow thou canst; how else didst thou lure Sigurd to thee? - - DAGNY. - - Thy speech is shameful; let me go! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Holding her back._] Because I jest! Nay, hear me to the end! - Think, Dagny, what it is to sit by the window in the eventide and - hear the kelpie[12] wailing in the boat-house; to sit waiting and - listening for the dead men’s ride to Valhal; for their way lies past - us here in the north. They are the brave men that fell in fight, the - strong women that did not drag out their lives tamely, like thee and - me; they sweep through the air in cloud-rack and storm, on their - black horses, with jangling bells! [_Embraces_ DAGNY, _and presses - her wildly in her arms._] Ha, Dagny! think of riding the last ride - on so rare a steed! - - DAGNY. - - [_Struggling to escape._] Hiördis, Hiördis! Let me go! I will not - hear thee! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Laughing._] Weak art thou of heart, and easily affrighted. - - GUNNAR _enters from the back, with_ SIGURD _and_ THOROLF. - - GUNNAR. - - Now, truly, are all things to my very mind! I have found thee again, - Sigurd, my brave brother, as kind and true as of old. I have - Örnulf’s son under my roof, and the old man himself follows speedily - after; is it not so? - - THOROLF. - - So he promised. - - GUNNAR. - - Then all I lack is that Egil should be here. - - THOROLF. - - ’Tis plain thou lovest the boy, thou namest him so oft. - - GUNNAR. - - Truly I love him; he is my only child; and he is like to grow up - fair and kindly. - - HIÖRDIS. - - But no warrior. - - GUNNAR. - - Nay—that thou must not say. - - SIGURD. - - How couldst thou send him from thee—— - - GUNNAR. - - Would that I had not! [_In an undertone._] But thou knowest, Sigurd, - he who loves overmuch, takes not always the manliest part. - [_Aloud._] I had few men in my house, and none could be sure of his - life when it was known that Örnulf lay in the cove with a ship of - war. - - HIÖRDIS. - - One thing I know that ought first to be made safe, life afterwards. - - THOROLF. - - And that is——? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Honour and fame among men. - - GUNNAR. - - Hiördis! - - SIGURD. - - It shall not be said of Gunnar that he has tainted his honour by - doing this. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Sternly._] No one shall make strife between me and Örnulf’s - kinsfolk! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Smiling._] Tell me, Sigurd—can thy ship sail with any wind? - - SIGURD. - - Ay, when ’tis cunningly steered. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Good! I too will steer my ship cunningly, and make my way whither I - will. - - [_Retires towards the back._ - - DAGNY. - - [_Whispers, uneasily._] Sigurd, let us hence—this very night! - - SIGURD. - - It is too late now; ’twas thou that—— - - DAGNY. - - Then I held Hiördis dear; but now——; I have heard her speak words I - shudder to think of. - - SIGURD’S _men, with other guests, men and women, house-carls and - handmaidens, enter from the back._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_After a short pause, in which greetings and the like are - exchanged._] Now to the board! My chief guest, Örnulf of the Fiords, - comes later; so Thorolf promises. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_To the house-folk._] Pass the ale and mead around, that hearts may - wax merry and tongues may be loosed. - - [GUNNAR _leads_ SIGURD _to the high-seat on the right._ - DAGNY _seats herself on_ SIGURD’S _right,_ HIÖRDIS - _opposite him, at the other side of the same table._ - THOROLF _is in like manner ushered to a place at the - other table, and thus sits opposite_ GUNNAR, _who - occupies the greater high-seat. The others take their - seats further back._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_After a pause in which they drink with each other and converse - quietly across the tables._] It seldom chances that so many brave - men are seated together, as I see to-night in our hall. It were - fitting, then, that we should essay the old pastime: Let each man - name the chief of his deeds, that all may judge which is the - mightiest. - - GUNNAR. - - That is an ill custom at a drinking-feast; ’twill oft breed strife. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Little did I deem that Gunnar was afraid. - - SIGURD. - - That no one deems; but it were long ere we came to an end, were we - all to tell of our deeds, so many as we be. Do thou rather tell us, - Gunnar, of thy journey to Biarmeland; ’tis no small exploit to fare - so far to the north, and gladly would we hear of it. - - HIÖRDIS. - - The journey to Biarmeland is chapman’s work, and little worthy to be - named among warriors. Nay, do thou begin, Sigurd, if thou wouldst - not have me deem that thou canst ill endure to hear my husband’s - praise! Say on; name that one of thy deeds which thou dost prize the - highest. - - SIGURD. - - Well, since thou wilt have it so, so must it be. Let it be told, - then, that I lay a-viking among the Orkneys; there came foemen - against us, but we swept them from their ships, and I fought alone - against eight men. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Good was that deed; but wert thou fully armed? - - SIGURD. - - Fully armed, with axe, spear, and sword. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Still the deed was good. Now must thou, my husband, name that which - thou deemest the chief among thy exploits. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Unwillingly._] I slew two berserkers who had seized a - merchant-ship; and thereupon I sent the captive chapmen home, giving - them their ship freely, without ransom. The King of England deemed - well of that deed; he said that I had done honourably, and gave me - thanks and good gifts. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Nay truly, Gunnar, a better deed than that couldst thou name. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Vehemently._] I will take praise for no other deed! Since last I - fared from Iceland I have lived at peace and traded in merchandise. - No word more on this matter! - - HIÖRDIS. - - If thou thyself wilt hide thy renown, thy wife shall speak. - - GUNNAR. - - Peace, Hiördis—I command thee! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Sigurd fought with eight men, being fully armed; Gunnar came to my - bower in the black night, slew the bear that had twenty men’s - strength, and yet had but a short sword in his hand. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Violently agitated._] Woman, not a word more! - - DAGNY. - - [_Softly._] Sigurd, wilt thou endure——? - - SIGURD. - - [_Likewise._] Be still! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_To the company._] And now, ye brave men—which is the mightier, - Sigurd or Gunnar? - - GUNNAR. - - Silence! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Loudly._] Speak out; I have the right to crave judgment. - - AN OLD MAN. - - [_Among the guests._] If the truth be told, then is Gunnar’s deed - greater than all other deeds of men; Gunnar is the mightiest - warrior, and Sigurd is second to him. - - GUNNAR. - - [_With a glance across the table._] Ah, Sigurd, Sigurd, didst thou - but know——! - - DAGNY. - - [_Softly._] It is too much—friend though he be! - - SIGURD. - - Peace, wife! [_Aloud, to the others._] Ay truly, Gunnar is the most - honourable of all men; so would I esteem him to my dying day, even - had he never done that deed; for that I hold more lightly than ye. - - HIÖRDIS. - - There speaks thy envy, Sigurd Viking! - - SIGURD. - - [_Smiling._] Mightily dost thou mistake. [_Kindly, to_ GUNNAR, - _drinking to him across the table._] Hail, noble Gunnar; our - friendship shall stand fast, whosoever may seek to break it. - - HIÖRDIS. - - No one, that I wot of, has such a thought. - - SIGURD. - - Say not so; I could almost think thou hadst bidden us to the feast - in the hope to stir up strife. - - HIÖRDIS. - - That is like thee, Sigurd; now art thou wroth that thou may’st not - be held the mightiest man at the board. - - SIGURD. - - I have ever esteemed Gunnar more highly than myself. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Well, well—second to Gunnar is still a good place, and——[_with a - side glance at_ THOROLF] had Örnulf been here, he could have had the - third seat. - - THOROLF. - - Then would Jökul, thy father, find a low place indeed; for he fell - before Örnulf. - - [_The following dispute is carried on, by both parties, with - rising and yet repressed irritation._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - That shalt thou never say! Örnulf is a skald, and men whisper that - he has praised himself for greater deeds than he has done. - - THOROLF. - - Then woe to him who whispers so loudly that it comes to my ear! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With a smile of provocation._] Wouldst thou avenge it? - - THOROLF. - - Ay, so that my vengeance should be told of far and wide. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Then here I pledge a cup to this, that thou may’st first have a - beard on thy chin. - - THOROLF. - - Even a beardless lad is too good to wrangle with women. - - HIÖRDIS. - - But too weak to fight with men; therefore thy father let thee lie by - the hearth at home in Iceland, whilst thy brothers went a-viking. - - THOROLF. - - It had been well had he kept as good an eye on thee; for then hadst - thou not left the land an unwedded woman. - - GUNNAR AND SIGURD. - - Thorolf! - - DAGNY. - - [_Simultaneously._] Brother! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Softly, and quivering with rage._] Ha! wait—wait! - - THOROLF. - - [_Gives_ GUNNAR _his hand._] Be not wroth, Gunnar;—evil words came - to my tongue; but thy wife goaded me! - - DAGNY. - - [_Softly and imploringly._] Foster-sister, by any love thou hast - ever borne me, stir not up strife! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Laughing._] Jests must pass at the feast-board, if the merriment - is to thrive. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Who has been talking softly to_ THOROLF.] Thou art a brave lad! - [_Hands him a sword which hangs beside the high-seat._] Here, - Thorolf, here is a good gift for thee. Wield it well, and let us be - friends. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Beware how thou givest away thy weapons, Gunnar; men may say thou - dost part with things thou canst not use! - - THOROLF. - - [_Who has meanwhile examined the sword._] Thanks for the gift, - Gunnar; it shall never be drawn in an unworthy cause. - - HIÖRDIS. - - If thou wilt keep that promise, then do thou never lend the sword to - thy brothers. - - GUNNAR. - - Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Continuing._] Neither let it hang on thy father’s wall; for there - it would hang with base men’s weapons. - - THOROLF. - - True enough, Hiördis—for there thy father’s axe and shield have hung - this many a year. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Mastering herself._] That Örnulf slew my father—that deed is ever - on thy tongue; but if report speak true, ’twas scarce so honourable - a deed as thou deemest. - - THOROLF. - - Of what report dost thou speak? - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Smiling._] I dare not name it, for it would make thee wroth. - - THOROLF. - - Then hold thy peace—I ask no better. - - [_Turns from her._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - Nay, why should I not tell it? Is it true, Thorolf, that for three - nights thy father sat in woman’s weed, doing sorceries with the - witch of Smalserhorn, ere he dared face Jökul in fight? - - [_All rise; violent excitement among the guests._ - - GUNNAR, SIGURD, AND DAGNY. - - Hiördis! - - THOROLF. - - [_Bitterly exasperated._] So base a lie has no man spoken of Örnulf - of the Fiords! Thou thyself hast made it, for no one less venomous - than thou could dream of such a thing. The blackest crime a man can - do hast thou laid at my father’s door. [_Throwing the sword away._] - There, Gunnar, take thy gift again; I can take nought from that - house wherein my father is reviled. - - GUNNAR. - - Thorolf, hear me——! - - THOROLF. - - Let me go! But beware both thou and Hiördis; for my father has now - in his power one whom ye hold dearest of all! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Starting._] Thy father has——! - - GUNNAR. - - [_With a cry._] What sayest thou? - - SIGURD. - - [_Vehemently._] Where is Örnulf? - - THOROLF. - - [_With mocking laughter._] Gone southward—with my brothers. - - GUNNAR. - - Southward! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Shrieking_.] Gunnar! Örnulf has slain Egil, our son. - - GUNNAR. - - Slain!—Egil slain! Then woe to Örnulf and all his race! Thorolf, - speak out;—is this true? - - SIGURD. - - Gunnar, Gunnar—hear me! - - GUNNAR. - - Speak out, if thou care for thy life! - - THOROLF. - - Thou canst not fright me! Wait till my father comes, he shall plant - a mark of shame over against Gunnar’s house! And meanwhile, Hiördis, - do thou cheer thee with these words I heard to-day: “Ere eventide - shall Gunnar and his wife be childless.” - - [_Goes out by the back._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_In agony._] Slain—slain! My little Egil slain. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Wildly._] And thou—dost thou let him go? Let Egil, thy child, lie - unavenged! Then wert thou the dastard of dastards——! - - GUNNAR. - - [_As if beside himself._] A sword—an axe! ’Tis the last tidings he - shall ever bring! - - [_Seizes an axe from one of the bystanders and rushes out._ - - SIGURD. - - [_About to follow._] Gunnar, hold thy hand! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Holding him back._] Stay, stay! The men will part them; I know - Gunnar! - - [_A cry from the crowd, which has flocked together at the - main door._ - - SIGURD AND DAGNY. - - What is it? - - A VOICE AMONG THE CROWD. - - Thorolf has fallen. - - SIGURD. - - Thorolf! Ha, let me go! - - DAGNY. - - My brother! Oh, my brother! - - [SIGURD _is on the point of rushing out. At the same moment, - the crowd parts,_ GUNNAR _enters, and throws down the - axe at the door._ - - GUNNAR. - - Now it is done. Egil is avenged! - - SIGURD. - - Well for thee if thy hand has not been too hasty. - - GUNNAR. - - Mayhap, mayhap; but Egil, Egil, my fair boy! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Now must we arm us, and seek help among our friends; for Thorolf has - many avengers. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Gloomily._] He will be his own worst avenger; he will be with me - night and day. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Thorolf got his reward. Kinsmen must suffer for kinsmen’s deeds. - - GUNNAR. - - True, true; but this I know, my mind was lighter ere this befell. - - HIÖRDIS. - - The first night[13] is ever the worst;—when that is over, thou wilt - heed it no more. Örnulf has sought his revenge by shameful guile; he - would not come against us in open strife; he feigned to be - peacefully minded; and then he falls upon our defenceless child! Ha, - I saw more clearly than ye; well I deemed that Örnulf was - evil-minded and false; good cause had I to egg thee on against him - and all his faithless tribe. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Fiercely._] That hadst thou! My vengeance is poor beside Örnulf’s - crime. He has lost Thorolf, but he has six sons left—and I have - none—none! - - A HOUSE-CARL. - - [_Enters hastily from the back._] Örnulf of the Fiords is at hand! - - GUNNAR. - - Örnulf! - - HIÖRDIS AND SEVERAL MEN. - - To arms! to arms! - - DAGNY. - - [_Simultaneously._] My father! - - SIGURD. - - [_As if seized by a foreboding._] Örnulf——! Ah, Gunnar, Gunnar! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Draws his sword._] Up, all my men! Vengeance for Egil’s death! - - ÖRNULF _enters, with_ EGIL _in his arms._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_With a shriek._] Egil! - - ÖRNULF. - - I bring you back little Egil. - - ALL. - - [_One to another._] Egil! Egil alive! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Letting his sword fall._] Woe is me! what have I done? - - DAGNY. - - Oh, Thorolf, my brother! - - SIGURD. - - I knew it! I knew it! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Setting Egil down._] There, Gunnar, hast thou thy pretty boy - again. - - EGIL. - - Father! Old Örnulf would not do me ill, as thou saidst when I went - away. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_To_ HIÖRDIS.] Now have I atoned for thy father; now surely there - may be peace between us. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With repressed emotion._] Mayhap! - - GUNNAR. - - [_As if waking up._] Is it a hideous dream that maddens me! - Thou—thou bringest Egil home! - - ÖRNULF. - - As thou seest; but in truth he has been near his death. - - GUNNAR. - - That I know. - - ÖRNULF. - - And hast no more joy in his return? - - GUNNAR. - - Had he come sooner, I had been more glad. But tell me all that has - befallen! - - ÖRNULF. - - That is soon done. Kåre the Peasant was plotting evil against you; - with other caitiffs he fared southward after Egil. - - GUNNAR. - - Kåre! [_To himself._] Ha, now I understand Thorolf’s words! - - ÖRNULF. - - His purpose came to my ears; I needs must thwart so black a deed. I - would not give atonement for Jökul, and, had things so befallen, I - had willingly slain thee, Gunnar, in single combat—yet I could not - but save thy child. With my sons, I hasted after Kåre. - - SIGURD. - - [_Softly._] An accursed deed has here been done. - - ÖRNULF. - - When I came up with him, Egil’s guards lay bound; thy son was - already in thy foemen’s hands, and they would not long have spared - him. Hot was the fight! Seldom have I given and taken keener - strokes; Kåre and two men fled inland; the rest sleep safely, and - will be hard to waken. - - GUNNAR. - - [_In eager suspense._] But thou—thou, Örnulf——? - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Darkly._] Six sons followed me into the fight. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Breathlessly._] But homewards——? - - ÖRNULF. - - None. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Appalled._] None! [_Softly._] And Thorolf, Thorolf! - - [_Deep emotion among the bystanders._ HIÖRDIS _shows signs - of a violent mental struggle;_ DAGNY _weeps silently by - the high-seat on the right._ SIGURD _stands beside her, - painfully agitated._ - - ÖRNULF. - - [_After a short pause._] It is hard for a many-branching pine to be - stripped in a single storm. But men die and men live;—hand me a - horn; I will drink to my sons’ memory. [_One of_ SIGURD’S _men gives - him a horn._] Hail to you where now ye ride, my bold sons! Close - upon your heels shall the bronze-gates not clang, for ye come to the - hall with a great following. [_Drinks, and hands back the horn._] - And now home to Iceland! Örnulf has fought his last fight; the old - tree has but one green branch left, and it must be shielded warily. - Where is Thorolf? - - EGIL. - - [_To his father._] Ay, let me see Thorolf! Örnulf says he will carve - me a ship with many, many warriors aboard. - - ÖRNULF. - - I praise all good wights that Thorolf came not with us; for if he - too—nay, strong though I be, _that_ had been too heavy for me to - bear. But why comes he not? He was ever the first to meet his - father; for to both of us it seemed we could not live apart a single - day. - - GUNNAR. - - Örnulf, Örnulf! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_With growing uneasiness._] Ye stand all silent, I mark it now. - What ails you? Where is Thorolf? - - DAGNY. - - Sigurd, Sigurd—this will be the sorest blow to him! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Struggling with himself._] Old man!—No——and yet, it cannot be - hid—— - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Vehemently._] My son! Where is he? - - GUNNAR. - - Thorolf is slain! - - ÖRNULF. - - Slain! Thorolf? Thorolf? Ha, thou liest! - - GUNNAR. - - I would give my warmest heart-blood to know him alive! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_To_ ÖRNULF.] Thorolf was himself to blame for what befell; with - dark sayings he gave us to wit that thou hadst fallen upon Egil and - slain him;—we had parted half in wrath, and thou hast ere now - brought death among my kindred. And moreover—Thorolf bore himself at - the feast like a wanton boy; he brooked not our jesting, and spoke - many evil things. Not till then did Gunnar wax wroth; not till then - did he raise his hand upon thy son; and well I wot that he had good - and lawful ground for that deed. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Calmly._] Well may we see that thou art a woman, for thou usest - many words. To what end? If Thorolf is slain, then is his saga over. - - EGIL. - - If Thorolf is slain, I shall have no warriors. - - ÖRNULF. - - Nay, Egil—we have lost our warriors now, both thou and I. [_To_ - HIÖRDIS.] Thy father sang: - - Jökul’s kin for Jökul’s slayer - many a woe shall still be weaving. - - Well hast thou wrought that his words should come true. [_Pauses a - moment, then turns to one of the men._] Where got he his - death-wound? - - THE MAN. - - Right across his brow. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Pleased._] Ha; that is an honourable wound; he did not turn his - back. But fell he sideways, or in toward Gunnar’s feet? - - THE MAN. - - Half sideways and half toward Gunnar. - - ÖRNULF. - - That bodes but half vengeance; well well,—we shall see! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Approaching._] Örnulf, I know well that all my goods were naught - against thy loss; but crave of me what thou wilt—— - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Sternly interrupting him._] Give me Thorolf’s body, and let me go! - Where lies he? - - [GUNNAR _points silently to the back._ - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Takes a step or two, but turns and says in a voice of thunder to_ - SIGURD, DAGNY, _and others who are making as though to follow him, - sorrowing._] Stay! Think ye Örnulf will be followed by a train of - mourners, like a whimpering woman? Stay, I say!—I can bear my - Thorolf alone. [_With calm strength._] Sonless I go; but none shall - say that he saw me bowed. - - [_He goes slowly out._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With forced laughter._] Ay, let him go as he will; we shall scarce - need many men to face him should he come with strife again! Now, - Dagny—I wot it is the last time thy father shall sail from Iceland - on such a quest! - - SIGURD. - - [_Indignant._] Oh, shame! - - DAGNY. - - [_Likewise._] And thou canst mock him—mock him, after all that has - befallen? - - HIÖRDIS. - - A deed once done, ’tis wise to praise it. This morning I swore hate - and vengeance against Örnulf;—the slaying of Jökul I might have - forgotten—all, save that he cast shame upon my lot. He called me a - leman; if it _be_ so, it shames me not; for Gunnar is mightier now - than thy father; he is greater and more famous than Sigurd, thine - own husband! - - DAGNY. - - [_In wild indignation._] There thou errest, Hiördis—and even now - shall all men know that thou dwellest under a coward’s roof! - - SIGURD. - - [_Vehemently._] Dagny, beware! - - GUNNAR. - - A coward! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With scornful laughter._] Thou pratest senselessly. - - DAGNY. - - It shall no longer be hidden; I held my peace till thou didst mock - at my father and my dead brothers; I held my peace while Örnulf was - here, lest he should learn that Thorolf fell by a dastard’s hand. - But now—praise Gunnar nevermore for that deed in Iceland; for Gunnar - is a coward! The sword that lay drawn between thee and the - bear-slayer hangs at my husband’s side—the ring thou didst take from - thy arm thou gavest to Sigurd. [_Takes it off and holds it aloft._] - Behold it! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Wildly._] Sigurd! - - THE CROWD. - - Sigurd! Sigurd did the deed! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Quivering with agitation._] He! he!—Gunnar, is this true? - - GUNNAR. - - [_With lofty calm._] It is all true, save only that I am a coward; - no coward or dastard am I. - - SIGURD. - - [_Moved._] That art thou not, Gunnar! That hast thou never been! - [_To the rest._] Away, my men! Away from here! - - DAGNY. - - [_At the door, to_ HIÖRDIS.] Who is now the mightiest man at the - board—my husband, or thine? - - [_She goes out with Sigurd and his men._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_To herself._] Now have I but one thing left to do—but one deed to - think upon: Sigurd or I must die! - - - - - ACT THIRD. - - _The hall in_ GUNNAR’S _house. It is day._ - - HIÖRDIS _sits on the bench in front of the smaller high-seat, busy - twisting a bow-string; on the table lie a bow and some - arrows._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Pulling at the bow-string._] It is tough and strong; [_With - a glance at the arrows_] the shaft is both keen and - well-weighted—[_Lets her hands fall in her lap_] but where is - the hand that——! [_Vehemently._] Flouted, flouted by him—by - Sigurd! I must hate him more than others, that can I well - mark; but many days shall not pass ere I have——[_Meditating._] - Ay, but the arm, the arm that shall do the deed——? - - GUNNAR _enters, silent and thoughtful, from the back._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_After a short pause._] How goes it with thee, my husband? - - GUNNAR. - - Ill, Hiördis; I cannot away with that deed of yesterday; it lies - heavy on my heart. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Do as I do; get thee some work to busy thee. - - GUNNAR. - - Doubtless I must. - - [_A pause;_ GUNNAR _paces up and down the hall, notices - what_ HIÖRDIS _is doing, and approaches her._ - - GUNNAR. - - What dost thou there? - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Without looking up._] I am twisting a bow-string; canst thou not - see? - - GUNNAR. - - A bow-string—of thine own hair? - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Smiling._] Great deeds are born with every hour in these times; - yesterday thou didst slay my foster-brother, and I have woven this - since daybreak. - - GUNNAR. - - Hiördis, Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Looking up._] What is amiss? - - GUNNAR. - - Where wast thou last night? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Last night? - - GUNNAR. - - Thou wast not in the sleeping-room. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Know’st thou that? - - GUNNAR. - - I could not sleep; I tossed in restless dreams of that—that which - befell Thorolf. I dreamt that he came——No matter; I wakened. Then - methought there sounded a strange, fair song through all the house; - I arose; I pushed the door ajar; here I saw thee sitting by the - log-fire—it burned blue and red—fixing arrow-heads, and singing - sorceries over them. - - HIÖRDIS. - - I did what was needful; for strong is the breast that must be - pierced this day. - - GUNNAR. - - I understand thee well: thou wouldst have Sigurd slain. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Mayhap. - - GUNNAR. - - Thou shalt never have thy will. I will keep peace with Sigurd, - howe’er thou goad me. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Smiling._] Dost think so? - - GUNNAR. - - I know it! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Hands him the bow-string._] Tell me, Gunnar—canst loose this knot? - - GUNNAR. - - [_Tries it._] Nay, it is too cunningly and firmly woven. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Rising._] The Norns[14] weave yet more cunningly; their web is - still harder to unravel. - - GUNNAR. - - Dark are the ways of the Mighty Ones;—what know we of them, thou or - I? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Yet one thing I know surely: that to both of us must Sigurd’s life - be baleful. - - [_A pause;_ GUNNAR _stands lost in thought._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Who has been silently watching him._] Of what thinkest thou? - - GUNNAR. - - Of a dream I had of late. Methought I had done the deed thou - cravest; Sigurd lay slain on the earth; thou didst stand beside him, - and thy face was wondrous pale. Then said I: “Art thou glad, now - that I have done thy will?” But thou didst laugh and answer: - “Blither should I be didst thou, Gunnar, lie there in Sigurd’s - stead.” - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With forced laughter._] Ill must thou know me if such a senseless - dream can stay thy hand. - - GUNNAR. - - Tell me, Hiördis, what thinkest thou of this hall? - - HIÖRDIS. - - To speak truly, Gunnar, sometimes it seems to me too strait and - narrow. - - GUNNAR. - - Ay, ay, so I have thought; we are one too many. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Two, mayhap. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Who has not heard her last words._] But that shall be set right. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Looks at him interrogatively._] Set right? Then thou art minded - to——? - - GUNNAR. - - To fit out my warships and put to sea; I will win back the honour I - have lost because thou wast dearer to me than all beside. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Thoughtfully._] Thou wilt put to sea? Ay, so it may be best for us - both. - - GUNNAR. - - Even from the day we sailed from Iceland, I saw that it would go ill - with us. Thy soul is strong and proud; there are times when I - well-nigh fear thee; yet, it is strange—chiefly for that do I hold - thee so dear. Dread goes forth from thee like a spell; methinks thou - couldst lure me to the blackest deeds, and all would seem good to me - that thou didst crave. [_Shaking his head reflectively._] - Unfathomable is the Norn’s rede; Sigurd should have been thy - husband. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Vehemently._] Sigurd! - - GUNNAR. - - Yes, Sigurd. Vengeance and hatred blind thee, else wouldst thou - prize him better. Had I been like Sigurd, I could have made life - glad for thee. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With strong but suppressed emotion._] That—that deemest thou - Sigurd could have done? - - GUNNAR. - - He is strong of soul, and proud as thou to boot. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Violently._] If that be so—[_Collecting herself._] No matter, no - matter! [_With a wild outburst._] Gunnar, take Sigurd’s life! - - GUNNAR. - - Never! - - HIÖRDIS. - - By fraud and falsehood thou mad’st me thy wife—that shall be - forgotten! Five joyless years have I spent in this house—all shall - be forgotten from the day when Sigurd lives no more! - - GUNNAR. - - No harm shall e’er befall him from my hand. [_Shrinks back - involuntarily._] Hiördis, Hiördis, tempt me not! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Then must I find another avenger; not long shall Sigurd mock at me - and thee! [_Clenching her hands in convulsive rage._] With her—that - simpleton—with her mayhap he is even now sitting alone, dallying, - and making sport of us; speaking of the bitter wrong that was done - me when in thy stead he bore me away; telling how he laughed over - his guile as he stood in the mirk of my bower, and I knew him not! - - GUNNAR. - - Nay, nay, he does not so! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Firmly._] Sigurd and Dagny must die! I cannot draw breath till - they two are gone! [_Comes close up to him, with sparkling eyes, and - speaks passionately, but in a whisper._] Wouldst thou help me to - _that_, Gunnar, then should I live in love with thee; then should I - clasp thee in such warm and wild embraces as thou dream’st not of. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Wavering._] Hiördis! Wouldst thou——? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Set thy hand to the work, Gunnar—and the heavy days shall be past. - No longer will I quit the hall when thou comest, no longer speak - harsh things and quench thy smile when thou art glad. I will clothe - me in furs and costly silken robes. When thou goest to war, I will - follow thee; when thou ridest forth in peace, I will ride by thy - side. At the feast I will sit by thee and fill thy horn, and drink - to thee and sing fair songs to make glad thy heart! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Almost overcome._] Is it true? Thou wouldst—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - More than that, trust me, ten times more! Give me but revenge! - Revenge on Sigurd and Dagny, and I will——[_Stops as she sees the - door open._] Dagny—comest thou here! - - DAGNY. - - [_From the back._] Haste thee, Gunnar! Call thy men to arms! - - GUNNAR. - - To arms! Against whom? - - DAGNY. - - Kåre the Peasant is coming, and many outlaws with him; he means thee - no good; Sigurd has once barred his way; but who can tell—— - - GUNNAR. - - [_Moved._] Sigurd has done this for me! - - DAGNY. - - Sigurd is ever thy faithful friend. - - GUNNAR. - - And we, Hiördis—we, who thought to——! It is as I say—there is - witchcraft in all thy speech; no deed but seemeth fair to me, when - thou dost name it. - - DAGNY. - - [_Astonished._] What meanest thou? - - GUNNAR. - - Nothing, nothing! I thank thee for thy tidings, Dagny; I go to - gather my men together. [_Turns towards the door, but stops and - comes forward again._] Tell me—how goes it with Örnulf? - - DAGNY. - - [_Bowing her head._] Ask not of him. Yesterday he bore Thorolf’s - body to the ships; now he is raising a grave-mound on the - shore;—there shall his sons be laid. - - [GUNNAR _goes out by the back in silence._ - - DAGNY. - - Until evening there is no danger. [_Coming nearer._] Hiördis, I have - another errand in thy house; it is to thee I come. - - HIÖRDIS. - - To me? After all that befell yesterday? - - DAGNY. - - Even because of that. Hiördis, foster-sister, do not hate me; forget - the words that sorrow and evil spirits placed in my mouth; forgive - me all the wrong I did thee; for, trust me, I am now tenfold more - hapless than thou! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Hapless—thou! Sigurd’s wife! - - DAGNY. - - It was _my_ doing, all that befell—the stirring up of strife, and - Thorolf’s death, and all the scorn that fell upon Gunnar and thee. - Mine is all the guilt! Woe upon me!—I have lived so happily; but - after this day I shall never know joy again. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_As if seized by a sudden thought._] But before—in these five long - years—all that time hast thou been happy? - - DAGNY. - - Canst thou doubt it? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Yesterday I doubted it not; but—— - - DAGNY. - - What meanest thou? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Nay, ’tis nought; let us speak of other matters. - - DAGNY. - - No truly. Hiördis, tell me——! - - HIÖRDIS. - - It will profit thee little; but since thou wilt have it so——[_With a - malignant expression._] Canst thou remember once, over in Iceland—we - had followed with Örnulf thy father to the Council, and we sat with - our playmates in the Council Hall, as is the manner of women. Then - came two strangers into the hall. - - DAGNY. - - Sigurd and Gunnar. - - HIÖRDIS. - - They greeted us in courtly fashion, and sat on the bench beside us; - and there passed between us much merry talk. There were some who - must needs know why these two vikings came thither, and if they were - not minded to take them wives there in the island. Then said Sigurd: - “Twill be hard for me to find the woman that shall be to my mind.” - Örnulf laughed, and said there was no lack of high-born and - well-dowered women in Iceland; but Sigurd answered: “The warrior - needs a high-souled wife. She whom I choose must not rest content - with a humble lot; no honour must seem too high for her to strive - for; gladly must she follow me a-viking; war-weed must she wear; she - must egg me on to strife, and never blink her eyes where - sword-blades lighten; for if she be faint-hearted, scant honour will - befall me.” Is it not true, so Sigurd spake? - - DAGNY. - - [_Hesitatingly._] True, he did—but—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - _Such_ was she to be, the woman who could make life fair to him; and - then—[With a scornful smile] then he chose _thee_! - - DAGNY. - - [_Starting, as in pain._] Ha, thou wouldst say that——? - - HIÖRDIS. - - Doubtless thou hast proved thyself proud and high-souled; hast - claimed honour of all, that Sigurd might be honoured in thee—is it - not so? - - DAGNY. - - Nay, Hiördis, but—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - Thou hast egged him on to great deeds, followed him in war-weed, and - joyed to be where the strife raged hottest—hast thou not? - - DAGNY. - - [_Deeply moved._] No, no! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Hast thou, then, been faint of heart, so that Sigurd has been put to - shame? - - DAGNY. - - [_Overwhelmed._] Hiördis, Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Smiling scornfully._] Yet thy lot has been a happy one all these - years! Think’st thou that Sigurd can say the same? - - DAGNY. - - Enough, enough. Woe is me! thou hast made me see myself too clearly. - - HIÖRDIS. - - A jesting word, and straightway thou art in tears! Think no more of - it. Look what I have done to-day. [_Takes some arrows from the - table._] Are they not keen and biting—feel! I know well how to - sharpen arrows, do I not? - - DAGNY. - - And to use them too; thou strikest surely, Hiördis! All this thou - hast said to me—I had never thought of it before. [_More - vehemently._] But that Sigurd——! That for all these years I should - have made his life heavy and unhonoured;—no, no, it cannot be true! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Nay now, comfort thee, Dagny; indeed it is not true. Were Sigurd of - the same mind as in former days, it might be true enough; for then - was his whole soul bent on being the foremost man in the land;—now - he is content with a lowlier lot. - - DAGNY. - - No, Hiördis; Sigurd is high-souled now as ever; I see it well, I am - not the right mate for him. He has hidden it from me; but it shall - be so no longer. - - HIÖRDIS. - - What wilt thou do? - - DAGNY. - - I will no longer hang like a clog upon his feet; I will be a - hindrance to him no longer. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Then thou wilt——? - - DAGNY. - - Peace; some one comes! - - _A House-carl enters from the back._ - - THE CARL. - - Sigurd Viking is coming to the hall. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Sigurd! Then call Gunnar hither. - - THE CARL. - - Gunnar has ridden forth to gather his neighbours together; for Kåre - the Peasant would—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - Good, good, I know it; go! [_The Carl goes. To_ DAGNY, _who is also - going._] Whither wilt thou? - - DAGNY. - - I will not meet Sigurd. Too well I feel that we must part; but to - meet him _now_—no, no, I cannot! - - [_Goes out to the left._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Looks after her in silence for a moment._] And it was she I would - have——[_Completes her thought by a glance at the bow-string_]. That - had been a poor revenge;—nay, I have cut deeper now! —Tis hard to - die, but sometimes harder still to live! - - SIGURD _enters from the back._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - Belike it is Gunnar thou seekest; be seated, he will be here even - now. - - [_Is going._ - - SIGURD. - - Nay, stay; it is thee I seek, rather than him. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Me? - - SIGURD. - - And ’tis well I find thee alone. - - HIÖRDIS. - - If thou comest to mock me, it would sure be no hindrance to thee - though the hall were full of men and women. - - SIGURD. - - Ay, ay, well I know what thoughts thou hast of me. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Bitterly._] I do thee wrong mayhap! Nay, nay, Sigurd, thou hast - been as a poison to all my days. Bethink thee who it was that - wrought that shameful guile; who it was that sat by my side in the - bower, feigning love, with the laugh of cunning in his heart; who it - was that flung me forth to Gunnar, since for him I was good enough, - forsooth—and then sailed away with the woman he held dear! - - SIGURD. - - Man’s will can do this thing and that; but fate rules in the deeds - that shape our lives—so has it gone with us twain. - - HIÖRDIS. - - True enough; evil Norns hold sway over the world; but their might is - little if they find not helpers in our own heart. Happy is he who - has strength to battle with the Norn—and it is that I have now in - hand. - - SIGURD. - - What mean’st thou? - - HIÖRDIS. - - I will venture a trial of strength against those—those who are over - me. But let us talk no more of this; I have much to do to-day. - - [_She seats herself at the table._ - - SIGURD. - - [_After a short pause._] Thou makest good weapons for Gunnar. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With a quiet smile._] Not _for_ Gunnar, but _against_ thee. - SIGURD. - - Most like it is the same thing. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Ay, most like it is; for if I be a match for the Norn, then sooner - or later shalt thou and Gunnar——[_Breaks off, leans backwards - against the table, looks at him with a smile, and says with an - altered ring in her voice:_] Wouldst know the thought that sometimes - comes to me? Oft have I made it my pastime to limn pleasant pictures - in my mind; at such times I sit and close my eyes and think: Now - comes Sigurd the Strong to the isle;—he will burn us in our house, - me and my husband. All Gunnar’s men have fallen; only he and I are - left; they set light to the roof from without:—“A bow-shot,” cries - Gunnar, “one bow-shot may save us”;—then the bow-string - breaks—“Hiördis, cut a tress of thy hair and make of it a - bow-string—our life is at stake.” But then I laugh—“Let it burn, let - it burn—to me, life is not worth a wisp of hair!” - - SIGURD. - - There is a strange might in all thy speech. - - [_Approaches her._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Looks coldly at him._] Wouldst sit beside me? - - SIGURD. - - Thou deemest my heart is bitter toward thee. ’Tis the last time, - Hiördis, that we shall have speech together; there is something that - gnaws me like a sore sickness, and in this wise I cannot part from - thee; thou must know me better. - - HIÖRDIS. - - What wouldst thou? - - SIGURD. - - Tell thee a saga. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Is it sad? - - SIGURD. - - Sad, as life itself. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Bitterly._] What knowest thou of the sadness of life? - - SIGURD. - - Judge when my saga is over. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Then tell it me; I will work the while. - - [_He sits on a low stool to her right._ - - SIGURD. - - Once upon a time there were two young vikings, who set forth from - Norway to win wealth and honour; they had sworn each other - friendship, and held truly together, how far soever they might fare. - - HIÖRDIS. - - And the two young vikings hight Sigurd and Gunnar? - - SIGURD. - - Ay, we may call them so. At last they came to Iceland; and there - dwelt an old chieftain, who had come forth from Norway in King - Harald’s days. He had two fair women in his house; but one, his - foster-daughter, was the noblest, for she was wise and strong of - soul; and the vikings spoke of her between themselves, and never had - they seen a fairer woman, so deemed they both. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_In suspense._] Both? Wilt thou mock me? - - SIGURD. - - Gunnar thought of her night and day, and that did Sigurd no less; - but both held their peace, and no man could say from her bearing - whether Gunnar found favour in her eyes; but that Sigurd found none, - that was easy to discern. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Breathlessly._] Go on, go on——! - - SIGURD. - - Yet ever the more must Sigurd dream of her; but of that wist no man. - Now it befell one evening that there was a drinking-feast; and there - did that proud woman vow that no man should possess her save he who - wrought a mighty deed, which she named. Then high beat Sigurd’s - heart for joy; for he felt within him the strength to do that deed. - But Gunnar took him apart and told him of his love;—Sigurd said - nought of his, but went to the—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Vehemently._] Sigurd, Sigurd! [_Controlling herself._] And this - saga—is it true? - - SIGURD. - - True it is. One of us had to yield; Gunnar was my friend; I could do - nought else. So Gunnar had thee to wife, and I wedded another woman. - - HIÖRDIS. - - And didst come to love her! - - SIGURD. - - I learned to prize her; but one woman only has Sigurd loved, and - that is she who frowned upon him from the first day they met. - [_Rises._] Here ends my saga; and now let us part.—Farewell, - Gunnar’s wife; never shall we meet again. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Springing up._] Stay, stay! Woe to us both; Sigurd, what hast thou - done? - - SIGURD. - - [_Starting._] I, done? What ails thee? - - HIÖRDIS. - - And all this dost thou tell me now! But no—it cannot be true! - - SIGURD. - - These are my last words to thee, and every word is true. I would not - thou shouldst think hardly of me, therefore I needs must speak. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Involuntarily clasps her hands together, and gazes at him in - voiceless astonishment._] Loved—loved me—thou! [_Vehemently, coming - close up to him._] I will not believe thee! [_Looks hard at him, and - bursts forth in wild grief._] Yes, it is true, and—hateful for us - both! - - [_Hides her face in her hands, and turns away from him._ - - SIGURD. - - [_Appalled._] Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Softly, struggling with tears and laughter._] Nay, heed me not! I - meant but this, that——[_Lays her hand on his arm._] Sigurd, thou - hast not told thy saga to the end; that proud woman thou didst tell - of—she returned thy love! - - SIGURD. - - [_Starts backwards._] Thou? - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With composure._] Aye, Sigurd, I have loved thee, at last I - understand it. Thou sayest I was ungentle and short of speech - towards thee; what wouldst thou have a woman do? Could I offer thee - my love? Then had I been little worthy of thee. I deemed thee ever - the noblest man of men; and then to know thee another’s - husband—’twas that caused me the bitter pain, that myself I could - not understand! - - SIGURD. - - [_Much moved._] A baleful web has the Norn woven around us twain. - - HIÖRDIS. - - The blame is thine own; bravely and firmly it becomes a man to act. - When I set that hard proof for him who should win me, my thought was - all of thee;—yet couldst thou——! - - SIGURD. - - I knew Gunnar’s soul-sickness; I alone could heal it;—was there - aught for me to choose? And yet, had I known what I now know, I - scarce dare answer for myself; for great is the might of love. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With animation._] But now, Sigurd!—A baleful hap has held us apart - all these years; now the knot is loosed; the days to come shall make - good the past to us. - - SIGURD. - - [_Shaking his head._] It cannot be; thou knowest we must part again. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Nay, we must not. I love thee, that may I now say unashamed; for my - love is no mere dalliance, like a weak woman’s; were I a man—by all - the Mighty Ones, I could still love thee, even as now I do! Up then, - Sigurd! Happiness is worth a daring deed; we are both free if we but - will it, and then the game is won. - - SIGURD. - - Free? What meanest thou? - - HIÖRDIS. - - What is Dagny to thee? What can she be to thee? No more than I count - Gunnar in my secret heart. What matter though two worthless lives be - wrecked? - - SIGURD. - - Hiördis, Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Let Gunnar stay where he is; let Dagny fare with her father to - Iceland; I will follow thee in harness of steel, whithersoever thou - wendest. [SIGURD _makes a movement._] Not as thy wife will I follow - thee; for I have belonged to another, and the woman lives that has - lain by thy side. No, Sigurd, not as thy wife, but like those mighty - women, like Hildë’s sisters,[15] will I follow thee, and fire thee - to strife and to manly deeds, so that thy name shall be heard over - every land. In the sword-game will I stand by thy side; I will fare - forth among thy warriors in the storm and on the viking-raid; and - when thy death-song is sung, it shall tell of Sigurd and Hiördis in - one! - - SIGURD. - - Once was that my fairest dream; now, it is too late. Gunnar and - Dagny stand between us, and that by right. I crushed my new-born - love for Gunnar’s sake;—how great soever my suffering, I cannot undo - my deed. And Dagny—full of faith and trust she left her home and - kindred; never must she dream that I longed for Hiördis as often as - she took me to her breast. - - HIÖRDIS. - - And for such a cause wilt thou lay a burden on all thy life! To what - end hast thou strength and might, and therewith all noble gifts of - the mind? And deemest thou it can now beseem me to dwell beneath - Gunnar’s roof? Nay, Sigurd, trust me, there are many tasks awaiting - such a man as thou. Erik is king in Norway—do thou rise against him! - Many goodly warriors will join thee and swear thee fealty; with - unconquerable might will we press onward, and fight and toil - unresting, until thou art seated on the throne of Hårfager! - - SIGURD. - - Hiördis, Hiördis, so have I dreamt in my wild youth; let it be - forgotten—tempt me not! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With dignity._] It is the Norn’s will that we two shall hold - together; it cannot be altered. Plainly now I see my task in life: - to make thee famous over all the world. Thou hast stood before me - every day, ever hour of my life; I sought to tear thee out of my - mind, but I lacked the might; now it is needless, now that I know - thou lovest me. - - SIGURD. - - [_With forced coldness._] If that be so—then know—I _have_ loved - thee; it has passed now;—I have forgot those days. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Sigurd, in that thou liest! So much at least am I worth, that if - thou hast loved me once, thou canst never forget it. - - SIGURD. - - [_Vehemently._] I must; and now I will. - - HIÖRDIS. - - So be it; but thou _canst_ not. Thou wilt seek to hinder me, but in - vain; ere evening falls, Gunnar and Dagny shall know all. - - SIGURD. - - Ha, that wilt thou never do! - - HIÖRDIS. - - That will I do! - - SIGURD. - - Then must I know thee ill; high-souled have I ever deemed thee. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Evil days breed evil thoughts; too great has been thy trust in me. I - will, I must, go forth by thy side—forth to face life and strife; - Gunnar’s roof-tree is too low for me. - - SIGURD. - - [_With emphasis._] But honour between man and man hast thou highly - prized. There lack not grounds for strife between me and Gunnar; - say, now, that he fell by my hand—wouldst thou still make all known - and follow me? - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Starting._] Wherefore askest thou? - - SIGURD. - - Answer me first: what wouldst thou do, were I to give thy husband - his bane. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Looks hard at him._] Then must I keep silence and never rest until - I had seen thee dead. - - SIGURD. - - [_With a smile._] It is well, Hiördis—I knew it. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Hastily._] But it can never come to pass! - - SIGURD. - - It must come to pass; thou thyself hast cast the die even now for - Gunnar’s life and mine. - - [GUNNAR, _with some House-carls, enters from the back._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_Gloomily, to_ HIÖRDIS.] See now; the seed thou hast sown is - sprouting! - - SIGURD. - - [_Approaching._] What is amiss with thee? - - GUNNAR. - - Sigurd, is it thou? What is amiss? Nought but what I might well have - foreseen. As soon as Dagny, thy wife, had brought tidings of Kåre - the Peasant, I took horse and rode to my neighbours to seek help - against him. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Eagerly._] Well? - - GUNNAR. - - I was answered awry where’er I came: my dealings with Kåre had been - little to my honour, it was said;—aye, and other things were said to - boot, that I will not utter—I am a dishonoured man; I am thought to - have done a dastard deed; men hold it shame to make common cause - with me. - - SIGURD. - - It shall not long be held shame; ere evening comes, thou shalt have - men enough to face Kåre. - - GUNNAR. - - Sigurd! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_In a low voice, triumphantly._] Ha, I knew it well! - - SIGURD. - - [_With forced resolution._] But thereafter is the peace between us - at an end; for hearken to my words, Gunnar Headman—thou hast slain - Thorolf, my wife’s kinsman, and therefore do I challenge thee to - single combat[16] to-morrow at break of day. - - [HIÖRDIS, _in violent inward emotion, makes a stride - towards_ SIGURD, _but collects herself and remains - standing motionless during the following._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_In extreme astonishment._] To single combat——! Me!—Thou art - jesting, Sigurd! - - SIGURD. - - Thou art lawfully challenged to single combat; ’twill be a game for - life or death; one of us must fall! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Bitterly._] Ha, I understand it well. When I came, thou didst talk - with Hiördis alone; she has goaded thee afresh! - - SIGURD. - - Mayhap. [_Half towards_ HIÖRDIS.] A high-souled woman must ever - guard her husband’s honour. [_To the men in the background._] And do - ye, house-carls, now go to Gunnar’s neighbours, and say to them that - to-morrow he is to ply sword-strokes with me; none dare call that - man a dastard who bears arms against Sigurd Viking! - - [_The House-carls go out by the back._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_Goes quickly up to_ SIGURD _and presses his hands, in strong - emotion._] Sigurd, my brave brother, now I understand thee! Thou - venturest thy life for my honour, as of old for my happiness! - - SIGURD. - - Thank thy wife for that; she has the main part in what I do. - To-morrow at break of day—— - - GUNNAR. - - I will meet thee. [_Tenderly._] Foster-brother, wilt thou have a - good blade of me? ’Tis a gift of price. - - SIGURD. - - I thank thee; but let it hang.—Who knows if next evening I may have - any use for it. - - GUNNAR. - - [_Shakes his hand._] Farewell, Sigurd! - - SIGURD. - - Again farewell, and fortune befriend thee this night! - - [_They part._ GUNNAR _goes out to the right._ SIGURD _casts - a glance at_ HIÖRDIS, _and goes out by the back._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_After a pause, softly and thoughtfully._] To-morrow they fight! - Which will fall? [_After a moment’s silence, she bursts forth as if - seized by a strong resolution._] Let fall who will—Sigurd and I - shall still be together! - - - - - ACT FOURTH. - - _By the coast. It is evening; the moon breaks forth now and again, - from among dark and ragged storm-clouds. At the back, a black - grave-mound, newly heaped up._ - - ÖRNULF _sits on a stone, in front on the right, his head bare, his - elbows resting on his knees, and his face buried in his hands. - His men are digging at the mound; some give light with - pine-knot torches. After a short pause,_ SIGURD _and_ DAGNY - _enter from the boat-house, where a wood fire is burning._ - - DAGNY. - - [_In a low voice._] There sits he still. [_Holding_ SIGURD _back._] - Nay, speak not to him. - - SIGURD. - - Thou say’st well; it is too soon; best leave him to himself. - - DAGNY. - - [_Goes over to the right, and gazes at her father in quiet sorrow._] - So strong was he yesterday when he bore Thorolf’s body on his back; - strong was he as he helped to heap the grave-mound; but when they - were all laid to rest, and earth and stones piled over them—then the - sorrow seized him; then seemed it of a sudden as though his fire - were quenched. [_Dries her tears._] Tell me, Sigurd, when thinkest - thou to fare homeward to Iceland? - - SIGURD. - - So soon as the storm abates, and my dealings with Gunnar are ended. - - DAGNY. - - And then wilt thou buy land and build thee a homestead, and go - a-viking no more? - - SIGURD. - - Yes, yes,—that have I promised thee. - - DAGNY. - - And I may believe without doubt that Hiördis spoke falsely when she - said that I was unworthy to be thy wife? - - SIGURD. - - Yes yes, Dagny, trust thou to my word. - - DAGNY. - - Then am I glad again, and will try to forget all the evil that here - has been wrought. In the long winter evenings we will talk together - of Gunnar and Hiördis, and—— - - SIGURD. - - Nay, Dagny, wouldst thou have things go well with us, never do thou - speak Hiördis’ name when once we are at home in Iceland. - - DAGNY. - - [_Mildly upbraiding him._] Unjust is thy hatred towards her. Sigurd, - Sigurd, it is little like thee. - - ONE OF THE MEN. - - [_Approaching._] There now, the mound is finished. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_As if awaking._] The mound? Is it—ay, ay—— - - SIGURD. - - Now speak to him, Dagny. - - DAGNY. - - [_Approaching._] Father, it is cold out here; the storm is rising - with the night. - - ÖRNULF. - - Nay, never heed it; the mound is close-heaped and crannyless; they - lie warm in there. - - DAGNY. - - Ay, but thou—— - - ÖRNULF. - - I? I am not cold. - - DAGNY. - - Nought hast thou eaten to-day; wilt thou not go in? The supper-board - stands ready. - - ÖRNULF. - - Let the supper-board stand; I have no hunger. - - DAGNY. - - But to sit here so still—trust me, thou wilt take hurt of it; thou - art ever wont to be stirring. - - ÖRNULF. - - May be so; there is somewhat that crushes my breast; I cannot draw - breath. - - [_He again hides his face in his hands. A pause._ DAGNY - _seats herself beside him._ - - DAGNY. - - To-morrow wilt thou make ready thy ship and set forth for Iceland? - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Without looking up._] What should I do there? Nay, I will to my - sons. - - DAGNY. - - [_With pain._] Father! - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Raises his head._] Go in and let me sit here; when the storm has - played with me for a night or two, the game will be over, I ween. - - SIGURD. - - Thou canst not think to deal thus with thyself. - - ÖRNULF. - - Dost marvel that I fain would rest? My day’s work is done; I have - laid my sons in their grave-mound. [_Vehemently._] Go from me!—Go, - go! - - [_He hides his face._ - - SIGURD. - - [_Softly, to_ DAGNY_, who rises._] Let him sit yet awhile. - - DAGNY. - - Nay, I have one rede yet untried;—I know him. [_To_ ÖRNULF.] Thy - day’s work done, say’st thou? Nay, that it is not. Thou hast laid - thy sons in the grave;—but art thou not a skald? It is meet that - thou should’st sing their memory. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Shaking his head._] Sing? Nay, nay; yesterday I could sing; I am - too old to-day. - - DAGNY. - - But needs must thou; honourable men were thy sons, one and all; a - song must be made of them, and that can none of our kin but thou. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Looks inquiringly at_ SIGURD.] To sing? What thinkest _thou_, - Sigurd? - - SIGURD. - - Meseems it is but meet; thou must e’en do as she says. - - DAGNY. - - Thy neighbours in Iceland will deem it ill done when the grave-ale - is drunk over Örnulf’s children, and there is no song to sing with - it. Thou hast ever time enough to follow thy sons. - - ÖRNULF. - - Well well, I will try it; and thou, Dagny, give heed, that - afterwards thou mayst carve the song on staves. - - _The men approach with the torches, forming a group around - him; he is silent for a time, reflecting; then he says:_ - - Bragi’s[17] gift is bitter - when the heart is broken; - sorrow-laden singer, - singing, suffers sorely. - - Natheless, since the Skald-god - gave me skill in song-craft, - in a lay loud-ringing - be my loss lamented! - [_Rises._ - - Ruthless Norn[18] and wrathful - wrecked my life and ravaged, - wiled away my welfare, - wasted Örnulf’s treasure. - - Sons had Örnulf seven, - by the great gods granted;— - lonely now and life-sick - goes the greybeard, sonless. - - Seven sons so stately, - bred among the sword-blades, - made a mighty bulwark - round the snow-locked sea-king. - - Levelled lies the bulwark, - dead my sons strong-hearted; - gone the greybeard’s gladness, - desolate his dwelling. - - Thorolf,—thou my last-born! - ’Mongst the bold the boldest! - Soon were spent my sorrow - so but thou wert left me! - - Fair thou wast as springtide, - fond towards thy father, - waxing straight and stalwart - to so wight a warrior. - - Dark and drear his death-wound - leaves my life’s lone evening; - grief hath gripped my bosom - as ’twixt hurtling targes. - - Nought the Norn denied me - of her rueful riches, - showering woes unstinted - over Örnulf’s world-way. - - Weak are now my weapons. - But, were god-might given me, - _one_ thing would I strive for— - on the Norn to venge me! - - _One_ thing would I toil for— - down to death to hurl thee, - Norn, that now hast left me - nought but yonder grave-mound. - - Nought, I said? Nay, truly, - somewhat still is Örnulf’s, - since of Suttung’s[19] mead-horn - he betimes drank deeply. - [_With rising enthusiasm._ - - Though she stripped me sonless, - one great gift she gave me— - songcraft’s mighty secret, - skill to sing my sorrows. - - On my lips she laid it, - goodly gift of songcraft; - loud, then, let my lay sound, - e’en where they are lying! - - Hail, my stout sons seven! - Hail, as homeward ride ye! - Songcraft’s glorious god-gift - stauncheth woe and wailing. - - [_He draws a deep breath, throws back the hair from his - brow, and says calmly:_ - - So—so; now is Örnulf sound and strong again. [_To the men._] Follow - me to the supper-board, lads; heavy has been our day’s work! - - [_Goes with the men into the boat-house._ - - DAGNY. - - Praised be the Mighty Ones on high that gave me so good a rede. - [_To_ SIGURD.] Wilt thou not go in? - - SIGURD. - - Nay, I list not to. Tell me, are all things ready for to-morrow? - - DAGNY. - - They are ready; a silk-sewn shroud lies on the bench; but I know - full surely that thou wilt hold thee against Gunnar, so I have not - wept over it. - - SIGURD. - - Grant all good powers, that thou mayst never weep for my sake. - - [_He stops and looks out._ - - DAGNY. - - What art thou listening to? - - SIGURD. - - Hear’st thou nought—_yonder_? - - [_Points towards the left._ - - DAGNY. - - Ay, there goes a fearsome storm over the sea! - - SIGURD. - - [_Going up a little towards the background._] There will fall hard - hailstones in that storm. [_Shouts._] Who comes? - - KÅRE THE PEASANT. - - [_Without on the left._] Folk thou wotst of, Sigurd Viking! - - KÅRE THE PEASANT, _with a band of armed men, enters from the left._ - - SIGURD. - - Whither would ye? - - KÅRE. - - To Gunnar’s hall. - - SIGURD. - - As foemen? - - KÅRE. - - Ay, trust me for that! Thou didst hinder me before; but now I ween - thou wilt scarce do the like. - - SIGURD. - - Maybe not. - - KÅRE. - - I have heard of thy challenge to Gunnar; but if things go to my - mind, weak will be his weapons when the time comes for your meeting. - - SIGURD. - - ’Tis venturesome work thou goest about; take heed for thyself, - Peasant! - - KÅRE. - - [_With defiant laughter._] Leave that to me; wouldst thou tackle thy - ship to-night, we will see that thou hast light enow!—Come, all my - men; here goes the way. - - [_They go off to the right, at the back._ - - DAGNY. - - Sigurd, Sigurd, this misdeed must thou hinder. - - SIGURD. - - [_Goes quickly to the door of the hut, and calls in._] Up from the - board, Örnulf; take vengeance on Kåre the Peasant. - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Comes out, with the rest._] Kåre the Peasant—where is he? - - SIGURD. - - He is making for Gunnar’s hall to burn it over their heads. - - ÖRNULF. - - Ha-ha—let him do as he will; so shall I be avenged on Gunnar and - Hiördis, and afterwards I can deal with Kåre. - - SIGURD. - - Nay, that rede avails not; wouldst thou strike at Kåre, thou must - seek him out to-night; for when his misdeed is done, he will take to - the mountains. I have challenged Gunnar to meet me, man to man; him - thou hast safe enough, unless I myself—but no matter.—To-night he - must be shielded from his foes; it would ill befit thee to let so - vile a caitiff as Kåre rob thee of thy revenge. - - ÖRNULF. - - Thou say’st truly. To-night will I shield the slayer of Thorolf; but - to-morrow he must die. - - SIGURD. - - He or I—doubt not of that! - - ÖRNULF. - - Come then, to take vengeance for Örnulf’s sons. - - [_He goes out with his men by the back, to the right._ - - SIGURD. - - Dagny, do thou follow them;—I must bide here; for the rumour of the - combat is already abroad, and I may not meet Gunnar ere the time - comes. But thou—do thou keep rein on thy father; he must go - honourably to work; in Gunnar’s hall there are many women; no harm - must befall Hiördis or the rest. - - DAGNY. - - Yes, I will follow them. Thou takest thought even for Hiördis; I - thank thee for it. - - SIGURD. - - Go, go, Dagny! - - DAGNY. - - I go; but be thou at ease as to Hiördis; she has gilded armour in - her bower, and will know how to shield herself. - - SIGURD. - - That deem I too; but go thou nevertheless; guide thy father’s - course; watch over all—and over Gunnar’s wife! - - DAGNY. - - Trust to me. Farewell, till we meet again! - - [_She follows the others._ - - SIGURD. - - ’Tis the first time, foster-brother, that I stand weaponless - whilst thou art in danger. [_Listens._] I hear shouts and - sword-strokes;—they are already at the hall. [_Goes towards the - right, but stops and recoils in astonishment._] Hiördis! Comes she - hither! - - HIÖRDIS _enters, clad in a short scarlet kirtle, with gilded armour: - helmet, hauberk, arm-plates, and greaves. Her hair is flying - loose; at her back hangs a quiver, and at her belt a small - shield. She has in her hand the bow strung with her hair._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Hastily looking behind her, as though in dread of something - pursuing her, goes close up to_ SIGURD, _seizes him by the arm, and - whispers:_] Sigurd, Sigurd, canst thou see it? - - SIGURD. - - What? Where? - - HIÖRDIS. - - The wolf _there_—close behind me; it does not move; it glares at me - with its two red eyes. It is my wraith,[20] Sigurd! Three times has - it appeared to me; that bodes that I shall surely die to-night! - - SIGURD. - - Hiördis, Hiördis! - - HIÖRDIS. - - It has sunk into the earth! Aye, aye, now it has warned me. - - SIGURD. - - Thou art sick; come, go in with me. - - HIÖRDIS. - - Nay, here will I bide; I have but little time left. - - SIGURD. - - What has befallen thee? - - HIÖRDIS. - - What has befallen? That know I not; but ’twas true what thou said’st - to-day, that Gunnar and Dagny stand between us; we must away from - them and from life; then can we be together! - - SIGURD. - - We? Ha, thou meanest—— - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_With dignity._] I have been homeless in this world from that day - thou didst take another to wife. That was ill done of thee! All good - gifts may a man give to his faithful friend—all, save the woman he - loves; for if he do that, he rends the Norn’s secret web, and two - lives are wrecked. An unerring voice within me tells me I came into - the world that my strong soul might cheer and uphold thee through - heavy days, and that thou wert born to the end I might find in _one_ - man all that seemed to me great and noble; for this I know - Sigurd—had we two held together, then hadst thou become more famous - than all others, and I happier. - - SIGURD. - - It avails not now to mourn. Think’st thou ’tis a merry life that - awaits me? To be by Dagny’s side day by day, and feign a love my - heart shrinks from? Yet so it must be; it cannot be altered. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_In a growing frenzy._] It _shall_ be altered! We must out of this - life, both of us! Seest thou this bow-string? With it can I surely - hit my mark; for I have crooned fair sorceries over it! [_Places an - arrow in the bow, which is strung._] Hark! hark! that rushing in the - air? It is the dead men’s ride to Valhal: I have bewitched them - hither;—we two will join them in their ride! - - SIGURD. - - [_Shrinking back._] Hiördis, Hiördis—I fear thee! - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Not heeding him._] Our fate no power can alter now! Oh, ’tis - better so than if thou hadst wedded me here in this life—if I had - sat in thy homestead weaving linen and wool for thee and bearing - thee children—pah! - - SIGURD. - - Hold, hold! Thy sorceries have been too strong for thee; they have - made thee soul-sick, Hiördis! [_Horror-struck._] Ha, see—see! - Gunnar’s hall—it is burning! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Let it burn, let it burn! The cloud-hall up yonder is loftier than - Gunnar’s rafter-roof! - - SIGURD. - - But Egil, thy son—they are slaying him! - - HIÖRDIS. - - Let him die—my shame dies with him! - - SIGURD. - - And Gunnar—they are taking thy husband’s life! - - HIÖRDIS. - - What care I! A better husband shall I follow home this night! Ay, - Sigurd, so must it be; here on this earth grows no happiness for me. - The White God is coming northward; him will I not meet; the old gods - are strong no longer;—they sleep, they sit half shadow-like on - high;—with them will we strive! Out of this life, Sigurd! I will - enthrone thee king in heaven, and I myself will sit by thy side. - [_The storm bursts wildly._] Hark, hark, here comes our company! - Canst see the black steeds galloping?—one is for me and one for - thee. [_Draws the arrow to her ear and shoots._] Away, then, on thy - last ride home! - - SIGURD. - - Well aimed, Hiördis! [_He falls._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Jubilant, rushes up to him._] Sigurd, my brother,—now art thou - mine at last! - - SIGURD. - - Now less than ever. Here our ways part; for I am a Christian man. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Appalled._] Thou——! Ha, no, no! - - SIGURD. - - The White God is mine; King Æthelstan taught me to know him; it is - to _him_ I go. - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_In despair._] And I——! [_Drops her bow._] Woe! woe! - - SIGURD. - - Heavy has my life been from the hour I tore thee out of my own heart - and gave thee to Gunnar. I thank thee, Hiördis;—now am I so light - and free. - - [_Dies._ - - HIÖRDIS. - - [_Quietly._] Dead! Then truly have I brought my soul to wreck! [_The - storm increases; she breaks forth wildly._] They come! I have - bewitched them hither! No, no! I will not go with you! I will not - ride without Sigurd! It avails not—they see me; they laugh and - beckon to me; they spur their horses! [_Rushes out to the edge of - the cliff at the back._] They are upon me;—and no shelter, no - hiding-place! Ay, mayhap at the bottom of the sea! - - [_She casts herself over._ - - [ÖRNULF, DAGNY, GUNNAR, _with_ EGIL, _gradually followed by_ - SIGURD’S _and_ ÖRNULF’S _men, enter from the right._ - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Turning towards the grave-mound._] Now may ye sleep in peace; for - ye lie not unavenged. - - DAGNY. - - [_Entering._] Father, father—I die of fear—all that blood and - strife—and the storm;—hark, hark! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Carrying_ EGIL.] Peace, and shelter for my child. - - ÖRNULF. - - Gunnar! - - GUNNAR. - - Ay, Örnulf, my homestead is burnt and my men are slain; I am in thy - power; do with me what thou wilt! - - ÖRNULF. - - That Sigurd must look to. But in, under roof! It is not safe out - here. - - DAGNY. - - Ay, ay, in! [_Goes towards the boat-house, catches sight of_ - SIGURD’S _body, and shrieks._] Sigurd, my husband!—They have slain - him! - - [_Throwing herself upon him._ - - ÖRNULF. - - [_Rushes up._] Sigurd! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Sets_ EGIL _down._] Sigurd dead! - - DAGNY. - - [_Looks despairingly at the men, who surround the body._] No, no, it - is not so;—he must be alive! [_Catches sight of the bow._] Ha, what - is that? - - [_Rises._ - - ÖRNULF. - - Daughter, it is as first thou saidst—Sigurd is slain. - - GUNNAR. - - [_As if seized by a sudden thought._] And Hiördis!—Has Hiördis been - here? - - DAGNY. - - [_Softly and with self-control._] I know not; but this I know, that - her bow has been here. - - GUNNAR. - - Ay, I thought no less! - - DAGNY. - - Hush, hush! [_To herself._] So bitterly did she hate him! - - GUNNAR. - - [_Aside._] She has slain him—the night before the combat; then after - all she loved me. - - [_A thrill of dread runs through the whole group;_ - ASGÅRDSREIEN—_the ride of the fallen warriors to - Valhal—hurtles through the air._ - - EGIL. - - [_In terror._] Father! See, see! - - GUNNAR. - - What is it? - - EGIL. - - Up there—all the black horses——! - - GUNNAR. - - It is the clouds that—— - - ÖRNULF. - - Nay, it is the dead men’s home-faring. - - EGIL. - - [_With a shriek._] Mother is with them. - - DAGNY. - - All good spirits! - - GUNNAR. - - Child, what say’st thou? - - EGIL. - - There—in front—on the black horse! Father, father! - - [EGIL _clings in terror to his father; a short pause; the - storm passes over, the clouds part, the moon shines - peacefully on the scene._ - - GUNNAR. - - [_In quiet sorrow._] Now is Hiördis surely dead. - - ÖRNULF. - - So it must be, Gunnar;—and my vengeance was rather against her than - thee. Dear has this meeting been to both of us;—there is my hand; be - there peace between us! - - GUNNAR. - - Thanks, Örnulf! And now aboard; I sail with thee to Iceland. - - ÖRNULF. - - Ay, to Iceland! Long will it be ere our forthfaring is forgotten. - - Weapon-wielding warriors’ meeting, - woful, by the norland seaboard, - still shall live in song and saga - while our stem endures in Iceland. - - THE END - ------ - -Footnote 7: - - Failing to find a better equivalent for the Norwegian “Herse,” I - have used the word “Headman” wherever it seemed necessary to give - Gunnar a title or designation. He is generally spoken of as - “Gunnar Herse” in the Norwegian text; but where it could be done - without inconvenience, the designation has here been omitted. - -Footnote 8: - - “I ærlig holmgang.” The established form of duel in the viking - times was to land the combatants on one of the rocky islets or - “holms” that stud the Norwegian coast, and there let them fight it - out. Hence “holmgang”=duel. - -Footnote 9: - - “At knæsætte” = to knee-set a child, to take it on one’s knee, an - irrevocable form of adoption. - -Footnote 10: - - The giants or Titans of Scandinavian mythology. - -Footnote 11: - - Breastplate. - -Footnote 12: - - “Draugen,” a vague and horrible sea-monster. - -Footnote 13: - - Literally the “blood-night.” - -Footnote 14: - - The “Nornir” were the Fates of northern mythology. - -Footnote 15: - - The Valkyries. - -Footnote 16: - - Holmgang—see note, p. 19. - -Footnote 17: - - Bragi, the god of poetry and eloquence. - -Footnote 18: - - See note, p. 72. - -Footnote 19: - - Suttung was a giant who kept guard over the magic mead of poetical - inspiration. - -Footnote 20: - - The word “wraith” is here used in an obviously inexact sense; but - the wraith seemed to be the nearest equivalent in English - mythology to the Scandinavian “fylgie,” an attendant spirit, often - regarded as a sort of emanation from the person it accompanied, - and sometimes (as in this case) typifying that person’s moral - attributes. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - THE PRETENDERS - (1863) - - - - - CHARACTERS. - - HÅKON HÅKONSSON, _the King elected by the Birchlegs._ - INGA OF VARTEIG, _his mother._ - EARL SKULE. - LADY RAGNHILD, _his wife._ - SIGRID, _his sister._ - MARGRETE, _his daughter._ - GUTHORM INGESSON. - SIGURD RIBBUNG. - NICHOLAS ARNESSON, _Bishop of Oslo._ - DAGFINN THE PEASANT, _Håkon’s marshal._ - IVAR BODDE, _his chaplain._ - VEGARD VÆRADAL, _one of his guard._ - GREGORIUS JONSSON, _a nobleman._ - PAUL FLIDA, _a nobleman._ - INGEBORG, _Andres Skialdarband’s wife._ - PETER, _her son, a young priest._ - SIRA VILIAM, _Bishop Nicholas’s chaplain._ - MASTER SIGARD OF BRABANT, _a physician._ - JATGEIR SKALD,_ an Icelander._ - BÅRD BRATTE, _a chieftain from the Trondhiem district._ - _Populace and Citizens of Bergen, Oslo, and Nidaros._ - _Priests, Monks, and Nuns._ - _Guests, Guards, and Ladies._ - _Men-at-Arms, etc. etc._ - - _The action passes in the first half of the Thirteenth Century._ - - _Pronunciation of Names_: Håkon=Hoakoon (“oa” as in “board”); - Skule=Skoolë; Margrete=Margraytë; Guthorm=Gootorm; Sigurd - Ribbung=Sigoord Ribboong; Dagfinn (“a” as in “hard”); Ivar - Bodde=Eevar Boddë; Vegard=Vaygard; Jonsson=Yoonson; Flida=Fleeda; - Ingeborg=Ingheborg; Jatgeir=Yatgheir; Bård Bratte=Board Brattë. The - name “Ingeborg” appears as “Ingebjörg” in Ibsen’s text. The form I - have substituted is equally current in Norway, and less troublesome - to pronounce. - - - - - THE PRETENDERS. - HISTORIC PLAY IN FIVE ACTS. - - - -------------- - - - ACT FIRST. - - - _The churchyard of Christ Church, Bergen. At the back rises the - church, the main portal of which faces the spectators. In - front, on the left, stands_ HÅKON HÅKONSSON, _with_ DAGFINN - THE PEASANT, VEGARD OF VÆRADAL, IVAR BODDE, _and several other - nobles and chieftains. Opposite to him stand_ EARL SKULE, - GREGORIUS JONSSON, PAUL FLIDA, _and others of the Earl’s men. - Further back on the same side are seen_ SIGURD RIBBUNG _and - his followers, and a little way from him_ GUTHORM INGESSON, - _with several chiefs. Men-at-arms line the approaches to the - church; the common people fill the churchyard; many are - perched in the trees and seated on the walls; all seem to - await, in suspense, the occurrence of some event. All the - church bells of the town are ringing far and near._ - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Softly and impatiently, to_ GREGORIUS JONSSON.] Why tarry they so - long in there? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Hush! The psalm is beginning. - - [_From inside the closed church doors, to the accompaniment - of trumpets, is heard a_ CHOIR OF MONKS AND NUNS - _singing_ Domine cœli, _etc. etc. While the singing - is going on, the church door is opened from inside; in - the porch_ BISHOP NICHOLAS _is seen, surrounded by - Priests and Monks._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Steps forward to the doorway and proclaims with uplifted - crozier._] Inga of Varteig is even now bearing the iron on behalf of - Håkon the Pretender. - - [_The church door is closed again; the singing inside - continues._ - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_In a low voice, to the_ EARL.] Call upon Holy King Olaf to protect - the right. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Hurriedly, with a deprecating gesture._] Not now. Best not remind - him of me. - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_Seizing_ HÅKON _by the arm._] Pray to the Lord thy God, Håkon - Håkonsson. - - HÅKON. - - No need; I am sure of him. - - [_The singing in the church grows louder; all uncover; many - fall upon their knees and pray._ - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_To the_ EARL.] A solemn hour for you and for many! - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Looking anxiously towards the church._] A solemn hour for Norway. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Near the_ EARL.] Now is the glowing iron in her hands. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Beside_ HÅKON.] They are coming down the nave. - - IVAR BODDE. - - Christ protect thy tender hands, Inga, mother of the King! - - HÅKON. - - Surely all my life shall reward her for this hour. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Who has been listening intently, breaks out suddenly._] Did she - cry out? Has she let the iron fall? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Goes up._] I know not what it was. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Hark to the women weeping in the outer hall! - - THE CHOIR IN THE CHURCH. - - [_Breaks forth in jubilation._] Gloria in excelsis Deo! - - [_The doors are thrown open._ INGA _comes forth, followed by - Nuns, Priests, and Monks._ - - INGA. - - [_On the church steps._] God has given judgment! Behold these hands; - with them I bore the iron! - - VOICES AMONGST THE MULTITUDE. - - They are tender and white as before! - - OTHER VOICES. - - Fairer still! - - THE WHOLE MULTITUDE. - - He is Håkon’s son! He is Sverre’s[21] grandson! - - HÅKON. - - [_Embraces her._] Thanks to thee, thanks to thee, blessed among - women! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_In passing, to the_ EARL.] ’Twas ill done to press for the ordeal. - - EARL SKULE. - - Nay, my lord Bishop, needs must we pray for God’s voice in this - matter. - - HÅKON. - - [_Deeply moved, holding_ INGA _by the hand._] It is done, then, that - which my every fibre cried out against—that which has made my heart - shrivel and writhe within me—— - - DAGFINN. - - [_Turning towards the multitude._] Ay, look upon this woman and - bethink you, all that are gathered here! Who ever doubted her word, - until certain folk required that it should be doubted. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Doubt has whispered in every corner from the hour when Håkon the - Pretender was borne, a little child, into King Inge’s[22] hall. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - And last winter it swelled to a roar, and sounded forth over the - land, both north and south; I trow every man can bear witness to - that. - - HÅKON. - - I myself can best bear witness to it. Therefore have I yielded to - the counsel of many faithful friends, and humbled myself as no other - chosen king has done for many a day. I have proved my birth by the - ordeal, proved my right, as the son of Håkon Sverresson, to succeed - to the throne of Norway. I will not now question who fostered the - doubt, and made it, as the Earl’s kinsman says, swell into a roar; - but this I know, that I have suffered bitterly under it. I have been - chosen king from boyhood, but little kingly honour has been shown - me, even where it seemed I might look for it most securely. I will - but remind you of last Palm Sunday in Nidaros,[23] when I went up to - the altar to make my offering, and the Archbishop turned away and - made as though he saw me not, to escape greeting me as kings are - wont to be greeted. Yet such slights I could easily have borne, had - not open war been like to break loose in the land; that I must needs - hinder. - - DAGFINN. - - It may be well for kings to hearken to counsels of prudence; but had - my counsel been heard in this matter, it had not been with hot iron, - but with cold steel that Håkon Håkonsson had called for judgment - between himself and his foes. - - HÅKON. - - Curb yourself, Dagfinn; think what beseems the man who is to be - foremost in the State. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_With a slight smile._] ’Tis easy to call every one the King’s foe - who chimes not with the King’s will. Methinks _he_ is the King’s - worst foe who would counsel him against making good his right to the - kingship. - - HÅKON. - - Who knows? Were my right alone in question, mayhap I had not paid so - dear to prove it; but higher things are here at stake: my calling - and my duty. Deep and warm is the faith within me—and I blush not to - own it—that I alone am he who in these times can sway the land to - its weal. Kingly birth begets kingly duty—— - - EARL SKULE. - - There are others here who bear themselves the like fair witness. - - SIGURD RIBBUNG. - - That do I, and with full as good ground. My grandfather was King - Magnus Erlingsson—— - - HÅKON. - - Ay, if your father, Erling Steinvæg, was indeed King Magnus’s son; - but most folk deny it, and in that matter none has yet faced the - ordeal. - - SIGURD RIBBUNG. - - The Ribbungs chose me as king of their own free will, whereas ’twas - by threats that Dagfinn the Peasant and other Birchlegs[24] gained - for you the name of King. - - HÅKON. - - Ay, so ill had you dealt with Norway that the stock of Sverrë had to - claim its right with threats. - - GUTHORM INGESSON. - - I am of the stock of Sverrë as much as you—— - - DAGFINN. - - But not in the true male line. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - You come on the spindle side, Guthorm. - - GUTHORM INGESSON. - - Yet this I know, that my father, Ingë Bårdsson, was lawfully chosen - king of Norway. - - HÅKON. - - Because none knew that Sverrë’s grandson was alive. From the day - that became known, he held the kingdom in trust for me—not - otherwise. - - EARL SKULE. - - That cannot truly be said; Ingë was king all his days, with all - lawful power and without reserve. ’Tis true enough that Guthorm has - but little claim, for he was born out of wedlock; but I am King - Ingë’s lawfully begotten brother, and the law is with me if I claim, - and take, his full inheritance. - - DAGFINN. - - Ah, Sir Earl, of a truth you have taken full inheritance, not of - your father’s wealth alone, but of all the goods Håkon Sverresson - left behind him. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Not all, good Dagfinn. Respect the truth;—King Håkon has kept a - brooch and the golden ring he wears on his arm. - - HÅKON. - - Be that as it will; with God’s help I shall win myself wealth again. - And now, ye barons and thanes, ye churchmen and chieftains and - men-at-arms, now it is time we held the folkmote, as has been - agreed. I have sat with bound hands until this day; methinks no man - will blame me for longing to have them loosed. - - EARL SKULE. - - There are others in like case, Håkon Håkonsson. - - HÅKON. - - [_His attention arrested._] What mean you, Sir Earl? - - EARL SKULE. - - I mean that all we Pretenders have the same cause for longing. We - have all alike been straitly bound, for none of us has known how far - his right might reach. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The Church has been even as unstable as the kingdom; but now must we - abide by the sainted King Olaf’s law. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Half aloud._] Fresh subtleties! - - [HÅKON’S _men gather more closely together._ - - HÅKON. - - [_With forced calmness, advances a couple of paces towards the_ - EARL.] I would fain think I have not rightly taken your meaning. The - ordeal has made good my birthright to the kingdom, and therefore, as - I deem, the folkmote has nought to do but to confirm my election, - made at the Örething[25] six years ago. - - SEVERAL OF THE EARL’S AND SIGURD’S MEN. - - No, no! That we deny! - - EARL SKULE. - - ’Twas with no such thought that we agreed to hold the folkmote here. - The ordeal has not given you the kingdom; it has but proved your - title to come forward to-day, along with the other Pretenders here - present, and contend for the right you hold to be yours—— - - HÅKON. - - [_Constraining himself to be calm._] That means, in brief, that for - six years I have unlawfully borne the name of King, and you, Sir - Earl, have for six years unlawfully ruled the land as regent for me. - - EARL SKULE. - - In no wise. When my brother died, ’twas needful that some one should - bear the kingly title. The Birchlegs, and most of all Dagfinn the - Peasant, were active in your cause, and hastened your election - through before we others could set forth our claims. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_To_ HÅKON.] The Earl would say that that election gave you but the - use of the kingly power, not the right to it. - - EARL SKULE. - - You have held all the marks of kingship; but Sigurd Ribbung and - Guthorm Ingesson and I hold ourselves to the full as near inheritors - as you; and now shall the law judge between us, and say whose shall - be the inheritance for all time. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - In truth, Earl Skule reads the case aright. - - EARL SKULE. - - There has been talk more than once in these years of both ordeal and - folkmote; but something has ever come between. And, Sir Håkon, if - you deemed your right for ever fixed by the first election, how came - you to accept the ordeal? - - DAGFINN. - - [_Exasperated._] To your swords, King’s men, let _them_ decide! - - MANY OF THE KING’S MEN. - - [_Rushing forward._] Down with the King’s enemies! - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Calls to his men._] Slay none! Wound none! Only keep them off. - - HÅKON. - - [_Restraining his men._] Up with your blades, all who have drawn - them!—Up with your blades, I say! [_Calmly._] You make things - tenfold worse for me by such doings. - - EARL SKULE. - - Even so are men flying at each other’s throats all the country over. - You see now, Håkon Håkonsson; does not this show clearly what you - have to do, if you care aught for the country’s peace and the lives - of men? - - HÅKON. - - [_After some reflection._] Yes—I see it. [_Takes_ INGA _by the hand - and turns to one of those standing by him._] Torkell, you were a - trusty man in my father’s guard; take this woman to your own abode - and see you tend her well; she was very dear to Håkon - Sverresson.—God bless you, my mother,—now I must gird me for the - folkmote. [INGA _presses his hand, and goes with_ TORKELL. HÅKON _is - silent awhile, then steps forward and says with emphasis:_] The law - shall decide, and it alone. Ye Birchlegs who, at the Örething, took - me for your King, I free you from the oath ye sware to me. You, - Dagfinn, are no longer my marshal; I will not appear with marshal or - with guard,[26] with vassals or with henchmen. I am a poor man; all - my inheritance is a brooch and this gold ring;—these are scant goods - wherewith to reward so many good men’s service. Now, ye other - Pretenders, now we stand equal; I will have no advantage of you, - save the right which I have from above—that I neither can nor will - share with any one.—Let the assembly-call be sounded, and then let - God and the Holy King Olaf’s law decide. - - [_Goes out with his men to the left; blasts of trumpets and - horns are heard in the distance._ - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_To the_ EARL, _as the crowd is departing._] Methought you seemed - afraid during the ordeal, and now you look so glad and of good - cheer. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Well at ease._] Marked you that he had Sverre’s eyes as he spoke? - Whether he or I be chosen king, the choice will be good. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Uneasily._] But do not you give way. Think of all who stand or - fall with your cause. - - EARL SKULE. - - I stand now upon justice; I no longer fear to call upon Saint Olaf. - - [_Goes out to the left with his followers._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Hastening after_ DAGFINN THE PEASANT.] All goes well, good - Dagfinn, all goes well;—but keep the Earl far from the King when he - is chosen;—see you keep them far apart! - - [_All go out to the left, behind the church._ - - -------------- - - _A hall in the Palace. In front, on the left, is a low window; on - the right, the entrance-door; at the back, a larger door which - leads into the King’s Hall. By the window, a table; chairs and - benches stand about._ - - LADY RAGNHILD _and_ MARGRETE _enter by the smaller door;_ SIGRID - _follows immediately._ - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - In here? - - MARGRETE. - - Ay, here it is darkest. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Goes to the window._] And here we can look down upon the - mote-stead. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Looks out cautiously._] Ay, there they are, all gathered behind - the church. [_Turns, in tears._] Yonder must now betide what will - bring so much in its train. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Who will be master in this hall to-morrow? - - MARGRETE. - - Oh, hush! So heavy a day I had never thought to see. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - It had to be; to rule in another’s name was no full work for him. - - MARGRETE. - - Ay, it had to be; _he_ could never rest content with but the name of - king. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Of whom speak you? - - MARGRETE. - - Of Håkon. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - I spoke of the Earl. - - MARGRETE. - - There breathe not nobler men than they two. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - See you Sigurd Ribbung? With what a look of evil cunning he sits - there—like a wolf in chains. - - MARGRETE. - - Ay, see!—He folds his hands before him on his sword-hilt and rests - his chin upon them. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - He bites his beard and laughs—— - - MARGRETE. - - ’Tis an evil laugh. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - He knows that none will further his cause;—’tis that which makes him - wroth. Who is yonder thane that speaks now? - - MARGRETE. - - That is Gunnar Grionbak. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Is he for the Earl? - - MARGRETE. - - No, he is for the King—— - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Looking at her._] For whom say you? - - MARGRETE. - - For Håkon Håkonsson. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Looks out; after a short pause._] Where sits Guthorm Ingesson?—I - see him not. - - MARGRETE. - - Behind his men, lowest of all there—in a long mantle. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Ay, there. - - MARGRETE. - - He looks as though he were ashamed—— - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - That is for his mother’s sake. - - MARGRETE. - - So looked not Håkon. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Who speaks now? - - MARGRETE. - - [_Looking out._] Tord Skolle, the thane of Ranafylke. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Is _he_ for the Earl? - - MARGRETE. - - No—for Håkon. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - How motionless the Earl sits listening! - - MARGRETE. - - Håkon seems thoughtful—but strong none the less. [_With animation._] - If there came a traveller from afar, he could pick out those two - amongst all the thousand others. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - See, Margrete! Dagfinn the Peasant drags forth a gilded chair for - Håkon—— - - MARGRETE. - - Paul Flida places one like it behind the Earl—— - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Håkon’s men seek to hinder it! - - MARGRETE. - - The Earl holds fast to the chair——! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Håkon speaks wrathfully to him. [_Starts back, with a cry, from the - window._] Lord Jesus! Saw you his eyes—and his smile——! No, that was - not the Earl! - - MARGRETE. - - [_Who has followed her in terror._] ’Twas not Håkon either! Neither - one nor the other! - - SIGRID. - - [_At the window._] Oh pitiful! Oh pitiful! - - MARGRETE. - - Sigrid! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - You here! - - SIGRID. - - Goes the path so low that leads up to the throne! - - MARGRETE. - - Oh, pray with us, that all be guided for the best. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_White and horror-stricken, to_ SIGRID.] Saw you him——? Saw you my - husband——? His eyes and his smile—I should not have known him! - - SIGRID. - - Looked he like Sigurd Ribbung? - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Softly._] Ay, he looked like Sigurd Ribbung. - - SIGRID. - - Laughed he like Sigurd? - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Ay, ay! - - SIGRID. - - Then must we all pray. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_With the force of despair._] The Earl _must_ be chosen King! - ’Twill work ruin in his soul if he be not the first man in the land! - - SIGRID. - - [_More loudly._] Then must we all pray! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Hist! What is _that_? [_At the window._] What shouts! All the men - have risen; all the banners and standards wave in the wind. - - SIGRID. - - [_Seizes her by the arm._] Pray, woman! Pray for your husband! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Ay, Holy King Olaf, give him all the power in this land! - - SIGRID. - - [_Wildly._] None—none! Else is he lost! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - He _must_ have the power. All the good in him will grow and blossom - should he win it.—Look forth, Margrete! Listen! [_Starts back a - step._] All hands are lifted for an oath! - - [MARGRETE _listens at the window._ - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - God and St. Olaf, to whom do they swear? - - SIGRID. - - Pray! - - [MARGRETE _listens, and with uplifted hand motions for - silence._ - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_After a little while._] Speak! - - [_From the mote-stead is heard a loud blast of trumpets and - horns._ - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - God and St. Olaf! To whom have they sworn? - - [_A short pause._ - - MARGRETE. - - [_Turns her head and says:_] They have chosen Håkon Håkonsson king. - - [_The music of the royal procession is heard, first in the - distance and then nearer and nearer._ LADY RAGNHILD - _clings weeping to_ SIGRID, _who leads her quietly out - on the right;_ MARGRETE _remains immovable, leaning - against the window-frame. The_ KING’S _attendants open - the great doors, disclosing the interior of the Hall, - which is gradually filled by the procession from the - mote-stead._ - - HÅKON. - - [_In the doorway, turning to_ IVAR BODDE.] Bring me a pen and wax - and silk—I have parchment here. [_Advances exultantly to the table - and spreads some rolls of parchment upon it._] Margrete, now am I - King! - - MARGRETE. - - Hail to my lord and King! - - HÅKON. - - I thank you. [_Looks at her and takes her hand._] Forgive me; I - forgot that it must wound you. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Drawing her hand away._] It did not wound me;—of a surety you are - born to be king. - - HÅKON. - - [_With animation._] Ay, must not all men own it, who remember how - marvellously God and the saints have shielded me from all harm? I - was but a year old when the Birchlegs bore me over the mountains, in - frost and storm, and through the very midst of those who sought my - life. At Nidaros I came scatheless from the Baglers[27] when they - burnt the town with so great a slaughter, while King Ingë himself - barely saved his life by climbing on shipboard up the anchor-cable. - - MARGRETE. - - Your youth has been a hard one. - - HÅKON. - - [_Looking steadily at her._] Methinks you might have made it easier. - - MARGRETE. - - I? - - HÅKON. - - You might have been so good a foster-sister to me, through all the - years when we were growing up together. - - MARGRETE. - - But it fell out otherwise. - - HÅKON. - - Ay, it fell out otherwise;—we looked at each other, I from my - corner, you from yours, but we seldom spoke——[_Impatiently._] What - is keeping him? [IVAR BODDE _comes with the writing materials._] Are - you there? Give me the things! - - [HÅKON _seats himself at the table and writes. A little - while after,_ EARL SKULE comes in; then DAGFINN THE - PEASANT, BISHOP NICHOLAS _and_ VEGARD VÆRADAL. - - HÅKON. - - [_Looks up and lays down his pen._] Know you, Sir Earl, what I am - writing here? [_The_ EARL _approaches._] This is to my mother; I - thank her for all her love, and kiss her a thousand times—here in - the letter you understand. She is to be sent eastward to - Borgasyssel, there to live with all queenly honours. - - EARL SKULE. - - You will not keep her in the palace? - - HÅKON. - - She is too dear to me, Earl;—a king must have none about him whom he - loves too well. A king must act with free hands; he must stand alone - he must neither be led nor lured. There is so much to be mended in - Norway. - - [_Goes on writing._ - - VEGARD VÆRADAL. - - [_Softly to_ BISHOP NICHOLAS.] ’Tis by _my_ counsel he deals thus - with Inga, his mother. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I knew your hand in it at once. - - VEGARD VÆRADAL. - - But now one good turn deserves another. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Wait. I will keep my promise. - - HÅKON. - - [_Gives the parchment to_ IVAR BODDE.] Fold it together and bear it - to her yourself, with many loving greetings—— - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_Who has glanced at the parchment._] My lord—you write - here—“to-day”——! - - HÅKON. - - The wind is fair for a southward course. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Slowly._] Bethink you, my lord King, that she has lain all night - on the altar-steps in prayer and fasting. - - IVAR BODDE. - - And she may well be weary after the ordeal. - - HÅKON. - - True, true;—my good, kind mother—— [_Collects himself._] Well, if - she be too weary, let her wait until to-morrow. - - IVAR BODDE. - - It shall be as you will. [_Puts another parchment forward._] But - this other, my lord. - - HÅKON. - - That other?—Ivar Bodde, I cannot. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Points to the letter for_ INGA.] Yet you could do _that_. - - IVAR BODDE. - - All things sinful must be put away. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Who has drawn near in the meantime._] Bind the Earl’s hands, King - Håkon. - - HÅKON. - - [_In a low voice._] Think you _that_ is needful? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - At no cheaper rate can you buy peace in the land. - - HÅKON. - - Then I can do it! Give me the pen! - - [_Writes._ - - EARL SKULE. - - [_To the_ BISHOP, _who crosses to the right._] You have the King’s - ear, it would seem. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - For your behoof. - - EARL SKULE. - - Say you so? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Before nightfall you will thank me. - - [_He moves away._ - - HÅKON. - - [_Hands the_ EARL _the parchment._] Read that, Earl Skule. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Reads, looks in surprise at the_ KING, _and says in a low voice._] - You break with Kanga the Young? - - HÅKON. - - With Kanga whom I have loved more than all the world. From this day - forth she must never more cross the King’s path. - - EARL SKULE. - - This that you do is a great thing, Håkon. Mine own memory tells me - what it must cost. - - HÅKON. - - Whoever is too dear to the King must away.—Tie up the letter. - [_Gives it to_ IVAR BODDE. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Bending over the chair._] You have made a great stride towards the - Earl’s friendship, my lord King. - - HÅKON. - - [_Holds out his hand to him._] I thank you, Bishop Nicholas; you - counselled me for the best. Ask a grace of me, and I will grant it. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Will you? - - HÅKON. - - I promise it on my kingly faith. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Then make Vegard Væradal thane of Halogaland. - - HÅKON. - - Vegard? He is well-nigh the trustiest friend I have; I am loath to - send him so far from me. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The King’s friend must be royally rewarded. Bind the Earl’s hands as - I have counselled you, and you will be secure for ever and a day. - - HÅKON. - - [_Takes a sheet of parchment._] Vegard shall bear rule in - Halogaland. [_Writing._] I hereby grant it under my royal hand. - [_The Bishop retires._ - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Approaches the table._] What write you now? - - HÅKON. - - [_Hands him the sheet._] Read. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Reads, and looks steadily at the_ KING.] Vegard Væradal? In - Halogaland? - - HÅKON. - - The northern part stands vacant. - - EARL SKULE. - - Bethink you that Andres Skialdarband[28] has also a charge in the - north. They two are bitter foes;—Andres Skialdarband is of my - following—— - - HÅKON. - - [_Smiling and rising._] And Vegard Væradal of mine. Therefore they - must e’en make friends again, the sooner the better. Henceforth - there must be no enmity between the King’s men and the Earl’s. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ha!—this may go too far. [_Approaches, uneasy._ - - EARL SKULE. - - Your thoughts are wise and deep, Håkon. - - HÅKON. - - [_Warmly._] Earl Skule, to-day have I taken the kingdom from you—let - your daughter share it with me! - - EARL SKULE. - - My daughter! - - MARGRETE. - - Oh, God! - - HÅKON. - - Margrete, will you be my Queen? - - [_Margrete is silent._ - - HÅKON. - - [_Takes her hand._] Answer me. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Softly._] I will gladly be your wife. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Pressing Håkon’s hand._] Peace and friendship from my heart! - - HÅKON. - - I thank you. - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_To_ DAGFINN.] Heaven be praised; here is the dawn. - - DAGFINN. - - I almost believe it. Never before have I liked the Earl so well. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Behind him._] Ever on your guard, good Dagfinn—ever on your guard. - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_To_ VEGARD.] Now are you thane in Halogaland; here you have it - under the King’s hand. - - [_Gives him the letter._ - - VEGARD VÆRADAL. - - I will thank the King for his favour another time. - - [_About to go._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Stops him._] Andres Skialdarband is an ugly neighbour; be not - cowed by him. - - VEGARD VÆRADAL. - - No one has yet cowed Vegard Væradal. [_Goes._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Following._] Be as rock and flint to Andres Skialdarband,—and, - while I think on’t, take my blessing with you. - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_Who has been waiting behind the_ KING _with the parchments in his - hand._] Here are the letters, my lord. - - HÅKON. - - Good; give them to the Earl. - - IVAR BODDE. - - To the Earl? Will you not seal them? - - HÅKON. - - The Earl is wont to do that;—he holds the seal. - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_Softly._] Ay, hitherto—while he was regent—but _now_! - - HÅKON. - - Now as before;—the Earl holds the seal. - - [_Moves away._ - - EARL SKULE. - - Give me the letters, Ivar Bodde. - - [_Goes to the table with them, takes out the Great Seal - which he wears under his girdle, and seals the letters - during the following._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Muttering._] Håkon Håkonsson is King—and the Earl holds the royal - seal;—I like that—I like that. - - HÅKON. - - What says my lord Bishop? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I say that God and St. Olaf watch over their holy church. [_Goes - into the King’s Hall._ - - HÅKON. - - [_Approaching Margrete._] A wise queen can do great things in the - land: I chose you fearlessly, for I know you are wise. - - MARGRETE. - - Only _that_? - - HÅKON. - - What mean you? - - MARGRETE. - - Nothing, my lord, nothing. - - HÅKON. - - And you will bear me no grudge if for my sake you have had to forgo - fair hopes? - - MARGRETE. - - I have forgone no fair hopes for your sake. - - HÅKON. - - And you will stand ever near me, and give me good counsel? - - MARGRETE. - - I would fain stand near to you. - - HÅKON. - - And give me good counsel. I thank you for that; a woman’s counsel - profits every man, and henceforth I have none but you—my mother I - had to send away—— - - MARGRETE. - - Ay, she was too dear to you—— - - HÅKON. - - And I am King. Farewell then, Margrete! You are so young yet; but - next summer shall our bridal be,—and from that hour I swear to keep - you by my side in all seemly faith and honour. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Smiles sadly._] Ay, ’twill be long, I know, ere you send me away. - - HÅKON. - - [_Brightly._] Send you away? That will I never do. - - MARGRETE. - - [_With tears in her eyes._] No, that Håkon does only to those who - are too dear to him. - - [_She goes towards the entrance door._ HÅKON _gazes - thoughtfully after her._ - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_From the right._] The King and the Earl tarry here so long! My - fears are killing me;—Margrete, what has the King said and done? - - MARGRETE. - - Oh, much, much! Last of all, he chose a thane and a Queen. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - You, Margrete! - - MARGRETE. - - [_Throws her arms round her mother’s neck._] Yes! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - You are to be Queen! - - MARGRETE. - - Queen only;—but I think I am glad even of that. - - [_She and her mother go out to the right._ - - EARL SKULE. - - [_To_ IVAR BODDE.] Here are our letters; bear them to the King’s - mother and to Kanga. - - [IVAR BODDE _bows and goes._ - - DAGFINN. - - [_In the doorway of the hall._] The Archbishop of Nidaros craves - leave to offer King Håkon Håkonsson his homage. - - HÅKON. - - [_Draws a deep breath._] At last, then, I am King of Norway. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Places the Great Seal in his girdle._] But _I_ rule the realm. - - - - - ACT SECOND. - - - _Banquet Hall in the Palace at Bergen. A large bay-window in the - middle of the back wall, along which there is a daïs with - seats for the ladies. Against the left wall stands the throne, - raised some steps above the floor; in the centre of the - opposite wall is the great entrance door. Banners, standards, - shields and weapons, with many-coloured draperies, hang from - the wall-timbers and from the carven rafters. Around the hall - stand drinking-tables, with flagons, horns, and beakers._ - - KING HÅKON_ sits upon the daïs, with_ MARGRETE, SIGRID, LADY - RAGNHILD, _and many noble ladies._ IVAR BODDE _stands behind - the King’s chair. Round the drinking-tables are seated the - King’s and the Earl’s men, with guests. At the foremost table - on the right sit, among others,_ DAGFINN THE PEASANT, - GREGORIUS JONSSON, _and_ PAUL FLIDA. EARL SKULE _and_ BISHOP - NICHOLAS _are playing chess at a table on the left. The Earl’s - house-folk go to and fro, bearing cans of liquor. From an - adjoining room, music is heard during the following scene._ - - DAGFINN. - - The fifth day now wears on, yet the henchmen are none the less - nimble at setting forth the brimming flagons. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - It was never the Earl’s wont to stint his guests. - - DAGFINN. - - No, so it would seem. So royal a bridal-feast was never seen in - Norway before. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Earl Skule has never before given a daughter in marriage. - - DAGFINN. - - True, true; the Earl is a mighty man. - - A MAN-AT-ARMS. - - He holds a third part of the kingdom. That is more than any earl has - held heretofore. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - But the King’s part is larger. - - DAGFINN. - - We talk not of that here; we are friends now, and fully at one. - [_Drinks to_ PAUL.] So let King be King and Earl be Earl. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Laughs._] ’Tis easy to hear that you are a King’s man. - - DAGFINN. - - That should the Earl’s men also be. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Never. We have sworn fealty to the Earl, not to the King. - - DAGFINN. - - That may yet have to be done. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_To the_ EARL, _under cover of the game._] Hear you what Dagfinn - the Peasant says? - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Without looking up._] I hear. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Looking steadily at_ DAGFINN.] Has the King thoughts of that? - - DAGFINN. - - Nay, nay,—let be;—no wrangling to-day. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The King would force your men to swear him fealty, Earl. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Louder._] Has the King thoughts of that, I ask? - - DAGFINN. - - I will not answer. Let us drink to peace and friendship between the - King and the Earl. The ale is good. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - It has had time enough to mellow. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Three times has the Earl prepared the bridal—three times the King - promised to come—three times he came not. - - DAGFINN. - - Blame the Earl for _that_: he gave us plenty to do in Viken. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - ’Tis said Sigurd Ribbung gave you still more to do in Vermeland. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Flaring up._] Ay, and who was it that let Sigurd Ribbung slip - through their fingers? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Sigurd Ribbung fled from us at Nidaros, that all men know. - - DAGFINN. - - But no man knows that you did aught to hinder him. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_To the_ EARL, _who is pondering on a move._] Hear you, Earl? It - was you who let Sigurd Ribbung escape. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Makes a move._] That is an old story. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Have you not heard, then, of the Icelander Andres Torsteinsson, - Sigurd Ribbung’s friend—— - - DAGFINN. - - Ay; when Sigurd had escaped, you hanged the Icelander—that I know. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Makes a move and says laughingly to the_ EARL.] I take the pawn, - Sir Earl.[29] - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Aloud._] Take him; a pawn is of small account. - - [_Makes a move._ - - DAGFINN. - - Ay; that the Icelander found to his cost, when Sigurd Ribbung - escaped to Vermeland. - - [_Suppressed laughter amongst the King’s men; the - conversation is continued in a low tone; presently a man - comes in and whispers to_ GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Then I move here, and you have lost. - - EARL SKULE. - - So it would seem. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Leaning back in his chair._] You did not guard the king well at - the last. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Strews the pieces topsy-turvy and rises._] I have long been weary - of guarding kings. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Approaches and says in a low tone._] Sir Earl, Jostein[30] Tamb - sends word that the ship now lies ready for sea. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Softly._] Good. [_Takes out a sealed parchment._] Here is the - letter. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Shaking his head._] Earl, Earl,—is _this_ well bethought? - - EARL SKULE. - - What? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - It bears the King’s seal. - - EARL SKULE. - - I am acting for the King’s good. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Then let the King himself reject the offer. - - EARL SKULE. - - That he will not, if he has his own way. His whole heart is bent on - cowing the Ribbungs, therefore he is fain to secure himself on other - sides. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Your way may be wise,—but it is dangerous. - - EARL SKULE. - - Leave that to me. Take the letter, and bid Jostein sail forthwith. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - It shall be as you command. - - [_Goes out to the right, and presently comes in again._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_To the_ EARL.] You have much to see to, it would seem. - - EARL SKULE. - - But small thanks for it. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The King has risen. - - [HÅKON _comes down; all the men rise from the tables._ - - HÅKON. - - [_To the_ BISHOP.] We are rejoiced to see you bear up so bravely and - well through all these days of merriment. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - There comes a flicker now and again, my lord King; but ’twill scarce - last long. I have lain sick all the winter through. - - HÅKON. - - Ay, ay,—you have lived a strong life, rich in deeds of fame. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Shakes his head._] Ah, ’tis little enough I have done, and I have - _much_ still left to do. If I but knew whether I should have time - for it all! - - HÅKON. - - The living must take up the tasks of those who go before, honoured - lord; we all have the welfare of the land at heart. [_Turns to the_ - EARL.] I marvel much at one thing: that neither of our thanes from - Halogaland has come to the bridal. - - EARL SKULE. - - True; I doubted not that Andres Skialdarband would be here. - - HÅKON. - - [_Smiling._] And Vegard Væradal too. - - EARL SKULE. - - Ay, Vegard too. - - HÅKON. - - [_In jest._] And I trust you would now have received my old friend - better than you did seven years ago on Oslo wharf, when you stabbed - him in the cheek so that the blade cut its way out. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_With a forced laugh._] Ay, the time that Gunnulf, your mother’s - brother, cut off the right hand of Sira Eiliv, my best friend and - counsellor. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Merrily._] And when Dagfinn the Peasant and the men-at-arms set a - strong night-watch on the King’s ship, saying that the King was - unsafe in the Earl’s ward? - - HÅKON. - - [_Seriously._] Those days are old and forgotten. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Approaching._] Now may we sound the call to the weapon-sports on - the green, if so please you, my lord. - - HÅKON. - - Good. To-day will we give up to nought but merriment; to-morrow we - must turn our thoughts again to the Ribbungs and the Earl of Orkney. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, he denies to pay tribute, is it not so? - - HÅKON. - - Were I once well rid of the Ribbungs, I would myself fare westward. - - [HÅKON _goes towards the daïs, gives his hand to_ MARGRETE, _and - leads her out to the right; the others gradually follow._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_To_ IVAR BODDE.] Who is the man called Jostein Tamb? - - IVAR BODDE. - - There is a trader from Orkney who bears that name. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - From Orkney? So, so! And now he sails home again? - - IVAR BODDE. - - So I think. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Softly._] With a precious freight, Ivar Bodde. - - IVAR BODDE. - - Corn and raiment, most like. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And a letter from Earl Skule. - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_Starting._] To whom? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I know not; it bore the King’s seal—— - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_Seizes him by the arm._] Lord Bishop,—is it as you say? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Hush! Do not mix me up in the matter. - - [_Retires._ - - IVAR BODDE. - - Then must I straightway——Dagfinn the Peasant! Dagfinn! Dagfinn——! - - [_Pushes through the crowd towards the door._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_In a tone of commiseration, to_ GREGORIUS JONSSON.] Never a day - but one or another must suffer in goods or freedom. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Who is it now? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - A poor trader,—Jostein Tamb methinks they called him. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Jostein——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Dagfinn the Peasant would forbid him to set sail. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Dagfinn, would forbid him, say you? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He went even now. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Pardon, my lord; I must make speed—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, do even so, my dear lord;—Dagfinn the Peasant is so hasty. - - [GREGORIUS JONSSON _hastens out to the right along with the - remainder of the company; only_ EARL SKULE _and_ BISHOP - NICHOLAS _are left behind in the hall._ - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Walks up and down in deep thought; he seems suddenly to awaken; - looks round him, and says:_] How still it has become here of a - sudden! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The King has gone. - - EARL SKULE. - - And every one has followed him. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - All, save us. - - EARL SKULE. - - It is a great thing to be King. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Tentatively._] Are you fain to try it, Earl? - - EARL SKULE. - - [_With a serious smile._] I _have_ tried it; every night that brings - me sleep makes me King of Norway. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Dreams forbode. - - EARL SKULE. - - Ay, and tempt. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Not you, surely. In bygone days, that I could understand—but now, - when you hold a third part of the kingdom, rule as the first man in - the land, and are the Queen’s father—— - - EARL SKULE. - - Now most of all—now most of all. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Hide nothing! Confess; for verily I can see a great pain is gnawing - you. - - EARL SKULE. - - Now most of all, I say. _This_ is the great curse that lies upon my - whole life: to stand so near to the highest,—with an abyss between. - One leap, and on the other side are the kingship, and the purple - robe, the throne, the might, and all! I have it daily before my - eyes—but can _never_ reach it. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - True, Earl, true. - - EARL SKULE. - - When they made Guthorm Sigurdsson king, I was in the full strength - of my youth. It was as though a voice cried aloud within me: Away - with the child,—I am the man, the strong man!—But Guthorm was the - king’s son; there yawned an abyss between me and the throne. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And you dared not venture—— - - EARL SKULE. - - Then Erling Steinvæg was chosen by the Slittungs. The voice cried - within me again: Skule is a greater chieftain than Erling Steinvæg! - But I must needs have broken with the Birchlegs,—_that_ was the - abyss that time. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And Erling became king of the Slittungs, and after of the Ribbungs, - and still you waited! - - EARL SKULE. - - I waited for Guthorm to die. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And Guthorm died, and Inge Bårdsson, your brother, became king. - - EARL SKULE. - - Then I waited for my brother’s death. He was sickly from the first; - every morning, when we met at holy mass, I would cast stolen glances - to see whether his sickness increased. Every twitch of pain that - crossed his face was as a puff of wind in my sails, and bore me - nearer to the throne. Every sigh he breathed in his agony sounded to - me like an echoing trumpet-blast, like a herald from afar, - proclaiming that the throne should soon be mine. Thus I tore up by - the roots every thought of brotherly kindness; and Inge died, and - Håkon came—and the Birchlegs made _him_ king. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And you waited. - - EARL SKULE. - - Methought help must come from above. I felt the kingly strength - within me, and I was growing old; every day that passed was a day - taken from my life-work. Each evening I thought: To-morrow will come - the miracle that shall strike him down and set me in the empty seat. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Small was then Håkon’s power; he was no more than a child; it wanted - but a single step from you—yet you took it not. - - EARL SKULE. - - That step was hard to take; it would have parted me from my kindred - and from all my friends. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, _there_ is the rub, Earl Skule,—_that_ is the curse which has - lain upon your life. You would fain know every way open at need,—you - dare not break all your bridges and keep only one, defend it alone, - and on it conquer or fall. You lay snares for your foe, you set - traps for his feet, and hang sharp swords over his head; you strew - poison in every dish, and you spread a hundred nets for him; but - when he walks into your toils you dare not draw the string; if he - stretch out his hand for the poison, you think it safer he should - fall by the sword; if he is like to be caught in the morning, you - hold it wiser to wait till eventide. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Looking earnestly at him._] And what would _you_ do, my lord - Bishop? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Speak not of me; my work is to build up thrones in this land, not to - sit on them and rule. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_After a short pause._] Answer me _one_ thing, my honoured lord, - and answer me truly. How comes it that Håkon can follow the straight - path so unflinchingly? He is no wiser, no bolder than I. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Who does the greatest work in this world? - - EARL SKULE. - - The greatest man. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - But who is the greatest man? - - EARL SKULE. - - The bravest. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - So says the warrior. A priest would say: the man of greatest - faith,—a philosopher: the most learned. But it is none of these, - Earl Skule. The most fortunate man[31] is the greatest man. It is - the most fortunate man that does the greatest deeds—he whom the - cravings of his time seize like a passion, begetting thoughts he - himself cannot fathom, and pointing to paths which lead he knows not - whither, but which he follows and must follow till he hears the - people shout for joy, and, looking around him with wondering eyes, - finds that he has done a mighty deed. - - EARL SKULE. - - Ay, there is that unswerving confidence in Håkon. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - It is that which the Romans called _ingenium_.—Truly I am not strong - in Latin; but ’twas called _ingenium_. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Thoughtfully at first, afterwards in increasing excitement._] Is - Håkon made of other clay than mine? The fortunate man?—Ay, does not - everything thrive with him? Does not everything shape itself for the - best, when he is concerned? Even the peasants note it; they say the - trees bear fruit twice, and the fowls hatch out two broods every - summer, whilst Håkon is king. Vermeland, where he burned and - harried, stands smiling with its houses built afresh, and its - cornlands bending heavy-eared before the breeze. ’Tis as though - blood and ashes fertilised the land where Håkon’s armies pass; ’tis - as though the Lord clothed with double verdure what Håkon has - trampled down; ’tis as though the holy powers made haste to blot out - all evil in his track. And how easy has been his path to the throne! - He needed that Inge should die early, and Inge died: his youth - needed to be watched and warded, and his men kept watch and ward - around him; he needed the ordeal, and his mother arose and bore the - iron for him. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_With an involuntary outburst._] But we—we two——! - - EARL SKULE. - - We? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - You, I would say—what of you? - - EARL SKULE. - - The right is Håkon’s, Bishop. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The right is his, for he is the fortunate one; ’tis even the summit - of fortune, to have the right. But by what right has Håkon the - right, and not you? - - EARL SKULE. - - [_After a short pause._] There are things I pray God to save me from - thinking upon. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Saw you never an old picture in Christ’s Church at Nidaros? It shows - the Deluge rising and rising over all the hills, so that there is - but one single peak left above the waters. Up it clambers a whole - household, father and mother and son and son’s wife and - children;—and the son is hurling the father back into the flood to - gain better footing; and he will cast his mother down and his wife - and all his children, to win to the top himself;—for up there he - sees a handsbreadth of ground, where he may keep life in him for an - hour.—That, Earl, that is the saga of wisdom, and the saga of every - wise man. - - EARL SKULE. - - But the right! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The son _had_ the right. He had strength, and the craving for - life;—fulfil your cravings and use your strength: so much right has - every man. - - EARL SKULE. - - Ay, for that which is good. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Words, empty words! There is neither good nor evil, up nor down, - high nor low. You must forget such words, else will you never take - the last stride, never leap the abyss. [_In a subdued voice and - insistently._] You must not hate a party or a cause for that the - party or the cause would have _this_ and not _that_; but you must - hate every man of a party for that he is against you, and you must - hate all who gather round a cause, for that the cause clashes with - your will. Whatever is helpful to you, is good—whatever lays - stumbling-blocks in your path is evil. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Gazing thoughtfully before him._] What has that throne not cost - me, which yet I have not reached! And what has it cost Håkon, who - now sits in it so securely! I was young, and I forswore my sweet - secret love to ally myself with a powerful house. I prayed to the - saints that I might be blessed with a son—I got only daughters. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Håkon will have sons, Earl—mark that! - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Crossing to the window on the right._] Ay—all things fall out to - Håkon’s wish. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And you—will you suffer yourself to be outlawed from happiness all - your life through? Are you blind? See you not that it is a stronger - might than the Birchlegs that stands at Håkon’s back, and furthers - all his life-work? He has help from above, from—from those that are - against you—from those that have been your enemies, even from your - birth! And will you bow before these your enemies? Rouse you, man; - straighten your back! To what end got you your masterful soul? - Bethink you that the first great deed in all the world was done by - one who rose against a mighty realm! - - EARL SKULE. - - Who? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The angel who rose against the light! - - EARL SKULE. - - And was hurled into the bottomless pit—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Wildly._] And founded there a kingdom, and made himself a king, a - mighty king—mightier than any of the ten thousand—earls up yonder! - - [_Sinks down upon a bench beside the table._ - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Looks long at him._] Bishop Nicholas, are you something more or - something less than a man? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Smiling._] I am in the state of innocence: I know not good from - evil. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Half to himself._] Why did they send me into the world, if they - meant not to order it better for me? Håkon has so firm and - unswerving a faith in himself—all his men have so firm and - unswerving a faith in him—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Let it not be seen that _you_ have no such faith in yourself! Speak - as though you had it, swear great oaths that you have it—and all - will believe you. - - EARL SKULE. - - Had I a son! Had I but a son, to take all the great heritage after - me! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Eagerly._] Earl—if you _had_ a son? - - EARL SKULE. - - I have none. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Håkon will have sons. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Wringing his hands._] And is king-born! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Rising._] Earl—if he were not so? - - EARL SKULE. - - Has he not proved it? The ordeal—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And if he were not—in spite of the ordeal? - - EARL SKULE. - - Do you say that God lied in the issue of the ordeal? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - What was it Inga of Varteig called upon God to witness? - - EARL SKULE. - - That the child she bore in the eastland, in Borgasyssel, was the son - of Håkon Sverresson. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Nods, looks round, and says softly._] And if King Håkon were not - that child? - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Starts a step backwards._] Great God——! [_Controls himself._] It - is beyond belief. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Hearken to me, Earl Skule. I have lived seventy years and six; it - begins to go sharply downhill with me now, and I dare not take this - secret with me over yonder—— - - EARL SKULE. - - Speak, speak! Is he not the son of Håkon Sverresson? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Hear me. It was known to none that Inga was with child. Håkon - Sverresson was lately dead, and doubtless she feared Inge Bårdsson, - who was then king, and you, and—well, and the Baglers[32] too - mayhap. She was brought to bed secretly in the house of Trond the - Priest, in Heggen parish, and after nine days she departed - homewards; but the child remained a whole year with the priest, she - not daring to look to it, and none knowing that it breathed saved - Trond and his two sons. - - EARL SKULE. - - Ay, ay—and then? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - When the child was a year old, it could scarce be kept hidden - longer. So Inga made the matter known to Erlend of Huseby—an old - Birchleg of Sverre’s days, as you know. - - EARL SKULE. - - Well? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He and other chiefs from the Uplands took the child, bore it over - the mountains in midwinter, and brought it to the King, who was then - at Nidaros. - - EARL SKULE. - - And yet you can say that——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Needless to say, ’twas a dangerous task for a humble priest to rear - a king’s child. So soon as the child was born, he laid the matter - before one of his superiors in the church, and prayed for his - counsel. This his superior bade Trond send the true king’s son with - secrecy to a place of safety, and give Inga another, if she or the - Birchlegs should afterwards ask for her child. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Indignantly._] And who was the hound that gave that counsel? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - It was I. - - EARL SKULE. - - You? Ay, you have ever hated the race of Sverre. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I deemed it not safe for the king’s son to fall into your hands. - - EARL SKULE. - - But the priest——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Promised to do as I bade. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Seizing him by the arm._] And Håkon is the other child? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - If the priest kept his promise. - - EARL SKULE. - - _If_ he kept it? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Trond the Priest departed the land the same winter that the child - was brought to King Inge. He journeyed to Thomas Beckett’s grave, - and afterwards abode in England till his death. - - EARL SKULE. - - He departed the land, say you? Then must he have changed the - children and dreaded the vengeance of the Birchlegs. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Or he did _not_ change the children, and dreaded _my_ vengeance. - - EARL SKULE. - - Which surmise hold you for the truth? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Either may well be true. - - EARL SKULE. - - But the priest’s sons of whom you spoke? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - They went with the crusaders to the Holy Land. - - EARL SKULE. - - And there have since been no tidings of them? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, tidings there have been. - - EARL SKULE. - - Where are they? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - They were drowned in the Greek Sea on the journey forth. - - EARL SKULE. - - And Inga——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Knows nought, either of the priest’s confession or of my counsel. - - EARL SKULE. - - Her child was but nine days old when she left it, you said? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, and the child she next saw was over a year—— - - EARL SKULE. - - Then no living creature can here bring light! [_Paces rapidly to and - fro._] Almighty God, can this be true? Håkon—the King—he who holds - sway over all this land, not born of royal blood!—And why should it - not be like enough? Has not all fortune miraculously followed - him?—Why not this also, to be taken as a child from a poor cottar’s - hut and laid in a king’s cradle——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Whilst the whole people believes that he is the king’s son—— - - EARL SKULE. - - Whilst _he himself_ believes it, Bishop—_that_ is the heart of his - fortune, _that_ is the girdle of strength! [_Goes to the window._] - See how bravely he sits his horse! None rides as he does. His eyes - are filled with laughing, dancing sunshine; he looks forth into the - day as though he knew himself created to go forward, ever forward. - [_Turns towards the_ BISHOP.] I am a king’s arm, mayhap a king’s - brain as well; but he is the whole King. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Yet no king after all, mayhap. - - EARL SKULE. - - Mayhap no king after all. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Lays his hand on the Earl’s shoulder._] Hearken to me, Earl - Skule—— - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Still looking out._] There sits the Queen. Håkon speaks gently to - her; she turns red and white with joy. He took her to wife because - it was wise to choose the daughter of the mightiest man in the land. - There was then no thought of love for her in his heart;—but it will - come; Håkon has fortune with him. She will shed light over his - life——[_Stops, and cries out in wonder._] What is _this_? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - What? - - EARL SKULE. - - Dagfinn the Peasant bursts violently through the crowd. Now he is - giving the King some tidings. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Looking out from behind the_ EARL.] Håkon seems angered—does he - not? He clenches his fist—— - - EARL SKULE. - - He looks hitherward—what can it be? - - [_About to go._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Holding him back._] Hearken to me, Earl Skule—there may yet be one - means of winning assurance as to Håkon’s right. - - EARL SKULE. - - One means, you say? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Trond the Priest, ere he died, wrote a letter telling his whole - tale, and took the sacrament in witness of its truth. - - EARL SKULE. - - And that letter—for God’s pity’s sake—where is it? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - You must know that——[_Looks towards the door._] Hush!—here comes the - King. - - EARL SKULE. - - The letter, Bishop—the letter! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The King is here. - - [HÅKON _enters, followed by his Guard and many guests. Immediately - afterwards,_ MARGRETE _appears; she seems anxious and alarmed, and - is about to rush up to the King, when she is restrained by_ LADY - RAGNHILD, _who, with other ladies, has followed her._ SIGRID _stands - somewhat apart, towards the back. The_ EARL’S _men appear uneasy, - and gather in a group on the right, where_ SKULE _is standing, but - some way behind him._ - - HÅKON. - - [_In strong but repressed excitement._] Earl Skule, who is king in - this land? - - EARL SKULE. - - Who is king? - - HÅKON. - - That was my question. I bear the kingly title, but who holds the - kingly might? - - EARL SKULE. - - The kingly might should dwell with him who has the kingly right. - - HÅKON. - - So should it be; but is it so? - - EARL SKULE. - - Do you summon me to judgment? - - HÅKON. - - That do I; for that right I have toward every man in the land. - - EARL SKULE. - - I fear not to answer for my dealings. - - HÅKON. - - Well for us all if you can. [_Mounts a step of throne-daïs, and - leans upon one arm of the throne._] Here stand I as your king, and - ask. Know you that Jon, Earl of Orkney, has risen against me? - - EARL SKULE. - - Yes. - - HÅKON. - - That he denies to pay me tribute? - - EARL SKULE. - - Yes. - - HÅKON. - - And is it true that you, Sir Earl, have this day sent him a letter? - - EARL SKULE. - - Who says so? - - IVAR BODDE. - - That do I. - - DAGFINN. - - Jostein Tamb dared not deny to carry it, since it bore the King’s - seal. - - HÅKON. - - You write to the King’s foes under the King’s seal, although the - King knows nought of what is written? - - EARL SKULE. - - So have I done for many a year, with your good will. - - HÅKON. - - Ay, in the days of your regency. - - EARL SKULE. - - Never have you had aught but good thereby. Earl Jon wrote to me - praying that I would mediate on his behalf; he offered peace, but on - terms dishonourable to the King. The war in Vermeland has weighed - much upon your mind; had this matter been left to you, Earl Jon had - come too lightly off. I can deal better with him. - - HÅKON. - - ’Twas our will to deal with him ourself.—And what answer made you? - - EARL SKULE. - - Read my letter. - - HÅKON. - - Give it me! - - EARL SKULE. - - I deemed you had it. - - DAGFINN. - - Nay, you know better than that. Gregorius Jonsson was too swift of - foot; when we came on board, the letter was gone. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Turns to_ GREGORIUS JONSSON.] Sir Baron, give the King the letter. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Coming close to him, uneasily._] Hearken Earl——! - - EARL SKULE. - - What now? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Softly._] Bethink you, there were sharp words in it concerning the - King. - - EARL SKULE. - - My words I shall answer for. The letter! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - I have it not. - - EARL SKULE. - - You have it not! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Dagfinn the Peasant was at our heels. I snatched the letter from - Jostein Tamb, tied a stone to it—— - - EARL SKULE. - - Well? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - It lies at the bottom of the fiord. - - EARL SKULE. - - You have done ill—ill. - - HÅKON. - - I await the letter, Sir Earl. - - EARL SKULE. - - I cannot give it you. - - HÅKON. - - You _cannot_! - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Advancing a step towards the_ KING.] My pride brooks not to be put - to shifts, as you and your men would call it—— - - HÅKON. - - [_Controlling his rising wrath._] And so——? - - EARL SKULE. - - In one word—I _will_ not give it you! - - HÅKON. - - Then you defy me! - - EARL SKULE. - - Since so it must be—yes, I defy you. - - IVAR BODDE. - - [_Forcibly._] Now, my lord King, I scarce think you or any man can - now need further proof! - - DAGFINN. - - Nay, now I think we know the Earl’s mind. - - HÅKON. - - [_Coldly, to the_ EARL.] You will hand the Great Seal to Ivar Bodde. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Rushes with clasped hands towards the daïs, where the_ KING _is - standing._] Håkon, be a kind and gracious husband to me! - - [HÅKON _makes an imperative gesture towards her; she hides - her face in her veil, and goes up towards her mother - again._ - - EARL SKULE. - - [_To_ IVAR BODDE.] Here is the Great Seal. - - IVAR BODDE. - - This was to be the last evening of the feast. It has ended in a - heavy sorrow for the King; but sooner or later it needs must come, - and methinks every true man must rejoice that it has come. - - EARL SKULE. - - And I think every true man must feel bitter wrath to see a priest - thus make mischief between us Birchlegs;—ay, Birchlegs, I say; for I - am every whit as good a Birchleg as the King or any of his men. I am - of the same stock, the stock of Sverre, the kingly stock—but you, - Priest, you have built up a wall of distrust around the King, and - shut me out from him; that has been your task this many a year. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Enraged, to the bystanders._] Earl’s men. Shall we abide this - longer? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Steps forward._] No, we can and will no more abide it. ’Tis time - to say it plainly—none of the Earl’s men can serve the King in full - trust and love, so long as Ivar Bodde comes and goes in the palace, - and makes bad blood between us. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Priest! I bid you look to life and limb, wheresoever I meet you—in - the field, on shipboard, or in any unconsecrated house. - - MANY EARL’S MEN. - - I too! I too! You are an outlaw to us! - - IVAR BODDE. - - God forbid that I should stand between the King and so many mighty - chieftains.—Håkon, my gracious lord, my soul bears me witness that I - have served you in all faithfulness. True, I have warned you against - the Earl; but if I have ever done him wrong, I pray God forgive me. - Now have I no more to do in the palace; here is your Seal; take it - into your own hands; there it should have rested long ago. - - HÅKON. - - [_Who has come down from the daïs._] You shall remain! - - IVAR BODDE. - - I cannot. If I did, my conscience would gnaw and rend me night and - day. Greater evil can no man do in these times than to hold the King - and the Earl asunder. - - HÅKON. - - Ivar Bodde, I command you to remain! - - IVAR BODDE. - - If the Holy King Olaf should rise from his silver shrine to bid me - stay, still I needs must go. [_Places the Seal in the_ KING’S - _hand._] Farewell, my noble master! God bless and prosper you in all - your work! - - [_Goes out through the crowd, to the right._ - - HÅKON. - - [_Gloomily, to the_ EARL _and his men._] There have I lost a trusty - friend for your sakes; what requital can you offer to make good that - loss? - - EARL SKULE. - - I offer myself and all my friends. - - HÅKON. - - I almost fear ’twill not suffice. Now must I gather round me all the - men I can fully trust. Dagfinn the Peasant, let a messenger set out - forthwith for Halogaland; Vegard Væradal must be recalled. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Who has been standing somewhat towards the back, in conversation - with a man in travelling dress who has entered the hall, approaches - and says with emotion:_] Vegard cannot come, my lord. - - HÅKON. - - How know you that? - - DAGFINN. - - I have even now had tidings of him. - - HÅKON. - - What tidings? - - DAGFINN. - - That Vegard Væradal is slain. - - MANY VOICES. - - Slain! - - HÅKON. - - Who slew him? - - DAGFINN. - - Andres Skialdarband, the Earl’s friend. - - [_A short pause; uneasy whispers pass among the men._ - - HÅKON. - - Where is the messenger? - - DAGFINN. - - [_Leading the man forward._] Here, my lord King. - - HÅKON. - - What caused the slaying? - - THE MESSENGER. - - That no man knows. The talk fell upon the Finnish tribute, and on a - sudden Andres sprang up and gave him his death-wound. - - HÅKON. - - Had there been quarrels between them before? - - THE MESSENGER. - - Ever and anon. Andres would often say that a wise councillor here in - the south had written to him that he should be as rock and flint - toward Vegard Væradal. - - DAGFINN. - - Strange! Ere Vegard set forth he told me that a wise councillor had - said he should be as rock and flint toward Andres Skialdarband. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Spitting._] Shame upon such councillors. - - HÅKON. - - We will not question more closely from what root this wrong has - grown. Two faithful souls have I lost this day. I could weep for - Vegard, but ’tis no time for weeping; it must be life for life. Sir - Earl, Andres Skialdarband is your sworn retainer; you offered me all - service in requital for Ivar Bodde. I take you at your word, and - look to you to see that this misdeed be avenged. - - EARL SKULE. - - Of a truth, bad angels are at work between us to-day. On any other - of my men, I would have suffered you to avenge the murder—— - - HÅKON. - - [_Expectantly._] Well? - - EARL SKULE. - - But not on Andres Skialdarband. - - HÅKON. - - [_Flashing out._] Will you shield the murderer? - - EARL SKULE. - - _This_ murderer I _must_ shield. - - HÅKON. - - And the reason? - - EARL SKULE. - - That none but God in heaven may know. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Softly, to_ DAGFINN.] I know it. - - DAGFINN. - - And I suspect it. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Say nought, good Dagfinn! - - HÅKON. - - Earl, I will believe as long as I may, that you mean not in good - sooth what you have said to me—— - - EARL SKULE. - - Were it my own father Andres Skialdarband had slain, he should still - go free. Ask me no more. - - HÅKON. - - Good. Then we ourselves must do justice in the matter! - - EARL SKULE. - - [_With an expression of alarm._] There will be bloodshed on both - sides, my lord King! - - HÅKON. - - So be it; none the less shall the deed be avenged. - - EARL SKULE. - - It shall _not_ be!—It _cannot_ be! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Nay, there the Earl is right. - - HÅKON. - - Say you so, my honoured lord? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Andres Skialdarband has taken the Cross. - - HÅKON AND EARL SKULE. - - Taken the Cross! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And has already sailed from the land. - - EARL SKULE. - - ’Tis well for all of us! - - HÅKON. - - The day wanes; the bridal-feast must now be at an end. I thank you, - Sir Earl, for all the honour that has been shown me in these - days.—You are bound for Nidaros, as I think? - - EARL SKULE. - - That is my intent. - - HÅKON. - - And I for Viken.—If you, Margrete, choose rather to abide in Bergen, - then do so. - - MARGRETE. - - Whither you go, I go, until you forbid. - - HÅKON. - - Good; then come with me. - - SIGRID. - - Now is our kindred spread far abroad. [_Kneels to_ HÅKON.] Grant me - a grace, my lord King. - - HÅKON. - - Rise, Lady Sigrid; whatever you crave shall be granted. - - SIGRID. - - I cannot go with the Earl to Nidaros. The nunnery at Rein will soon - be consecrated; write to the Archbishop—take order that I be made - Abbess. - - EARL SKULE. - - You, my sister? - - HÅKON. - - You will enter a nunnery! - - SIGRID. - - [_Rising._] Since my wedding-night of blood, when the Baglers came - and hewed down my bridegroom, and many hundreds with him, and fired - Nidaros town at all its corners—since then, it has been as though - the blood and flames had dulled and deadened my sight for the world - around me. But power was given me to catch glimpses of that which - other eyes see not—and one thing I see now: a time of great dread - hanging over this land! - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Vehemently._] She is sick! Heed her not! - - SIGRID. - - A plenteous harvest is ripening for him that reaps in the darkness. - Every woman in Norway will have but one task now—to kneel in church - and cloister, and pray both day and night. - - HÅKON. - - [_Shaken._] Is it prophecy or soul-sickness that speaks thus? - - SIGRID. - - Farewell, my brother—we shall meet once more. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Involuntarily._] When? - - SIGRID. - - [_Softly._] When you take the crown; in the hour of danger,—when you - are fain of me in your direst need. - - [_Goes out to the right, with_ MARGRETE, LADY RAGNHILD, _and - the women._ - - HÅKON. - - [_After a short pause, draws his sword, and says with quiet - determination._] All the Earl’s men shall take the oath of fealty. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Vehemently._] Is this your settled purpose? [_Almost - imploringly._] King Håkon, do not so! - - HÅKON. - - No Earl’s man shall leave Bergen ere he has sworn fealty to the - King. - - [_Goes out with his Guard. All except the_ EARL _and the_ - BISHOP _follow him._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He has dealt hardly with you to-day! - - [EARL SKULE _is silent, and looks out after the_ KING, _as though - struck dumb._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_More loudly._] And mayhap not king-born after all. - - EARL SKULE. - - [_Turns suddenly, in strong excitement, and seizes the_ BISHOP _by - the arm._] Trond the Priest’s confession—where is it? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He sent it to me from England ere he died; I know not by whom—and it - never reached me. - - EARL SKULE. - - But it must be found! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I doubt not but it may. - - EARL SKULE. - - And if you find it, you will give it into my hands? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - That I promise. - - EARL SKULE. - - You swear it by your soul’s salvation? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I swear it by my soul’s salvation! - - EARL SKULE. - - Good; till that time I will work against Håkon, wherever it can be - done secretly and unnoted. He must be hindered from growing mightier - than I, ere the struggle begins. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - But should it prove that he is in truth king-born—what then? - - EARL SKULE. - - Then I must try to pray—to pray for humbleness, that I may serve him - with all my might, as a faithful chieftain. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - And if he be not the rightful king? - - EARL SKULE. - - Then shall he give place to me! The kingly title and the kingly - throne, host and guard, fleet and tribute, towns and strongholds, - all shall be mine! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He will betake him to Viken—— - - EARL SKULE. - - I will drive him out of Viken! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He will establish himself in Nidaros. - - EARL SKULE. - - I will storm Nidaros! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He will shut himself up in Olaf’s holy church—— - - EARL SKULE. - - I will force the sanctuary—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He will fly to the high altar, and cling to Olaf’s shrine—— - - EARL SKULE. - - I will drag him down from the altar, though I drag the shrine along - with him—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - But the crown will still be on his head, Earl Skule! - - EARL SKULE. - - I will strike off the crown with my sword! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - But if it sits too tight——? - - EARL SKULE. - - Then, in God’s name or Satan’s—I will strike off the head along with - it! - - [_Goes out to the right._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Looks out after him, nods slowly, and says:_] Ay—ay—’tis in this - mood I like the Earl! - - - - - ACT THIRD. - - - _A room in the Bishop’s Palace at Oslo._[33] _On the right is the - entrance door. In the back, a small door, standing open, leads - into the Chapel, which is lighted up. A curtained door in the - left wall leads into the Bishop’s sleeping room. In front, on - the same side, stands a cushioned couch. Opposite, on the - right, is a writing-table, with letters, documents, and a - lighted lamp._ - - _At first the room is empty; behind the curtain on the left, the - singing of monks is heard. Presently_ PAUL FLIDA, _in - travelling dress, enters from the right, stops by the door, - waits, looks around, and then knocks three times with his - staff upon the floor._ - - SIRA VILIAM. - - [_Comes out from the left, and exclaims in a hushed voice._] Paul - Flida! God be praised;—then the Earl is not far off. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - The ships are already at Hoved-isle; I came on ahead. And how goes - it with the Bishop? - - SIRA VILIAM. - - He is even now receiving the Extreme Unction. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Then there is great danger. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - Master Sigard of Brabant has said that he cannot outlive the night. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Then meseems he has summoned us too late. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - Nay, nay,—he has his full senses and some strength to boot; every - moment he asks if the Earl comes not soon. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - You still call him Earl; know you not that the King has granted him - the title of Duke? - - SIRA VILIAM. - - Ay, ay, we know it; ’tis but old custom. Hist! - - [_He and_ PAUL FLIDA _cross themselves and bow their heads. - From the_ BISHOP’S _door issue two acolytes with - candles, then two more with censers; then priests - bearing chalice, paten, and crucifix, and a church - banner; behind them a file of priests and monks; - acolytes with candles and censers close the procession, - which passes slowly into the chapel. The door is shut - behind them._ - - PAUL FLIDA. - - So now the old lord has made up his account with the world. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - I can tell him that Duke Skule comes so soon as may be? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - He comes straight from the wharf up here to the Palace. Farewell! - - [_Goes._ - - [_Several priests, among them_ PETER, _with some of the_ - BISHOP’S _servants, come out from the left with rugs, - cushions, and a large brazier._ - - SIRA VILIAM. - - Why do you this? - - A PRIEST. - - [_Arranging the couch._] The Bishop wills to lie out here. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - But is it prudent? - - THE PRIEST. - - Master Sigard thinks we may humour him. Here he is. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS _enters, supported by_ MASTER SIGARD _and a priest. - He is in his canonicals, but without crozier and mitre._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Light more candles. [_He is led to a seat upon the couch, near the - brazier, and is covered with rugs._] Viliam! Now have I been granted - forgiveness for all my sins! They took them all away with - them;—meseems I am so light now. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - The Duke sends you greeting, my lord; he has already passed - Hoved-isle! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - ’Tis well, very well. Belike the King, too, will soon be here. I - have been a sinful hound in my day, Viliam; I have grievously - trespassed against the King. The priests in there averred that all - my sins should be forgiven me;—well well, it may be so; but ’tis - easy for them to promise; ’tis not against _them_ that I have - trespassed. No no; it is safest to have it from the King’s own - mouth. [_Exclaims impatiently._] Light, I say! ’tis so dark in here. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - The candles are lighted—— - - MASTER SIGARD. - - [_Stops him by a sign, and approaches the_ BISHOP.] How goes it with - you, my lord? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - So-so—so-so; my hands and feet are cold. - - MASTER SIGARD. - - [_Half aloud, as he moves the brazier nearer._] Ha—’tis the - beginning of the end. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Apprehensively, to_ VILIAM.] I have commanded that eight monks - shall chant and pray for me in the chapel to-night. Have an eye to - them; there are idle fellows among them. - - [SIRA VILIAM _points silently towards the chapel, whence - singing is heard, which continues during what follows._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - So much still undone, and to go and leave it all! So much undone, - Viliam! - - SIRA VILIAM. - - My lord, think of heavenly things! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I have time before me;—till well on in the morning, Master Sigard - thinks—— - - SIRA VILIAM. - - My lord, my lord! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Give me mitre and crozier!—’Tis very well for you to say that I - should think——[_A priest brings them._] So, set the cap there, ’tis - too heavy for me; give me the crozier in my hand; there, now am I in - my armour. A bishop!——The Evil One dare not grapple with me now! - - SIRA VILIAM. - - Desire you aught beside? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - No. Stay—tell me:—Peter, Andres Skialdarband’s son,—all speak well - of him—— - - SIRA VILIAM. - - In truth, his is a blameless soul. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Peter, you shall watch beside me until the King or the Duke shall - come. Leave us, meanwhile, ye others, but be at hand. - - [_All except_ PETER _go out on the right._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_After a short pause._] Peter! - - PETER. - - [_Approaches._] My lord? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Hast ever seen old men die? - - PETER. - - No. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - They are all afeard; that I dare swear. There on the table lies a - large letter with seals to it; give it to me. [PETER _brings the - letter._] ’Tis to your mother. - - PETER. - - To my mother? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - You must get you northward with it to Halogaland. I have written to - her touching a great and weighty matter; tidings have come from your - father. - - PETER. - - He is fighting as a soldier of God in the Holy Land. Should he fall - there, he falls on hallowed ground; for there every foot’s-breadth - of earth is sacred. I commend him to God in all my prayers. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Is Andres Skialdarband dear to you? - - PETER. - - He is an honourable man; but there lives another man whose greatness - my mother, as it were, fostered and nourished me withal. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Hurriedly and eagerly._] Is that Duke Skule? - - PETER. - - Ay, the Duke—Skule Bårdsson. My mother knew him in younger days. The - Duke must sure be the greatest man in the land! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - There is the letter; get you northward with it forthwith!—Are they - not singing in there? - - PETER. - - They are, my lord! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Eight lusty fellows with throats like trumpets, they must surely - help somewhat, methinks. - - PETER. - - My lord, my lord! Why not pray yourself! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I have too much still undone, Peter. Life is all too short;—besides, - the King will surely forgive me when he comes——[Gives a start in - pain. - - PETER. - - You are suffering? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I suffer not; but there is a ringing in mine ears, a twinkling and - flickering before mine eyes—— - - PETER. - - ’Tis the heavenly bells ringing you home, and the twinkling of the - altar-lights God’s angels have lit for you. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, sure ’tis so;—there is no danger if only they lag not with their - prayers in there——Farewell; set forth at once with the letter. - - PETER. - - Shall I not first——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Nay, go; I fear not to be alone. - - PETER. - - Well met again, then, what time the heavenly bells shall sound for - me too. - - [_Goes out on the right._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The heavenly bells,—ay, ’tis easy talking when you still have two - stout legs to stand upon.—So much undone! But much will live after - me, notwithstanding. I promised the Duke by my soul’s salvation to - give him Trond the Priest’s confession if it came into my hand;—’tis - well I have not got it. Had he certainty, he would conquer or fall; - and then one of the twain would be the mightiest man that ever lived - in Norway. No no,—what _I_ could not reach none other shall reach. - Uncertainty serves best; so long as the Duke is burdened with that, - they two will waste each other’s strength, wheresoever they may; - towns will be burnt, dales will be harried,—neither will gain by the - other’s loss—[_Terrified._] Mercy, pity! It is I who bear the - guilt—I, who set it all agoing! [_Calming himself._] Well, well, - well! but now the King is coming—’tis he that suffers most—he will - forgive me—prayers and masses shall be said; there is no danger;—I - am a bishop, and I have never slain any man with mine own hand.—’Tis - well that Trond the Priest’s confession came not; the saints are - with me, they will not tempt me to break my promise.—Who knocks at - the door? It must be the Duke! [_Rubs his hands with glee._] He will - implore me for proofs as to the kingship,—and I have no proofs to - give him! - - INGA OF VARTEIG _enters; she is dressed in - black, with a cloak and hood._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Starts._] Who is that? - - INGA. - - A woman from Varteig in Borgasyssel, my honoured lord. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The King’s mother! - - INGA. - - So was I called once. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Go, go! ’Twas not I counselled Håkon to send you away. - - INGA. - - What the King does is well done; ’tis not therefore I come. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Wherefore then? - - INGA. - - Gunnulf, my brother, is come home from England—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - From England——! - - INGA. - - He has been away these many years, as you know, and has roamed far - and wide; now has he brought home a letter—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Breathlessly._] A letter——? - - INGA. - - From Trond the Priest. ’Tis for you, my lord. - - [_Hands it to him._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ah, truly;—and _you_ bring it? - - INGA. - - It was Trond’s wish. I owe him great thanks since the time he - fostered Håkon. It was told me that you were sick; therefore I set - forth at once; I have come hither on foot—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - There was no such haste, Inga! - - DAGFINN THE PEASANT _enters from the right._ - - DAGFINN. - - God’s peace, my honoured lord! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Comes the King? - - DAGFINN. - - He is now riding down the Ryen hills, with the Queen and the - King-child and a great following. - - INGA. - - [_Rushes up to_ DAGFINN.] The King,—the King! Comes _he_ hither? - - DAGFINN. - - Inga! You here, much-suffering woman! - - INGA. - - She is not much-suffering who has so great a son. - - DAGFINN. - - Now will his hard heart be melted. - - INGA. - - Not a word to the King of me. Yet, oh, I must see him!—Tell - me,—comes he hither? - - DAGFINN. - - Ay, presently. - - INGA. - - And it is dark evening. The King will be lighted on his way with - torches? - - DAGFINN. - - Yes. - - INGA. - - Then will I hide me in a gateway as he goes by;—and then home to - Varteig. But first will I into Hallvard’s church; the lights are - burning there to-night; there will I call down blessings on the - King, on my fair son. - - [_Goes out to the right._ - - DAGFINN. - - I have fulfilled mine errand; I go to meet the King. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Bear him most loving greeting, good Dagfinn! - - DAGFINN. - - [_As he goes out to the right._] _I_ would not be Bishop Nicholas - to-morrow. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Trond the Priest’s confession——! So it has come after all—here I - hold it in my hand. [_Muses with a fixed gaze._] A man should never - promise aught by his soul’s salvation, when he is as old as I. Had I - years before me, I could always wriggle free from such a promise; - but this evening, this last evening—no, that were imprudent.—But can - I keep it? Is it not to endanger all that I have worked for, my - whole life through? [_Whispering._] Oh, could I but cheat the Evil - One, only this one more time! [_Listens._] What was _that_? - [_Calls._] Viliam, Viliam! - - SIRA VILIAM _enters from the right._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - What is it that whistles and howls so grimly? - - SIRA VILIAM. - - ’Tis the storm; it grows fiercer. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The storm grows fiercer! Ay truly, I will keep my promise! The - storm, say you——? Are they singing in there? - - SIRA VILIAM. - - Yes, my lord. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Bid them bestir themselves, and chiefly brother Aslak; he always - makes such scant prayers; he shirks whenever he can; he skips, the - hound! [_Strikes the floor with his crozier._] Go in and say to him - ’tis the last night I have left; he shall bestir himself, else will - I haunt him from the dead! - - SIRA VILIAM. - - My lord, shall I not fetch Master Sigard? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Go in, I say! [VILIAM _goes into the chapel._] It must doubtless be - heaven’s will that I should reconcile the King and the Duke, since - it sends me Trond’s letter now. This is a hard thing, Nicholas; to - tear down at a single wrench what you have spent your life in - building up. But there is no other way; I must e’en do the will of - heaven this time.—If I could only read what is written in the - letter! But I cannot see a word! Mists drive before my eyes; they - sparkle and flicker; and I dare let none other read it for me! To - make such a promise——! Is human cunning, then, so poor a thing that - it cannot govern the outcome of its contrivances in the second and - third degree? I spoke so long and so earnestly to Vegard Væradal - about making the King send Inga from him, that at length it came to - pass. That was wise in the first degree; but had I not counselled - thus, then Inga had not now been at Varteig, the letter had not come - into my hands in time, and I had not had any promise to - keep—therefore ’twas unwise in the second degree. Had I yet time - before me——! but only the space of one night, and scarce even that. - I must, I will live longer! [_Knocks with his crozier; a priest - enters from the right._] Bid Master Sigard come! [_The priest goes; - the_ BISHOP _crushes the letter in his hands._] Here, under this - thin seal, lies Norway’s saga for a hundred years! It lies and - dreams, like the birdling in the egg! Oh, that I had more souls than - _one_—or else _none_! [_Presses the letter wildly to his breast._] - Oh, were not the end so close upon me,—and judgment and doom I would - hatch you out into a hawk that should cast the dreadful shadow of - his wings overall the land, and strike his sharp talons into every - heart! [_With a sudden shudder._] But the last hour is at hand! - [_Shrieking._] No, no! You shall become a swan, a white swan! - [_Throws the letter far from, him, on to the floor, and calls:_] - Master Sigard, Master Sigard! - - MASTER SIGARD. - - [_From the right._] How goes it, honoured lord! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Master Sigard—sell me three days’ life! - - MASTER SIGARD. - - I have told you—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Yes, yes; but that was in jest; ’twas a little revenge on me. I have - been a tedious master to you; therefore you thought to scare me. - Fie, that was evil,—nay, nay—’twas no more than I deserved! But, now - be good and kind! I will pay you well;—three days’ life, Master - Sigard, only three days’ life! - - MASTER SIGARD. - - Though I myself were to die in the same hour as you, yet could I not - add three days to your span. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - _One_ day, then, only _one_ day! Let it be light, let the sun shine - when my soul sets forth! Listen, Sigard! [_Beckons him over, and - drags him down upon the couch._] I have given well-nigh all my gold - and silver to the Church, to have high masses sung for me. I will - take it back again; you shall have it all! How now, Sigard, shall we - two fool them in there? He-he-he! You will be rich, Sigard, and can - depart the country; I shall have time to cast about me a little, and - make shift with fewer prayers. Come, Sigard, shall we——! [SIGARD - _feels his pulse; the_ BISHOP _exclaims anxiously:_] How now, why - answer you not? - - MASTER SIGARD. - - [_Rising._] I have no time, my lord. I must prepare you a draught - that may ease you somewhat at the last. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Nay, wait with that! Wait,—and answer me! - - MASTER SIGARD. - - I have no time; the draught must be ready within an hour. - - [_Goes out to the right._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Within an hour! [_Knocks wildly._] Viliam! Viliam! - - [SIRA VILIAM _comes out from the chapel._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Call more to help in there! The eight are not enough! - - SIRA VILIAM. - - My lord——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - More to help, I say! Brother Kolbein has lain sick these five - weeks,—he cannot have sinned much in that time—— - - SIRA VILIAM. - - He was at shrift yesterday. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Eagerly._] Ay, _he_ must be good; call him! [VILIAM _goes into the - chapel again._] Within an hour! [_Dries the sweat off his brow._] - Pah—how hot it is here!—The miserable hound—what boots all his - learning, when he cannot add an hour to my life? There sits he in - his closet day by day, piecing together his cunning wheels and - weights and levers; he thinks to fashion a machine that shall go and - go and never stop—_perpetuum mobile_ he calls it. Why not rather - turn his art and his skill to making man such a _perpetuum mobile_? - [_Stops and thinks; his eyes light up._] _Perpetuum mobile_,—I am - not strong in Latin—but it means somewhat that has power to work - eternally, through all the ages. If I myself, now, could but——? - _That_ were a deed to end my life withal! That were to do my - greatest deed in my latest hour! To set wheel and weight and lever - at work in the King’s soul and the Duke’s; to set them a-going so - that no power on earth can stop them; if I can but do that, then - shall I live indeed, live in my work—and, when I think of it, mayhap - ’tis _that_ which is called immortality.—Comfortable, soothing - thoughts, how ye do the old man good! [_Draws a deep breath, and - stretches himself comfortably upon the couch._] Diabolus has pressed - me hard to-night. That comes of lying idle; _olium est - pulvis—pulveris_—pooh, no matter for the Latin——Diabolus shall no - longer have power over me; I will be busy to the last; I will——; how - they bellow in yonder——[_Knocks;_ VILIAM _comes out._] Tell them to - hold their peace; they disturb me. The King and the Duke will soon - be here; I have weighty matters to ponder. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - My lord, shall I then——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Bid them hold awhile, that I may think in peace. Look you, take up - yonder letter that lies upon the floor.—Good. Reach me the papers - here—— - - SIRA VILIAM. - - [_Goes to the writing-table._] Which, my lord? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - It matters not——; the sealed ones; those that lie uppermost—So; go - now in and bid them be silent. [VILIAM _goes._] To die, and yet rule - in Norway! To die, and yet so contrive things that no man may come - to raise his head above the rest. A thousand ways may lead towards - that goal; yet can there be but _one_ that will reach it;—and now to - find that one—to find it and follow it——Ha! The way lies so close, - so close at hand! Ay, so it must be. I will keep my promise; the - Duke shall have the letter in his hands;—but the King—he shall have - the thorn of doubt in his heart. Håkon is upright, as they call it; - many things will go to wreck in his soul along with the faith in - himself and in his right. Both of them shall doubt and believe by - turns, still swaying to and fro, and finding no firm ground beneath - their feet—_perpetuum mobile!_—But will Håkon believe what I say? - Ay, that will he; am I not a dying man?—And to prepare the way I - will feed him up with truths.—My strength fails, but fresh life - fills my soul;—I no longer lie on a sick-bed, I sit in my workroom; - I will work the last night through, work—till the light goes out—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Enters from the right and advances towards the_ BISHOP.] Peace and - greeting, my honoured lord! I hear it goes ill with you. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - I am a corpse in the bud, good Duke; this night shall I break into - bloom; to-morrow you may scent my perfume. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Already to-night, say you? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Master Sigard says: within an hour. - - DUKE SKULE. - - And Trond the Priest’s letter——? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Think you still upon that? - - DUKE SKULE. - - ’Tis never out of my thoughts. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - The King has made you Duke; before you, no man in Norway has borne - that title. - - DUKE SKULE. - - ’Tis not enough. If Håkon be not the rightful king, then must I have - all! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ha, ’tis cold in here; the blood runs icy through my limbs. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Trond the Priest’s letter, my lord! For Almighty God’s sake,—have - you it? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - At least, I know where it may be found. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Tell me then, tell me! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Wait—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - Nay, nay—lose not your time; I see it draws to an end;—and ’tis said - the King comes hither. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, the King comes; thereby you may best see that I am mindful of - your cause, even now. - - DUKE SKULE. - - What is your purpose? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Mind you, at the King’s bridal—you said that Håkon’s strength lay in - his steadfast faith in himself? - - DUKE SKULE. - - Well? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - If I confess, and raise a doubt in his mind, then his faith will - fall, and his strength with it. - - DUKE SKULE. - - My lord, this is sinful, sinful, if he be the rightful king. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - ’Twill be in your power to restore his faith. Ere I depart hence, I - will tell you where Trond the Priest’s letter may be found. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - [_From the right._] The King is now coming up the street, with - torch-bearers and attendants. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - He shall be welcome. [VILIAM _goes._] Duke, I beg of you one last - service: do you carry on my feuds against all mine enemies. [_Takes - out a letter._] Here I have written them down. Those whose names - stand first I would fain have hanged, if it could be so ordered. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Think not upon vengeance now; you have but little time left—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Not on vengeance, but on punishment. Promise me to wield the sword - of punishment over all mine enemies when I am gone. They are your - foemen no less than mine; when you are King you must chastise them; - do you promise me that? - - DUKE SKULE. - - I promise and swear it; but Trond’s letter——! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - You shall learn where it is;—but see—the King comes; hide the list - of our foemen! - - [_The_ DUKE _hides the paper; at the same moment_ HÅKON - _enters from the right._ - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Well met at the grave-feast, my lord King. - - HÅKON. - - You have ever withstood me stubbornly; but that shall be forgiven - and forgotten now; death wipes out even the heaviest reckoning. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - That lightened my soul! Oh how marvellous is the King’s clemency! My - lord, what you have done for an old sinner this night shall be - tenfold—— - - HÅKON. - - No more of that; but I must tell you that I greatly marvel you - should summon me hither to obtain my forgiveness, and yet prepare - for me such a meeting as this. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Meeting, my lord? - - DUKE SKULE. - - ’Tis of me the King speaks. Will you, my lord Bishop, assure King - Håkon, by my faith and honour, that I knew nought of his coming, ere - I landed at Oslo wharf? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Alas, alas! The blame is all mine! I have been sickly and bedridden - all the last year; I have learnt little or nought of the affairs of - the kingdom; I thought all was now well between the princely - kinsmen! - - HÅKON. - - I have marked that the friendship between the Duke and myself - thrives best when we hold aloof from one another; therefore - farewell, Bishop Nicholas, and God be with you where you are now to - go. - - [_Goes towards the door._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Softly and uneasily._] Bishop, Bishop, he is going! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Suddenly and with wild energy._] Stay, King Håkon! - - HÅKON. - - [_Stops._] What now? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - You shall not leave this room until old Bishop Nicholas has spoken - his last word! - - HÅKON. - - [_Instinctively lays his hand upon his sword._] Mayhap you have come - well attended to Viken, Duke. - - DUKE SKULE. - - I have no part in this. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - ’Tis by force of words that I will hold you. Where there is a burial - in the house, the dead man ever rules the roost; he can do and let - alone as he will—so far as his power may reach. Therefore will I now - speak my own funeral-speech; in days gone by, I was ever sore afraid - lest King Sverre should come to speak it—— - - HÅKON. - - Talk not so wildly, my lord! - - DUKE SKULE. - - You shorten the precious hour still left to you! - - HÅKON. - - Your eyes are already dim. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, my sight is dim; I scarce can see you where you stand; but - before my inward eye, my life is moving in a blaze of light. _There_ - I see sights——; hear and learn, O King!—My race was the mightiest in - the land; many great chieftains had sprung from it; _I_ longed to be - the greatest of them all. I was yet but a boy when I began to thirst - after great deeds; meseemed I could by no means wait till I were - grown. Kings arose who had less right than I,—Magnus Erlingsson, - Sverre the Priest——; I also would be king; but I must needs be a - chieftain first. Then came the battle at Ilevoldene; ’twas the first - time I went out to war. The sun went up, and glittering lightnings - flashed from a thousand burnished blades. Magnus and all his men - advanced as to a game; I alone felt a tightness at my heart. - Fiercely our host swept forward; but I could not follow—I was - afraid! All Magnus’s other chieftains fought manfully, and many fell - in the fight; but I fled up over the mountain, and ran and ran, and - stayed not until I came down to the fiord again, far away. Many a - man had to wash his bloody clothes in Trondheim-fiord that night;—I - had to wash mine too, but not from blood. Ay, King, I was - afraid;—born to be a chieftain—and afraid! It fell upon me as a - thunderbolt; from that hour I hated all men. I prayed secretly in - the churches, I wept and knelt before the altars, I gave rich gifts, - made sacred promises; I tried and tried in battle after battle, at - Saltösund, at Jonsvoldene that summer the Baglers lay in Bergen,—but - ever in vain. Sverre it was who first noted it; he proclaimed it - loudly and with mockery, and from that day forth, not a man in the - host but laughed when Nicholas Arnesson was seen in war-weed. A - coward, a coward—and yet was I filled with longing to be a chief, to - be a king; nay, I felt I was born to be King. I could have furthered - God’s kingdom upon earth; but ’twas the saints themselves that - barred the way for me. - - HÅKON. - - Accuse not heaven, Bishop Nicholas! You have hated much. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Ay, I have hated much; hated every head in this land that raised - itself above the crowd. But I hated because I could not love. Fair - women,—oh, I could devour them even now with glistening eyes! I have - lived eighty years, and yet do I yearn to kill men and clasp - women;—but my lot in love was as my lot in war: nought but an - itching will, my strength sapped from my birth; dowered with - seething desire—and yet a weakling! So I became a priest: king or - priest must that man be who would have all might in his hands. - [_Laughs._] I a priest! I a churchman! Yes, for _one_ clerkly office - Heaven had notably fitted me—for taking the high notes—for singing - with a woman’s voice at the great church-festivals. And yet they up - yonder claim of me—the half-man—what they have a right to claim only - of those whom they have in all things fitted for their life-work! - There have been times when I fancied such a claim might be just; I - have lain here on my sick-bed crushed by the dread of doom and - punishment. Now it is over; my soul has fresh marrow in its bones; - _I_ have not sinned; it is _I_ that have suffered wrong; _I_ am the - accuser! - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Softly._] My lord—the letter! You have little time left. - - HÅKON. - - Think of your soul, and humble you! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - A man’s life-work is his soul, and my life-work still shall live - upon the earth. But you, King Håkon, you should beware; for as - Heaven has stood against _me_, and reaped harm for its reward, so - are you standing against the man who holds the country’s welfare in - his hand—— - - HÅKON. - - Ha—Duke, Duke! Now I see the bent of this meeting! - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Vehemently, to the_ BISHOP.] Not a word more of this! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_To_ HÅKON.] He will stand against you so long as his head sits - fast on his shoulders. Share with him! I will have no peace in my - coffin, I will rise again, if you two share not the kingdom! Neither - of you shall add the other’s height to his own stature. If that - befell, there would be a giant in the land, and here shall no giant - be; for I was never a giant! - - [_Sinks back exhausted on the couch._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Falls on his knees beside the couch and cries to_ HÅKON.] Summon - help! For God’s pity’s sake; the Bishop must not die yet! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - How it waxes dusk before my eyes!—King, for the last time—will you - share with the Duke? - - HÅKON. - - Not a shred will I let slip of that which God gave me. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Well and good. [_Softly._] Your faith, at least, you shall let slip. - [_Calls._] Viliam! - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Softly._] The letter! The letter! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Not listening to him._] Viliam! [VILIAM _enters; the_ BISHOP - _draws him close down to him and whispers._] When I received the - Extreme Unction, all my sins were forgiven me? - - SIRA VILIAM. - - All your sins from your birth, till the moment you received the - Unction. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - No longer? Not until the very end? - - SIRA VILIAM. - - You will not sin to-night, my lord! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Who can tell——? Take the golden goblet Bishop Absalon left me—give - it to the Church— and say seven high masses more. - - SIRA VILIAM. - - God will be gracious to you, my lord! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Seven more masses, I say—for sins I may commit to-night! Go, go! - [VILIAM _goes; the_ BISHOP _turns to_ SKULE.] Duke, if you should - come to read Trond the Priest’s letter, and it should mayhap prove - that Håkon is the rightful king—what would you do then? - - DUKE SKULE. - - In God’s name—king he should remain. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Bethink you; much is at stake. Search every fold of your heart; - answer as though you stood before your Judge! What will you do, if - he be the rightful king? - - DUKE SKULE. - - Bow my head and serve him. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Mumbles._] So, so: then bide the issue. [_To_ SKULE.] Duke, I am - weak and weary; a mild and charitable mood comes over me—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - It is death! Trond the Priest’s letter! Where is it? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - First another matter;—I gave you the list of my enemies—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Impatiently._] Yes, yes; I will take full revenge upon them—— - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - No, my soul is filled with mildness; I will forgive, as the - Scripture commands. As you would forgo might, I will forgo revenge. - Burn the list! - - DUKE SKULE. - - Ay, ay; as you will. - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - Here, in the brazier; so that I may see it—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Throws the paper into the fire._] There, then; see, it burns. And - now, speak, speak. You risk thousands of lives if you speak not now! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_With sparkling eyes._] Thousands of lives. [_Shrieks._] Light! - Air! - - HÅKON. - - [_Rushes to the door and cries._] Help! The Bishop is dying! - - SIRA VILIAM _and several of the_ BISHOP’S _men enter._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Shakes the_ BISHOP’S _arm._] You risk Norway’s happiness through - hundreds of years, mayhap its greatness to all eternity! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - To all eternity! [_Triumphantly._] _Perpetuum mobile!_ - - DUKE SKULE. - - By your soul’s salvation,—where is Trond the Priest’s letter? - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Calls._] Seven more masses, Viliam! - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Beside himself._] The letter! The letter! - - BISHOP NICHOLAS. - - [_Smiling in his death-agony._] ’Twas it you burned, good Duke! - - [_Falls back on the couch and dies._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_With an involuntary cry, starts backwards and covers his face with - his hands._] Almighty God! - - THE MONKS. - - [_Rushing in flight from the chapel._] Save you, all who can! - - SOME VOICES. - - The powers of evil have broken loose! - - OTHER VOICES. - - There rang a loud laugh from the corner!—A voice cried: “We have - him!”——All the lights went out! - - HÅKON. - - Bishop Nicholas is even now dead. - - THE MONKS. - - [_Fleeing to the right._] Pater noster—Pater noster - - HÅKON. - - [_Approaches_ SKULE, _and says in a low voice._] Duke, I will not - question what secret counsel you were hatching with the Bishop ere - he died;—but from to-morrow must you give up your powers and - dignities into my hands; I see clearly now that we two cannot go - forward together. - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Looks at him absently._] Go forward together——? - - HÅKON. - - To-morrow I hold an Assembly in the Palace; then must all things be - made clear between us. - - [_Goes out to the right._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - The Bishop dead and the letter burnt! A life full of doubt and - strife and dread! Oh, could I but pray!—No—I must act; this evening - must the stride be taken, once for all! [_To_ VILIAM.] Whither went - the King? - - SIRA VILIAM. - - [_Terrified._] Christ save me,—what would you with him? - - DUKE SKULE. - - Think you I would slay him to-night? - - [_Goes out to the right._ - - SIRA VILIAM. - - [_Looks after him, shaking his head, while the house-folk bear the - body out to the left._] Seven more masses, the Bishop said; I think - ’twere safest we should say fourteen. - - [_Follows the others._ - - -------------- - - _A room in the Palace. In the back is the entrance door; in each of - the side walls a smaller door; in front, on the right, a - window. Hung from the roof, a lamp is burning. Close to the - door on the left stands a bench, and further back a cradle, in - which the King-child is sleeping; MARGRETE is kneeling beside - the child._ - - MARGRETE. - [_Rocks the cradle and sings._] - - Now roof and rafters blend with - the starry vault on high; - now flieth little Håkon - on dream-wings through the sky. - - There mounts a mighty stairway - from earth to God’s own land; - there Håkon with the angels - goes climbing, hand in hand. - - God’s angel-babes are watching - thy cot, the still night through; - God bless thee, little Håkon, - thy mother watcheth too. - - _A short pause._ DUKE SKULE _enters from the back._ - - MARGRETE. - - [_Starts up with a cry of joy and rushes to meet him._] My - father!—Oh, how I have sighed and yearned for this meeting! - - DUKE SKULE. - - God’s peace be with you, Margrete! Where is the King? - - MARGRETE. - - With Bishop Nicholas. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Ha,—then must he soon be here. - - MARGRETE. - - And you will talk together and be at one, be friends again, as in - the old days? - - DUKE SKULE. - - That would I gladly. - - MARGRETE. - - ’Twould rejoice Håkon no less; and I pray to God every day that so - it may be. Oh, but come hither and see—— - - [_Takes his hand and leads him to the cradle._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - Your child! - - MARGRETE. - - Ay, that lovely babe is mine;—is it not marvellous? He is called - Håkon, like the King! See, his eyes—nay, you cannot see them now he - is sleeping—but he has great blue eyes; and he can laugh, and reach - forth his hands to take hold of me.—and he knows me already. - - [_Smoothes out the bed-clothes tenderly._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - Håkon will have sons, the Bishop foretold. - - MARGRETE. - - To me this little child is a thousand times dearer than all Norway’s - land—and to Håkon too. Meseems I cannot rightly believe my - happiness; I have the cradle standing by my bedside; every night, as - often as I waken, I look to see if it be there—I am fearful lest it - should prove to be all a dream—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Listens and goes to the window._] Is not that the King? - - MARGRETE. - - Ay; he is going up the other stair; I will bring him. [_Takes her - father’s hand and leads him playfully up to the cradle._] Duke - Skule! Keep watch over the King-child the while—for he is a - King-child too—though I can never remember it! Should he wake, then - bow deeply before him, and hail him as men hail kings! Now will I - bring Håkon. Oh, God, God! now at last come light and peace over our - house. [_Goes out to the right._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_After a short and gloomy silence._] Håkon has a son. His race - shall live after him. If he die, he leaves an heir who stands nearer - the throne than all others. All things thrive with Håkon. Mayhap he - is not the rightful king; but his faith in himself stands firm as - ever; the Bishop would have shaken it, but Death gave him not time, - God gave him not leave. God watches over Håkon, and suffers him to - keep the girdle of strength. Were I to tell him now? Were I to make - oath to what the Bishop told me? What would it avail? None would - believe me, neither Håkon nor the others. He would have believed the - Bishop in the hour of death; the doubt would have rankled - poisonously in him; but it was not to be. And deep-rooted as is - Håkon’s faith, so is my doubt deep-rooted; what man on earth can - weed it out? None, none. The ordeal has been endured, God has - spoken, and still Håkon may not be the rightful king, while my life - goes to waste. [_Seats himself broodingly beside a table on the - right._] And if, now, I won the kingdom, would not the doubt dwell - with me none the less, gnawing and wearing and wasting me away, with - its ceaseless icy drip, drip.—Aye; but ’tis better to sit doubting - on the throne than to stand down in the crowd, doubting of him who - sits there in your stead.—There must be an end between me and Håkon! - An end? But how? [_Rises._] Almighty, thou who hast thus bestead me, - thou must bear the guilt of the issue! [_Goes to and fro, stops and - reflects._] I must break down all bridges, hold only _one_, and - there conquer or fall—as the Bishop said at the bridal-feast at - Bergen. That is now nigh upon three years since, and through all - that time have I split up and spilt my strength in trying to guard - all the bridges. [_With energy._] Now must I follow the Bishop’s - counsel; now or never! Here are we both in Oslo; this time I have - more men than Håkon; why not seize the advantage—’tis so seldom on - my side. [_Vacillating._] But to-night——? At once——? No, no! Not - to-night! Ha-ha-ha—there again!—pondering, wavering! Håkon knows not - what that means; he goes straight forward, and so he conquers! - [_Going up the room, stops suddenly beside the cradle._] The - King-child!—How fair a brow! He is dreaming. [_Smoothes out the - bed-clothes; and looks long at the child._] Such an one as thou can - save many things in a man’s soul. I have no son. [_Bends over the - cradle._] He is like Håkon——[_Shrinks suddenly backwards._] The - King-child, said the Queen! Bow low before him and hail him as men - hail kings! Should Håkon die before me, this child will be raised to - the throne; and I—I shall stand humbly before him, and bow low and - hail him as king! [_In rising agitation._] This child, Håkon’s son, - shall sit on high, on the seat that should in right, mayhap, be - mine—and I shall stand before his footstool, white-haired and bowed - with age, and see my whole life-work lying undone—die without having - been king!—I have more men than Håkon—there blows a storm to-night, - and the wind sweeps down the fiord——! If I took the King-child? I am - safe with the Trönders.[34] What would Håkon dare attempt, were his - child in my power? My men will follow me, fight for me and conquer. - Their reward shall be kingly, and they know it.—So shall it be! I - will take the stride; I will leap the abyss, for the first time! - Could I but see if thou hast Sverre’s eyes—or Håkon Sverresson’s——! - He sleeps. I cannot see them. [_A pause._] Sleep is as a shield. - Sleep in peace, thou little Pretender! [_Goes over to the table._] - Håkon shall decide; once again will I speak with him. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Enters, with the_ KING, _from the room on the right._] The Bishop - dead! Oh, trust me, all strife dies with him. - - HÅKON. - - To bed, Margrete! You must be weary after the journey. - - MARGRETE. - - Yes, yes. [_To the_ DUKE.] Father, be kind and yielding—Håkon has - promised to be the like! A thousand good-nights, to both of you! - - [_Makes a gesture of farewell at the door on the left, and - goes out; two women carry out the cradle._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - King Håkon, this time we must not part as foes. All evil will - follow; there will fall a time of dread upon the land. - - HÅKON. - - The land has known nought else through many generations; but, see - you, God is with me; every foeman falls that would stand against me. - There are no more Baglers, no Slittungs, no Ribbungs; Earl Jon is - slain, Guthorm Ingesson is dead, Sigurd Ribbung likewise—all claims - that were put forth at the folkmote at Bergen have fallen - powerless—from whom, then, should the time of dread come now? - - DUKE SKULE. - - Håkon, I fear me it might come from me! - - HÅKON. - - When I came to the throne, I gave you the third part of the - kingdom—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - But kept two-thirds yourself! - - HÅKON. - - You ever thirsted after more; I eked out your share until now you - hold half the kingdom. - - DUKE SKULE. - - There lack ten ship-wards.[35] - - HÅKON. - - I made you Duke; that has no man been in Norway before you. - - DUKE SKULE. - - But you are king! I must have no king over me! I was not born to - serve you; I must rule in my own right! - - HÅKON. - - [_Looks at him for a moment, and says coldly:_] Heaven guard your - understanding, my lord. Good night. - - [_Going._ - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Blocking the way._] You shall not go from me thus! Beware, or I - will forswear all faith with you; you can no longer be my overlord; - we two must share! - - HÅKON. - - You dare to say this to me! - - DUKE SKULE. - - I have more men than you in Oslo, Håkon Håkonsson. - - HÅKON. - - Mayhap you think to—— - - DUKE SKULE. - - Hearken to me! Think of the Bishop’s words! Let us share; give me - the ten ship-wards; let me hold my share as a free kingdom, without - tax or tribute. Norway has ere this been parted into two - kingdoms;—we will hold firmly together—— - - HÅKON. - - Duke, you must be soul-sick, that you can crave such a thing. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Ay, I am soul-sick, and there is no other healing for me. We two - must be equals; there must be no man over me! - - HÅKON. - - Every treeless skerry is a stone in the building which Harald - Hårfager and the sainted King Olaf reared; would you have me break - in twain what they have mortised together? Never! - - DUKE SKULE. - - Well, then let us reign by turns; let each bear sway for three - years! You have reigned long; now my turn has come. Depart from the - land for three years;—I will be king the while; I will even out your - paths for you against your home-coming; I will guide all things for - the best;—it wears and blunts the senses to sit ever on the watch. - Håkon, hear me—three years each; let us wear the crown by turns! - - HÅKON. - - Think you my crown would fit well on your brow? - - DUKE SKULE. - - No crown is too wide for me! - - HÅKON. - - It needs a God-sent right and a God-sent calling to wear the crown. - - DUKE SKULE. - - And know you so surely that you have a God-sent right? - - HÅKON. - - I have God’s own word for it. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Rest not too surely on that. Had the Bishop had time to speak—but - that were bootless now; you would not believe me. Ay, truly you have - mighty allies on high; but I defy you none the less! You will not - reign by turns with me? Well—then must we try the last - resort;—Håkon, let us two fight for it, man to man, with heavy - weapons, for life or death! - - HÅKON. - - Speak you in jest, my lord? - - DUKE SKULE. - - I speak for my life-work and for my soul’s salvation! - - HÅKON. - - Then is there small hope for the saving of your soul. - - DUKE SKULE. - - You will not fight with me? You shall, you shall! - - HÅKON. - - Oh blinded man! I cannot but pity you. You think ’tis the Lord’s - calling that draws you toward the throne; you see not that ’tis - nought but pride of heart. What is it that allures you? The royal - circlet, the purple-bordered mantle, the right to be seated three - steps above the floor;—pitiful, pitiful: Were that kingship, I would - cast it into your hat, as I cast a groat to a beggar. - - DUKE SKULE. - - You have known me since your childhood, and you judge me thus! - - HÅKON. - - You have wisdom and courage and all noble gifts of the mind; you are - born to stand nearest a king, but not to be a king yourself. - - DUKE SKULE. - - That will we now put to the proof! - - HÅKON. - - Name me a single king’s-task you achieved in all the years you were - regent for me! Were the Baglers or the Ribbungs ever mightier than - then? You were in ripe manhood, yet the land was harried by - rebellious factions; did you quell a single one of them? I was young - and untried when I came to the helm—look at me—all fell before me - when I became king; there are no Baglers, no Ribbungs left! - - DUKE SKULE. - - Beware how you boast of that; for _there_ lies the greatest danger. - Party must stand against party, claim against claim, region against - region, if the king is to have the might. Every village, every - family, must either need him or fear him. If you strike at the root - of faction, at the same stroke you kill your own power. - - HÅKON. - - And you would be king—you, who think such thoughts! You had been - well fitted for a chieftain’s part in Erling Skakke’s days; but the - time has grown away from you, and you know it not. See you not, - then, that Norway’s realm, as Harald and Olaf built it up, may be - likened to a church that stands as yet unconsecrate? The walls soar - aloft with mighty buttresses, the vaultings have a noble span, the - spire points upward, like a fir-tree in the forest; but the life, - the throbbing heart, the fresh blood-stream, is lacking to the work; - God’s living spirit is not breathed into it; it stands - unconsecrate.—_I_ will bring consecration! Norway has been a - _kingdom_, it shall become a _people_. The Trönder has stood against - the man of Viken, the Agdeman against the Hordalander, the - Halogalander against the Sogndalesman; all shall be one hereafter, - and all shall feel and know that they are one! _That_ is the task - which God has laid on my shoulders; _that_ is the work which now - lies before the King of Norway. That life-work, Duke, I think you - were best to leave untried, for truly it is beyond you. - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Impressed._] To unite——? To unite the Trönders and the men of - Viken,—all Norway——? [_Sceptically._] ’Tis impossible! Norway’s saga - tells of no such thing! - - HÅKON. - - For you ’tis impossible, for you can but work out the old saga - afresh; for me, ’tis as easy as for the falcon to cleave the clouds. - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_In uneasy agitation._] To unite the whole people—to awaken it so - that it shall know itself _one_! Whence got you so strange a - thought? It runs through me like ice and fire. [_Vehemently._] It - comes from the devil, Håkon; it shall never be carried through while - I have strength to buckle on my helm. - - HÅKON. - - ’Tis from God the thought comes to me, and never shall I let it slip - while I bear St. Olaf’s circlet on my brow! - - DUKE SKULE. - - Then must St. Olaf’s circlet fall from your brow! - - HÅKON. - - Who will make it fall? - - DUKE SKULE. - - I, if none other. - - HÅKON. - - You, Skule, will be harmless after to-morrow’s Assembly. - - DUKE SKULE. - - Håkon! Tempt not God! Drive me not out upon the last ledge of the - deep! - - HÅKON. - - [_Points to the door._] Go, my lord—and be it forgotten that we have - spoken with sharp tongues this night. - - DUKE SKULE. - - [_Looks hard at him for a moment, and says:_] Next time, ’twill be - with sharper tongues we speak. - - [_Goes to the back._ - - HÅKON. - - [_After a short pause._] He threatens! No, no, it cannot come to - that. He must, he shall give way and do my will; I have need of that - strong arm, that cunning brain.—Whatsoever courage and wisdom and - strength there maybe in this land, all gifts that God has endowed - men withal, are but granted them to my uses. For my service did all - noble gifts fall to Duke Skule’s share; to defy me is to defy - Heaven; ’tis my duty to punish whosoever shall set himself up - against Heaven’s will—for Heaven has done so much for me. - - DAGFINN THE PEASANT. - - [_Enters from the back._] Be on your guard to-night, my lord; the - Duke has surely evil in his mind. - - HÅKON. - - What say you? - - DAGFINN. - - What may be his drift, I know not; but sure am I that something is - brewing. - - HÅKON. - - Can he think to fall upon us? Impossible, impossible! - - DAGFINN. - - No, ’tis something else. His ships lie clear for sailing; he has - summoned an Assembly on board them. - - HÅKON. - - You must mistake——! Go, Dagfinn, and bring me sure tidings. - - DAGFINN. - - Ay ay, trust to me. - - [_Goes._ - - HÅKON. - - No,—’tis not to be thought of! The Duke dare not rise against me. - God will not suffer it—God, who has hitherto guided all things for - me so marvellously. I must have peace now, for ’tis now I must set - about my work!—I have done so little yet; but I hear the unerring - voice of the Lord calling to me: Thou shalt do a great king’s-work - in Norway! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Enters from the back._] My lord and King! - - HÅKON. - - Gregorius Jonsson! Come _you_ hither? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - I offer myself for your service. Thus far have I followed the Duke; - but now I dare follow him no further. - - HÅKON. - - What has befallen? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - That which no man will believe, when ’tis rumoured through the land. - - HÅKON. - - Speak, speak! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - I tremble to hear the sound of my own words; know then—— - - [_He seizes the_ KING’S _arm and whispers._ - - HÅKON. - - [_Starts backwards with a cry._] Ha, are you distraught? - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Would to God I were. - - HÅKON. - - Unheard of! No, it cannot be true! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - By Christ’s dear blood, so is it! - - HÅKON. - - Go, go; sound the trumpet-call for my guard; get all my men under - arms. - - [GREGORIUS JONSSON _goes._ - - HÅKON. - - [_Paces the room once or twice, then goes quickly up to the door of_ - MARGRETE’S _chamber, knocks at it, takes one or two more turns - through the room, then goes again to the door, knocks, and calls._] - Margrete! - - [_Goes on pacing up and down._ - - MARGRETE. - - [_In the doorway, attired for the night, with her hair down; she has - a red cloak round her shoulders, holding it close together over her - breast._] Håkon! Is it you? - - HÅKON. - - Yes, yes; come hither. - - MARGRETE. - - Oh, but you must not look at me; I was in bed already. - - HÅKON. - - I have other things to think of. - - MARGRETE. - - What has befallen. - - HÅKON. - - Give me a good counsel! I have even now received the worst tidings. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Alarmed._] What tidings, Håkon? - - HÅKON. - - That there are now two kings in Norway. - - MARGRETE. - - Two kings in Norway!—Håkon, where is my father? - - HÅKON. - - He has proclaimed himself king on board his ship; now he is sailing - to Nidaros to be crowned. - - MARGRETE. - - Oh God, thou almighty——! - - [_Sinks down on the bench, covers her face with her hands - and weeps._] - - HÅKON. - - Two kings in the land! - - MARGRETE. - - My husband the one—my father the other! - - HÅKON. - - [_Pacing restlessly up and down._] Give me a good counsel, Margrete! - Should I cross the country by way of the Uplands, come first to - Nidaros, and prevent the crowning? No, it may not be done; My men - are too few; there in the north he is more powerful than I.—Give me - counsel; how can I have the Duke slain, ere he come to Nidaros? - - MARGRETE. - - [_Imploringly, with folded hands._] Håkon, Håkon! - - HÅKON. - - Can you not hit upon a good device, I say, to have the Duke slain? - - MARGRETE. - - [_Sinks down from the bench in agony and remains kneeling._] Oh, can - you so utterly forget that he is my father? - - HÅKON. - - Your father——; ay, ay, it is true; I had forgotten. - - [_Raises her up._] Sit, sit, Margrete; comfort you; do not weep; you - have no fault in this. [_Goes over to the window._] Duke Skule will - be worse for me than all other foemen! God, God,—why hast thou - stricken me so sorely, when I have in nowise sinned! [_A knock at - the door in the back; he starts, listens, and cries:_] Who knocks so - late? - - INGA’S VOICE. - - [_Without._] One who is a-cold, Håkon! - - HÅKON. - - [_With a cry._] My mother! - - MARGRETE. - - [_Springs up._] Inga! - - HÅKON. - - [_Rushes to the door and opens it; Inga is sitting on the - doorstep._] My mother! Sitting like a dog outside her son’s door! - And I ask why God has stricken me! - - INGA. - - [_Stretches out her arms towards him._] Håkon, my child! Blessings - upon you! - - HÅKON. - - [_Raising her up._] Come—come in; here are light and warmth! - - INGA. - - _May_ I come in to you? - - HÅKON. - - Never shall we part again. - - INGA. - - My son—my King—oh, but you are good and loving! I stood in a corner - and saw you, as you came from the Bishop’s Palace; you looked so - sorrowful; I _could_ not part from you thus. - - HÅKON. - - God be thanked for that! No one, truly, could have come to me more - welcome than you. Margrete—my mother—I have sorely sinned; I have - barred my heart against you two, who are so rich in love. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Falls on his neck._] Oh, Håkon, my beloved husband; do I stand - near you now? - - HÅKON. - - Ay, near me, near me; not to give me cunning counsels, but to shed - light over my path. Come what will, I feel the Lord’s strength - within me! - - DAGFINN THE PEASANT. - - [_Enters hastily from the back._] My lord, my lord! The worst has - befallen! - - HÅKON. - - [_Smiles confidently while he holds_ MARGRETE _and_ INGA _closely to - him._] I know it; but there is nought to fear, good Dagfinn! If - there be two kings in Norway, there is but one in Heaven—and He will - set all straight! - - - - - ACT FOURTH. - - - _The great hall in Oslo Palace._ KING SKULE _is feasting with the - Guard and his Chiefs. In front, on the left, stands the - throne, where_ SKULE _sits, richly attired, with a purple - mantle and the royal circlet on his head. The supper-table, by - which the guests are seated, stretches from the throne towards - the background. Opposite to_ SKULE _sit_ PAUL FLIDA _and_ BÅRD - BRATTE. _Some of the humbler guests are standing, to the - right. It is late evening; the hall is brightly lighted. The - banquet is drawing to a close; the men are very merry, and - some of them drunk; they drink to each other, laugh, and all - talk together._ - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Rises and strikes the table._] Silence in the hall; Jatgeir Skald - will say forth his song in honour of King Skule. - - JATGEIR. - - [_Stands out in the middle of the floor._[36] - - Duke Skule he summoned the Örething;[37] - when ’twas mass-time in Nidaros town; - and the bells rang and swords upon bucklers clashed bravely - when Duke Skule he donned the crown. - - King Skule marched over the Dovrefjeld, - his host upon snow-shoes sped; - the Gudbranddalesman he grovelled for grace, - but his hoard must e’en ransom his head. - - King Skule south over Miösen fared,— - the Uplander cursed at his banner; - King Skule hasted through Raumarike to Låka in Nannestad manor. - - ’Twas all in the holy Shrove-tide week - we met with the Birchleg horde; - Earl Knut was their captain—the swords with loud tongue - in the suit for the throne made award. - - They say of a truth that since Sverre’s days - was never so hot a fight; - red-sprent, like warriors’ winding-sheets, - grew the upland that erst lay white. - - They took to their heels did the Birchenlegs, - flinging from them both buckler and bill there; - many hundreds, though, took to their heels nevermore, - for they lay and were icily chill there. - - No man knows where King Håkon hideth;— - King Skule stands safe at the helm. - All hail and long life to thee, lord, in thy state - as King of all Norway’s realm! - - SKULE’S MEN. - - [_Spring up with loud jubilation, hold goblets and beakers - aloft, clash their weapons, and repeat:_ - - All hail and long life to thee, lord, in thy state as King of all - Norway’s realm! - - KING SKULE. - - Thanks for the song, Jatgeir Skald! ’Tis as I best like it; for it - gives my men no less praise than myself. - - JATGEIR. - - The King is honoured when his men are praised. - - KING SKULE. - - Take as guerdon this arm-ring, stay with me, and be of my household; - I will have many skalds about me. - - JATGEIR. - - ’Twill need many, my lord, if all your great deeds are to be sung. - - KING SKULE. - - I will be threefold more bountiful than Håkon; the skald’s song - shall be honoured and rewarded like all other noble deeds, so long - as I am king. Be seated; now you belong to my household; all you - have need of shall be freely given you. - - JATGEIR. - - [_Seats himself._] Ere long there will be a dearth of what I most - need, my lord. - - KING SKULE. - - What mean you? - - JATGEIR. - - Foes to King Skule, whose flight and fall I can sing. - - MANY OF THE MEN. - - [_Amid laughter and applause._] Well said, Icelander! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_To_ JATGEIR.] The song was good; but ’tis known there goes a spice - of lying to every skald-work, and yours was not without it. - - JATGEIR. - - Lying, Sir Marshal? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Ay; you say no man knows where King Håkon is hiding; that is not - true; we have certain tidings that Håkon is at Nidaros. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Smiling._] He has claimed homage for the King-child, and given it - the kingly title. - - JATGEIR. - - That have I heard; but I knew not that any man could give away that - which he himself does not possess. - - KING SKULE. - - ’Tis easiest to give what you yourself do not possess. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - But it can scarce be easy to beg your way in midwinter from Bergen - to Nidaros. - - JATGEIR. - - The fortunes of the Birchlegs move in a ring; they began hungry and - frozen, and now they end in like case. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - ’Tis rumoured in Bergen that Håkon has forsworn the Church and all - that is holy; he heard not mass on New Year’s day. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - He could plead lawful hindrance, Paul; he stood all day cutting his - silver goblets and dishes to pieces—he had naught else wherewith to - pay his household. - - [_Laughter and loud talk among the guests._ - - KING SKULE. - - [_Raises his goblet._] I drink to you, Bård Bratte, and thank you - and all my new men. You fought manfully for me at Låka, and bore a - great part in the victory. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - It was the first time I fought under you, my lord; but I soon felt - that ’tis easy to conquer when such a chieftain as you rides at the - head of the host. But I would we had not slain so many and chased - them so far; for now I fear ’twill be long ere they dare face us - again. - - KING SKULE. - - Wait till the spring: we shall meet them again, never fear. Earl - Knut lies with the remnant at Tunsberg rock, and Arnbiörn Jonsson is - gathering a force eastward in Viken; when they deem themselves - strong enough, they will soon let us hear from them. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - They will never dare to, after the great slaughter at Låka. - - KING SKULE. - - Then will we lure them forth with cunning. - - MANY VOICES. - - Ay, ay—do so, lord King! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - You have good store of cunning, King Skule. Your foemen have never - warning ere you fall upon them, and you are ever there where they - least await you. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - ’Tis therefore that the Birchlegs call us Vårbælgs.[38] - - KING SKULE. - - Others say Vargbælgs; but this I swear, that when next we meet, the - Birchlegs shall learn how hard it is to turn such Wolf-skins inside - out. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - With their good will shall we never meet-’twill be a chase the whole - country round. - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, that it shall be. First we must purge Viken, and make sure of - all these eastward parts; then will we get our ships together, and - sail round the Naze and up the coast to Nidaros. - - BÅRD BRATTE - - And when you come in such wise to Nidaros, I scare think the monks - will deny to move St. Olaf’s shrine out to the mote-stead, as they - did in the autumn, when we swore allegiance. - - KING SKULE. - - The shrine _shall_ out; I will bear my kingship in all ways - lawfully. - - JATGEIR. - - And I promise you to sing a great death-song, when you have slain - the Sleeper. - - [_An outburst of laughter among the men._ - - KING SKULE. - - The Sleeper? - - JATGEIR. - - Know you not, my lord, that King Håkon is called “Håkon the - Sleeper,” because he sits as though benumbed ever since you came to - the throne? - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - They say he lies ever with his eyes closed. Doubtless he dreams that - he is still king. - - KING SKULE. - - Let him dream; he shall never dream himself back into the kingship. - - JATGEIR. - - Let his sleep be long and dreamless, then shall I have stuff for - songs. - - THE MEN. - - Ay, ay, do as the skald says! - - KING SKULE. - - When so many good men counsel as one, the counsel must be good; yet - will we not talk now of that matter. But one promise I will make: - each of my men shall inherit the weapons and harness, and gold and - silver, of whichever one of the enemy he slays; and each man shall - succeed to the dignities of him he lays low. He who slays a baron - shall himself be a baron; he who slays a thane, shall receive his - thaneship; and all they who already hold such dignities and offices, - shall be rewarded after other kingly sort. - - THE MEN. - - [_Spring up in wild delight._] Hail, hail, King Skule! Lead us - against the Birchlegs! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Now are you sure to conquer in all battles. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - I claim Dagfinn the Peasant for myself; he owns a good sword that I - have long hankered after. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - I will have Bård Torsteinsson’s hauberk; it saved his life at Låka, - for it withstands both cut and thrust. - - JATGEIR. - - Nay, but let me have it; ’twill fit me better; you shall have five - golden marks in exchange. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Where will you find five golden marks, Skald? - - JATGEIR. - - I will take them from Gregorius Jonsson when we come northward. - - THE MEN. - - [_All talking together._] And I will have—I will have——[_The rest - becomes indistinct in the hubbub._ - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Away! Every man to his quarters; bethink you that you are in the - King’s hall. - - THE MEN. - - Ay, ay—hail to the King, hail to King Skule! - - KING SKULE. - - To bed now, good fellows! We have sat long over the drinking-table - to-night. - - A MAN-AT-ARMS. - - [_As the crowd is trooping out._] To-morrow we will cast lots for - the Birchlegs’ goods. - - ANOTHER. - - Rather leave it to luck! - - SEVERAL. - - Nay, nay! - - OTHERS. - - Ay, ay! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Now the Wolf-skins are fighting for the bear-fell. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - And they have yet to fell the bear. - - [_All go out by the back._ - - KING SKULE. - - [_Waits till the men are gone; the tension of his features relaxes; - he sinks upon a bench._] How weary I am, weary to death. To live in - the midst of that swarm day out and day in, to look smilingly ahead - as though I were so immovably assured of right and victory and - fortune. To have no creature with whom I may speak of all that gnaws - me so sorely. [_Rises with a look of terror._] And the battle at - Låka! That I should have conquered there! Håkon sent his host - against me; God was to judge and award between the two kings—and I - conquered, conquered, as never any before has conquered the - Birchlegs! Their shields stood upright in the snow, but there was - none behind them—the Birchlegs took to the woods, and fled over - upland and moor and lea as far as their legs would carry them. The - unbelievable came to pass; Håkon lost and I won. There is a secret - horror in that victory. Thou great God of Heaven! there rules, then, - no certain law on high, that all things must obey? The right carries - with it no conquering might? [_With a change of tone, wildly._] I am - sick, I am sick!—Wherefore should not the right be on my side? May I - not deem that God himself would assure me of it, since he let me - conquer? [_Brooding._] The possibilities are even;—not a - feather-weight more on the one side than on the other; and - yet—[_shakes his head_]—yet the balance dips on Håkon’s part. I have - hatred and hot desire to cast into my scale, yet the balance dips on - Håkon’s part. When the thought of the kingly right comes over me - unawares, ’tis ever he, not I, that is the true king. When I would - see myself as the true king, I must do it with forethought, I must - build up a whole fabric of subtleties, a work of cunning; I must - hold memories aloof, and take faith by storm. It was not so before. - What has befallen to fill me so full of doubt? The burning of the - letter? No—that made the uncertainty eternal, but did not add to it. - Has Håkon done any great and kingly deed in these later days? No, - his greatest deeds were done while I least believed in him. [_Seats - himself on the right._] What is it? Ha, strange! It comes and goes - like a marsh-fire; it dances at the tip of my tongue, as when one - has lost a word and cannot find it. [_Springs up._] Ha! Now I have - it! No——! Yes, yes! Now I have it!—“Norway has been a _kingdom_, it - shall become a _people_; all shall be one, and all shall feel and - know that they are one!” Since Håkon spoke those madman’s words, he - stands ever before me as the rightful king. [_Whispers with fixed - and apprehensive gaze._] What if God’s calling glimmered through - these strange words? If God had garnered up the thought till now, - and would now strew it forth—and had chosen Håkon for his sower? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Enters from the back._] My lord King, I have tidings for you. - - KING SKULE. - - Tidings? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - A man who comes from down the fiord brings news that the Birchlegs - in Tunsberg have launched their ships, and that many men have - gathered in the town in these last days. - - KING SKULE. - - Good, we will go forth to meet them—to-morrow or the day after. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - It might chance, my lord King, that the Birchlegs had a mind to meet - us first. - - KING SKULE. - - They have not ships enough for that, nor men. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - But Arnbiörn Jonsson is gathering both men and ships, all round in - Viken. - - KING SKULE. - - The better for us; we will crush them at one blow, as we did at - Låka. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - My lord, ’tis not so easy to crush the Birchlegs twice following. - - KING SKULE. - - And wherefore not? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Because Norway’s saga tells not that the like has ever befallen. - Shall I send forth scouts to Hoved-isle? - - KING SKULE. - - ’Tis needless; the night is dark, and there is a sea-fog to boot. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Well well, the King knows best; but bethink you, my lord, that all - men are against you here in Viken. The townsfolk of Oslo hate you, - and should the Birchlegs come, they will make common cause with - them. - - KING SKULE. - - [_With animation._] Paul Flida, were it not possible that I could - win over the men of Viken to my side? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Looks at him in astonishment, and shakes his head._] No, my lord, - it is not possible. - - KING SKULE. - - And wherefore not? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Why, for that you have the Trönders on your side. - - KING SKULE. - - I will have both the Trönders and the men of Viken! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Nay, my lord, that cannot be! - - KING SKULE. - - Not possible! cannot be! And wherefore—wherefore not? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Because the man of Viken is the man of Viken, the Trönder is the - Trönder; because so it has always been, and no saga tells of a time - when it was otherwise. - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, ay—you are right. Go. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - And send forth no scouts? - - KING SKULE. - - Wait till daybreak. [PAUL FLIDA _goes_.] Norway’s saga tells of no - such thing; it has never been so yet; Paul Flida answers me as I - answered Håkon. Are there, then, upward as well as downward steps? - Stands Håkon as high over me as I over Paul Flida? Has Håkon an eye - for unborn thoughts, that is lacking in me? Who stood so high as - Harold Hårfager in the days when every headland had its king, and he - said: Now they must fall—hereafter shall there be but one? He threw - the old saga to the winds, and made a new saga. [_A pause; he paces - up and down lost in thought; then he stops._] Can one man take God’s - calling from another, as he takes weapons and gold from his fallen - foe? Can a Pretender clothe himself in a king’s life-task, as he can - put on the kingly mantle? The oak that is felled to be a ship’s - timber, can it say: Nay, I will be the mast, I will take on me the - task of the fir-tree, point upwards, tall and shining, bear the - golden vane at my top, spread bellying white sails to the sunshine, - and meet the eyes of all men, from afar!—No, no, thou heavy gnarled - oak-trunk, thy place is down in the keel; _there_ shalt thou lie, - and do thy work, unheard-of and unseen by those aloft in the - daylight; it is thou that shalt hinder the ship from being whelmed - in the storm; while the mast with the golden vane and the bellying - sail shall bear it forward toward the new, toward the unknown, - toward alien strands and the saga of the future! [_Vehemently._] - Since Håkon uttered his great king-thought, I can see no other - thought in the world but that only. If I cannot take it and act it - out, I see no other thought to fight for. [_Brooding._] And can I - not make it mine? If I cannot, whence comes my great love for - Håkon’s thought? - - JATGEIR. - - [_Enters from the back._] Forgive my coming, lord King—— - - KING SKULE. - - You come to my wish, Skald! - - JATGEIR. - - I overheard some townsfolk at my lodging talking darkly of—— - - KING SKULE. - - Let that wait. Tell me, Skald: you who have fared far abroad in - strange lands, have you ever seen a woman love another’s child? Not - only have kindness for it—’tis not that I mean; but _love_ it, love - it with the warmest passion of her soul. - - JATGEIR. - - That do only those women who have no child of their own to love. - - KING SKULE. - - Only those women——? - - JATGEIR. - - And chiefly women who are barren. - - KING SKULE. - - Chiefly the barren——? They love the children of others with all - their warmest passions? - - JATGEIR. - - That will oftentimes befall. - - KING SKULE. - - And does it not sometimes befall that such a barren woman will slay - another’s child, because she herself has none? - - JATGEIR. - - Ay, ay; but in that she does unwisely. - - KING SKULE. - - Unwisely? - - JATGEIR. - - Ay, for she gives the gift of sorrow to her whose child she slays. - - KING SKULE. - - Think you the gift of sorrow is a great good? - - JATGEIR. - - Yes, lord. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Looks fixedly at him._] Methinks there are two men in you, - Icelander. When you sit amid the household at the merry feast, you - draw cloak and hood over all your thoughts; when one is alone with - you, sometimes you seem to be of those among whom one were fain to - choose his friend. How comes it? - - JATGEIR. - - When you go to swim in the river, my lord, you would scarce strip - you where the people pass by to church; you seek a sheltered - privacy. - - KING SKULE. - - True, true. - - JATGEIR. - - My soul has the like shamefastness; therefore I do not strip me when - there are many in the hall. - - KING SKULE. - - Ha. [_A short pause._] Tell me, Jatgeir, how came you to be a skald? - Who taught you skald-craft? - - JATGEIR. - - Skaldcraft cannot be taught, my lord. - - KING SKULE. - - Cannot be taught? How came it then? - - JATGEIR. - - The gift of sorrow came to me, and I was a skald. - - KING SKULE. - - Then ’tis the gift of sorrow the skald has need of? - - JATGEIR. - - _I_ needed sorrow; others there may be who need faith, or joy—or - doubt—— - - KING SKULE. - - Doubt as well? - - JATGEIR. - - Ay; but then must the doubter be strong and sound. - - KING SKULE. - - And whom call you the unsound doubter? - - JATGEIR. - - He who doubts of his own doubt. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Slowly._] That, methinks, were death. - - JATGEIR. - - ’Tis worse; ’tis neither day nor night. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Quickly, as if shaking off his thoughts._] Where are my weapons? I - will fight and act—not think. What was it you would have told me - when you came? - - JATGEIR. - - ’Twas what I noted in my lodging. The townsmen whisper together - secretly, and laugh mockingly, and ask if we be well assured that - King Håkon is in the westland; there is somewhat they are in glee - over. - - KING SKULE. - - They are men of Viken, and therefore against me. - - JATGEIR. - - They scoff because King Olaf’s shrine could not be brought out to - the mote-stead when you were chosen king; they say it boded ill. - - KING SKULE. - - When next I come to Nidaros, the shrine _shall_ out! It shall stand - under the open sky, though I should have to tear down St. Olaf’s - church and widen out the mote-stead over the spot where it stood. - - JATGEIR. - - That were a strong deed; but I shall make a song of it, as strong as - the deed itself. - - KING SKULE. - - Have you many unmade songs within you, Jatgeir? - - JATGEIR. - - Nay, but many unborn; they are conceived one after the other, come - to life, and are brought forth. - - KING SKULE. - - And if I, who am King and have the might, if I were to have you - slain, would all the unborn skald-thoughts you bear within you die - along with you? - - JATGEIR. - - My lord, it is a great sin to slay a fair thought. - - KING SKULE. - - I ask not if it be a _sin_; I ask if it be _possible_! - - JATGEIR. - - I know not. - - KING SKULE. - - Have you never had another skald for your friend, and has he never - unfolded to you a great and noble song he thought to make? - - JATGEIR. - - Yes, lord. - - KING SKULE. - - Did you not then wish that you could slay him, to take his thought - and make the song yourself? - - JATGEIR. - - My lord, I am not barren; I have children of my own; I need not to - love those of other men. - - [_Goes._ - - KING SKULE. - - [_After a pause._] The Icelander is in very deed a skald. He speaks - God’s deepest truth and knows it not——_I_ am as a barren woman. - Therefore I love Håkon’s kingly thought-child, love it with the - warmest passion of my soul. Oh, that I could but adopt[39] it! It - would die in my hands. Which were best, that it should die in my - hands, or wax great in his? Should I ever have peace of soul if that - came to pass? Can I forgo all? Can I stand by and see Håkon make - himself famous for all time! How dead and empty is all within me—and - around me. No friend—; ah, the Icelander! [_Goes to the door and - calls_:] Has the skald gone from the palace? - - A GUARD. - - [_Outside._] No, my lord; he stands in the outer hall talking with - the watch. - - KING SKULE. - - Bid him come hither. [_Goes forward to the table; presently_ JATGEIR - _enters_.] I cannot sleep, Jatgeir; ’tis all my great kingly - thoughts that keep me awake, you see. - - JATGEIR. - - ’Tis with the king’s thoughts as with the skald’s, I doubt not. They - fly highest and grow quickest when there is night and stillness - around. - - KING SKULE. - - Is it so with the skald’s thoughts too? - - JATGEIR. - - Ay, lord; no song is born by daylight; it may be written down in the - sunshine; but it makes itself in the silent night. - - KING SKULE. - - Who gave you the gift of sorrow, Jatgeir? - - JATGEIR. - - She whom I loved. - - KING SKULE. - - She died, then. - - JATGEIR. - - No, she deceived me. - - KING SKULE. - - And then you became a skald? - - JATGEIR. - - Ay, then I became a skald. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Seizes him by the arm._] What gift do _I_ need to become a king? - - JATGEIR. - - Not the gift of doubt; else would you not question so. - - KING SKULE. - - What gift do I need? - - JATGEIR. - - My lord, you are a king. - - KING SKULE. - - Have you at all times full faith that you are a skald? - - JATGEIR. - - [_Looks silently at him for a while, and asks._] Have you never - loved? - - KING SKULE. - - Yes, once—burningly, blissfully, and in sin. - - JATGEIR. - - You have a wife. - - KING SKULE. - - Her I took to bear me sons. - - JATGEIR. - - But you have a daughter, my lord—a gracious and noble daughter. - - KING SKULE. - - Were my daughter a son, I would not ask you what gift I need. - [_Vehemently._] I must have some one by me who sinks his own will - utterly in mine—who believes in me unflinchingly, who will cling - close to me in good hap and ill, who lives only to shed light and - warmth over my life, and must die if I fall. Give me counsel, - Jatgeir Skald! - - JATGEIR. - - Buy yourself a dog, my lord. - - KING SKULE. - - Would no man suffice? - - JATGEIR. - - You would have to search long for such a man. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Suddenly._] Will _you_ be that man to me, Jatgeir? Will _you_ be a - son to me? You shall have Norway’s crown to your heritage—the whole - land shall be yours, if you will be a son to me, and live for my - life-work, and believe in me. - - JATGEIR. - - And what should be my warranty that I did not feign——? - - KING SKULE. - - Give up your calling in life; sing no more songs, and then will I - believe you! - - JATGEIR. - - No, lord—that were to buy the crown too dear. - - KING SKULE. - - Bethink you well—’tis greater to be a king than a skald. - - JATGEIR. - - Not always. - - KING SKULE. - - ’Tis but your unsung songs you must sacrifice! - - JATGEIR. - - Songs unsung are ever the fairest. - - KING SKULE. - - But I must—I must have one who can trust in me! Only one! I feel - it—had I that one, I were saved! - - JATGEIR. - - Trust in yourself and you will be saved! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Enters hastily._] King Skule, look to yourself! Håkon Håkonsson - lies off Elgjarness with all his fleet! - - KING SKULE. - - Off Elgjarness——! Then he is close at hand. - - JATGEIR. - - Get we to arms then! If there be bloodshed to-night, I will gladly - be the first to die for you! - - KING SKULE. - - You, who would not live for me! - - JATGEIR. - - A man can die for another’s life-work; but if he go on living, he - must live for his own. - - [_Goes._ - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Impatiently._] Your commands, my lord! The Birchlegs may be in - Oslo this very hour. - - KING SKULE. - - ’Twere best if we could fare to St. Thomas Beckett’s grave; he has - helped so many a sorrowful and penitent soul. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_More forcibly._] My lord, speak not so wildly now; I tell you, the - Birchlegs are upon us! - - KING SKULE. - - Let all the churches be opened, that we may betake us thither and - find grace. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - You can crush all your foemen at one stroke, and yet would betake - you to the churches! - - KING SKULE. - - Yes, yes, keep all the churches open! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Be sure Håkon will break sanctuary, when ’tis Vårbælgs he pursues. - - KING SKULE. - - That will he not; God will shield him from such a sin;—God always - shields Håkon. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_In deep and sorrowful wrath._] To hear you speak thus, a man could - not but ask: Who is king in this land? - - KING SKULE. - - [_Smiling mournfully._] Ay, Paul Flida, that is the great question: - _Who_ is king in this land? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Imploringly._] You are soul-sick to-night, my lord; let me act for - you. - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, ay, do so. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Going._] First will I break down all the bridges. - - KING SKULE. - - Madman! Stay!—Break down all the bridges! Know you what that means? - _I_ have assayed it;—beware of that! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - What would you then, my lord? - - KING SKULE. - - I will talk with Håkon. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - He will answer you with a tongue of steel. - - KING SKULE. - - Go, go;—you shall learn my will anon. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Every moment is precious! [_Seizes his hand._] King Skule, let us - break down all the bridges, fight like Wolves,[40] and trust in - Heaven! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Softly._] Heaven trusts not in me; I dare not trust in Heaven. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Short has been the saga of the Vargbælgs. - - [_Goes out by the back._ - - KING SKULE. - - A hundred cunning heads, a thousand mighty arms, are at my beck; but - not a single loving, trusting heart. That is kingly beggary; no - more, no less. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - [_From the back._] Two wayfarers from afar stand without, praying to - have speech with you my lord. - - KING SKULE. - - Who are they? - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - A woman and a priest. - - KING SKULE. - - Let the woman and the priest approach. - - [BÅRD _goes_; KING SKULE _seats himself, musing, on the - right; presently there enters a black-robed woman; she - wears a long cloak, a hood, and a thick veil, which - conceals her face; a priest follows her, and remains - standing by the door_. - - KING SKULE. - - Who are you? - - THE WOMAN. - - One you have loved. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Shaking his head._] There lives no one who remembers that I have - loved. Who are you, I ask? - - THE WOMAN. - - One who loves you. - - KING SKULE. - - Then are you surely one of the dead. - - THE WOMAN. - - [_Comes close to him and says softly and passionately._] Skule - Bårdsson! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Rises with a cry._] Ingeborg! - - INGEBORG. - - Do you know me now, Skule? - - KING SKULE. - - Ingeborg,—Ingeborg! - - INGEBORG. - - Oh, let me look at you—look long at you, so long! [_Seizes his - hands; a pause._] You fair, you deeply loved, you faithless man! - - KING SKULE. - - Take off that veil; look at me with the eyes that once were as clear - and blue as the sky. - - INGEBORG. - - These eyes have been but a rain-clouded sky for twenty years; you - would not know them again, and you shall never see them more. - - KING SKULE. - - But your voice is fresh and soft and young as ever! - - INGEBORG. - - I have used it only to whisper _your_ name, to imprint your - greatness in a young heart, and to pray to the sinners’ God for - grace toward us twain, who have loved in sin. - - KING SKULE. - - You have done that? - - INGEBORG. - - I have been silent save to speak loving words of you;—therefore has - my voice remained fresh and soft and young. - - KING SKULE. - - There lies a life-time between. Every fair memory from those days - have I wasted and let slip—— - - INGEBORG. - - It was your right. - - KING SKULE. - - And meantime you, Ingeborg, loving, faithful woman, have dwelt there - in the north, guarding and treasuring your memories, in ice-cold - loneliness! - - INGEBORG. - - It was my happiness. - - KING SKULE. - - And I could give you up to win might and riches! With you at my - side, as my wife, I had found it easier to be a king. - - INGEBORG. - - God has been good to me in willing it otherwise. A soul like mine - had need of a great sin, to arouse it to remorse and expiation. - - KING SKULE. - - And now you come——? - - INGEBORG. - - As Andres Skialdarband’s widow. - - KING SKULE. - - Your husband is dead! - - INGEBORG. - - On the way from Jerusalem. - - KING SKULE. - - Then has he atoned for the slaying of Vegard. - - INGEBORG. - - ’Twas not therefore that my noble husband took the Cross. - - KING SKULE. - - Not therefore? - - INGEBORG. - - No; it was _my_ sin he took upon his strong, loving shoulders; ’twas - _that_ he went to wash away in Jordan stream; ’twas for _that_ he - bled. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Softly._] Then he knew all. - - INGEBORG. - - From the first. And Bishop Nicholas knew it, for to him I confessed. - And there was one other man that came to know it, though how I - cannot guess. - - KING SKULE. - - Who? - - INGEBORG. - - Vegard Væradal. - - KING SKULE. - - Vegard! - - INGEBORG. - - He whispered a mocking word of me into my husband’s ear; and - thereupon Andres Skialdarband drew his sword, and slew him on the - spot. - - KING SKULE. - - He kept ward over her whom _I_ betrayed and forgot.—And wherefore - seek you me now? - - INGEBORG. - - To bring you the last sacrifice. - - KING SKULE. - - What mean you? - - INGEBORG. - - [_Points to the Priest who stands by the door._] Look at him!—Peter, - my son, come hither! - - KING SKULE. - - Your son——! - - INGEBORG. - - And _yours_, King Skule! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Half bewildered._] Ingeborg! - - [PETER _approaches in silent emotion, and throws himself - before_ KING SKULE. - - INGEBORG. - - Take him! For twenty years has he been the light and comfort of my - life.—Now are you King of Norway; the King’s son must enter on his - heritage; I have no longer any right to him. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Raises him up, in a storm of joy._] Here, to my heart, you whom I - have yearned for so burningly! [_Presses him in his arms, lets him - go, looks at him, and embraces him again._] My son! My son! I have a - son! Ha-ha-ha! who can stand against me now? [_Goes over to_ - INGEBORG _and seizes her hand_.] And you, you give him to me, - Ingeborg! You take not back your word? You give him to me indeed? - - INGEBORG. - - Heavy is the sacrifice, and scarce had I strength to make it, but - that Bishop Nicholas sent him to me, bearing a letter with tidings - of Andres Skialdarband’s death. ’Twas the Bishop that laid on me the - heavy sacrifice, to atone for all my sin. - - KING SKULE. - - Then is the sin blotted out, and henceforth he is mine alone; is it - not so, mine alone? - - INGEBORG. - - Yes; but one promise I crave of you. - - KING SKULE. - - Heaven and earth, crave all you will! - - INGEBORG. - - He is pure as a lamb of God, as I now give him into your hands. ’Tis - a perilous path that leads up to the throne; let him not take hurt - to his soul. Hear you, King Skule: let not my child take hurt to his - soul! - - KING SKULE. - - That I promise and swear to you! - - INGEBORG. - - [_Seizes his arm._] From the moment you mark that his soul suffers - harm, let him rather die! - - KING SKULE. - - Rather die! I promise and swear it! - - INGEBORG. - - Then shall I be of good cheer as I go back to Halogaland. - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, you may be of good cheer. - - INGEBORG. - - There will I repent and pray, till the Lord calls me. And when we - meet before God, he shall come back to me pure and blameless. - - KING SKULE. - - Pure and blameless! [_Turning to_ PETER.] Let me look at you! Ay, - your mother’s features and mine; you are he for whom I have longed - so sorely. - - PETER. - - My father, my great, noble father! Let me live and fight for you! - Let your cause be mine; and be your cause what it may—I know that I - am fighting for the right! - - KING SKULE. - - [_With a cry of joy._] You trust in me! You trust in me! - - PETER. - - Immovably! - - KING SKULE. - - Then all is well; then am I surely saved! Listen: you shall cast off - the cowl; the Archbishop shall loose you from your vows; the King’s - son shall wield the sword, shall go forward unwavering to might and - honour. - - PETER. - - Together with you, my noble father! We will go together! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Drawing the youth close up to himself._] Ay, together, we two - alone! - - INGEBORG. - - [_To herself._] To love, to sacrifice all and be forgotten, that is - my saga.[41] - - [_Goes quietly out by the back._ - - KING SKULE. - - Now shall a great king’s-work be done in Norway! Listen, Peter, my - son! We will awaken the whole people, and gather it into one; the - man of Viken and the Trönder, the Halogalander and the Agdeman, the - Uplander and the Sogndaleman, all shall be _one_ great family! Then - shall you see how the land will come to flourish! - - PETER. - - What a great and dizzy thought—— - - KING SKULE. - - Do you grasp it? - - PETER. - - Yes—yes!—Clearly——! - - KING SKULE. - - And have you faith in it? - - PETER. - - Yes, yes; for I have faith in you! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Wildly._] Håkon Håkonsson must die. - - PETER. - - If you will it, then it is right that he die. - - KING SKULE. - - ’Twill cost blood; but that we cannot heed! - - PETER. - - The blood is not wasted that flows in your cause. - - KING SKULE. - - All the might shall be yours when I have built up the kingdom. You - shall sit on the throne with the circlet on your brow, with the - purple mantle flowing wide over your shoulders; all men in the land - shall bow before you——[_The sounds of distant horns[42] are heard._] - Ha! what was that? [_With a cry._] The Birchleg host! What was it - Paul Flida said——? - - [_Rushes towards the back._ - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Enters and cries_:] The hour is upon us, King Skule! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Bewildered._] The Birchlegs! King Håkon’s host! Where are they? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - They are swarming in thousands down over the Ekeberg. - - KING SKULE. - - Sound the call to arms! Sound, sound! Give counsel; where shall we - meet them? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - All the churches stand open for us. - - KING SKULE. - - ’Tis of the Birchlegs I ask——? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - For them all the bridges stand open. - - KING SKULE. - - Unhappy man, what have you done? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Obeyed my King! - - KING SKULE. - - My son! My son! Woe is me; I have lost your kingdom! - - PETER. - - No, you will conquer! So great a king’s-thought cannot die! - - KING SKULE. - - Peace, peace! [_Horns and shouts are heard, nearer at hand._] To - horse! To arms! More is here at stake than the life and death of - men! - - [_Rushes out by the back; the others follow him._ - - _A street in Oslo. On each side, low wooden houses, with porches. At - the back, St. Hallvard’s churchyard, enclosed by a high wall - with a gate. On the left, at the end of the wall, is seen the - church, the chief portal of which stands open. It is still - night; after a little, the day begins to dawn. The alarm-bell - is ringing: far away on the right are heard battle-shouts and - confused noises._ - - KING SKULE’S HORNBLOWER. - - [_Enters from the right, blows his horn, and shouts._] To arms! To - arms, all King Skule’s men! - - [_Blows his horn again, and proceeds on his way; presently - he is heard blowing and shouting in the next street._ - - A WOMAN. - - [_Appears at a house door on the right._] Great God of mercy, what - is astir? - - A TOWNSMAN. - - [_Who has come out, half dressed, from a house on the other side of - the street._] The Birchlegs are in the town! Now will Skule have his - reward for all his misdeeds. - - ONE OF SKULE’S MEN. - - [_Enters with some others, bearing their cloaks and weapons on their - arms, from a side street on the left._] Where are the Birchlegs? - - ANOTHER OF SKULE’S MEN. - - [_Coming from a house on the right._] I know not! - - THE FIRST. - - Hist! Listen!—They must be down at the Geite-bridge! - - THE SECOND. - - Off to the Geite-bridge then! - - [_They all rush out to the right; a townsman comes running - in from the same side._ - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - Hey, neighbour, whence come you? - - THE SECOND TOWNSMAN. - - From down at the Lo-river; there’s ugly work there. - - THE WOMAN. - - St. Olaf and St. Hallvard! Is it the Birchlegs, or who is it? - - THE SECOND TOWNSMAN. - - Who else but the Birchlegs! King Håkon is with them; the whole fleet - is laying in to the wharves; but he himself landed with his best men - out at Ekeberg. - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - Then will he take revenge for the slaughter at Låka! - - THE SECOND TOWNSMAN. - - Ay, be sure of that. - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - See, see! The Vårbælgs are flying already! - - _A troop of_ SKULE’S _men enter in full flight, from the right_. - - ONE OF THEM. - - Into the church! None can stand against the Birchlegs as they lay - about them to-night. - - [_The troop rushes into the church and bars the door on the - inside._ - - THE SECOND TOWNSMAN. - - [_Looking out to the right._] I see a standard far down the street; - it must be King Håkon’s. - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - See, see, how the Vårbælgs are running! - - _A second troop enters from the right._ - - ONE OF THE FUGITIVES. - - Let us take to the church and pray for grace. - - [_They rush at the door._ - - SEVERAL VÅRBÆLGS. - - ’Tis barred! ’tis barred! - - THE FIRST. - - Up over Martestokke then! - - ANOTHER. - - Where is King Skule? - - THE FIRST. - - I know not. Away! yonder I see the Birchlegs standard! - - [_They flee past the church, out to the left._ - - HÅKON _enters from the right with his Standard-bearer_, GREGORIUS - JONSSON, DAGFINN THE PEASANT, _and several other men_. - - DAGFINN. - - Hark to the war-cry! Skule is gathering his men behind the - churchyard. - - AN OLD TOWNSMAN. - - [_Calls from his porch, to_ HÅKON.] Take heed for yourself, dear my - lord; the Vargbælgs are fierce, now they are fighting for life. - - HÅKON. - - Is it you, old Guthorm Erlendsson? You have fought both for my - father and for my grandfather. - - THE TOWNSMAN. - - Would to God I could fight for you as well. - - HÅKON. - - For that you are too old, and there is no need; men pour in upon me - from all sides. - - DAGFINN. - - [_Pointing off over the wall to the right._] There comes the Duke’s - standard! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - The Duke himself! He rides his white war-horse. - - DAGFINN. - - We must hinder his passage through the gate here! - - HÅKON. - - Wind the horn, wind the horn! [_The Hornblower does so._] You blew - better, you whelp, when you blew for money on Bergen wharf. - - [_The Hornblower winds another blast, louder than the first; - many men come rushing in._ - - A VÅRBÆLG. - - [_From the right, fleeing towards the church, pursued by a - Birchleg._] Spare my life! Spare my life! - - THE BIRCHLEG. - - Not though you sat on the altar! [_Cuts him down._] ’Tis a costly - cloak you wear, methinks ’twill fit me well. [_Is about to take the - cloak, but utters a cry and casts away his sword._] My lord King! - Not another stroke will I strike for you! - - DAGFINN. - - You say that in such an hour as this? - - THE BIRCHLEG. - - Not another stroke! - - DAGFINN. - - [_Cuts him down._] Well, you may e’en let it alone. - - THE BIRCHLEG. - - [_Pointing to the dead Vårbælg._] Methought I had done enough when I - slew my own brother. - - [_Dies._ - - HÅKON. - - His brother! - - DAGFINN. - - What! [_Goes up to the Vårbælg’s body._ - - HÅKON. - - Is it true? - - DAGFINN. - - I fear me it is. - - HÅKON. - - [_Shaken._] Here see we what a war we are waging. Brother against - brother, father against son;—by God Almighty, this must have an end! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - There comes the Duke, in full fight with Earl Knut’s troop! - - DAGFINN. - - Bar the gate against him, king’s men! - - _On the other side of the wall, the combatants come in sight. The - Vårbælgs are forcing their way towards the left, driving the - Birchlegs back, foot by foot._ KING SKULE _rides his white - war-horse, with his sword drawn_. PETER _walks at his side, - holding the horse’s bridle, and with his left hand uplifting a - crucifix_. PAUL FLIDA _bears_ SKULE’S _standard, which is - blue, with a golden lion rampant, without the axe_.[43] - - KING SKULE. - - Cut them down! Spare no man! There is come a new heir[44] to the - throne of Norway! - - THE BIRCHLEGS. - - A new heir, said he? - - HÅKON. - - Skule Bårdsson, let us share the kingdom! - - KING SKULE. - - All or nought! - - HÅKON. - - Think of the Queen, your daughter! - - KING SKULE. - - I have a son, I have a son! I think of none but him! - - HÅKON. - - I too have a son;—if I fall the kingdom will be his! - - KING SKULE. - - Slay the King-child, wherever you find it! Slay it on the throne; - slay it at the altar; slay it—slay it in the Queen’s arms! - - HÅKON. - - There did you utter your own doom! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Slashing about him._] Slay, slay without mercy! King Skule has a - son! Slay, slay! - - [_The fighting gradually passes away to the left._ - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - The Vargbælgs are hewing their way through! - - DAGFINN. - - Ay, but only to flee. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - Yes, by Heaven,—the other gate stands open; they are fleeing - already! - - DAGFINN. - - Up towards Martestokke. [_Calls out._] After them, after them, Earl - Knut! Take vengeance for the slaughter at Låka! - - HÅKON. - - You heard it: he proclaimed my child an outlaw—my innocent child, - Norway’s chosen king after me! - - THE KING’S MEN. - - Ay, ay, we heard it! - - HÅKON. - - And what is the punishment for such a crime? - - THE MEN. - - Death! - - HÅKON. - - Then must he die! [_Raises his hand to make oath._] Here I swear it: - Skule Bårdsson shall die, wherever he be met on unconsecrated - ground! - - DAGFINN. - - ’Tis every true man’s duty to slay him. - - A BIRCHLEG. - - [_From the left._] Duke Skule has taken to flight! - - THE TOWNSFOLK. - - The Birchlegs have conquered! - - HÅKON. - - What way? - - THE BIRCHLEG. - - Past Martestokke, up towards Eidsvold; most of them had horses - waiting up in the streets, else had not one escaped with his life. - - HÅKON. - - Thanks be to God that has helped us yet again! Now may the Queen - safely come ashore from the fleet. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Points off to the right._] She has already landed, my lord; there - she comes! - - HÅKON. - - [_To those nearest him._] The heaviest task is yet before me; she is - a loving daughter;—listen—no word to her of the danger that - threatens her child. Swear to me, one and all, to keep ward over - your King’s son; but let her know nothing. - - THE MEN. - - [_Softly._] We swear it. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Enters, with ladies and attendants, from the right._] Håkon, my - husband! Heaven has shielded you; you have conquered and are unhurt! - - HÅKON. - - Yes, I have conquered. Where is the child? - - MARGRETE. - - On board the King’s ship, in the hands of trusty men. - - HÅKON. - - Go more of you thither. - - [_Some of the men go._ - - MARGRETE. - - Håkon, where is—Duke Skule? - - HÅKON. - - He has made for the Uplands. - - MARGRETE. - - He lives, then!—My husband, may I thank God that he lives? - - HÅKON. - - [_In painful agitation._] Hear me, Margrete: you have been a - faithful wife to me, you have followed me through good hap and ill, - you have been unspeakably rich in love;—now must I cause you a heavy - sorrow; I am loath to do it; but I am King, therefore must I—— - - MARGRETE. - - [_In suspense._] Has it to do with—the Duke? - - HÅKON. - - Yes. No bitterer lot could befall me than to live my life far from - you; but if you think it must be so after what I now tell you—if you - feel that you can no longer sit by my side, no longer look at me - without turning pale—well, we must even part—live each alone—and I - shall not blame you for it. - - MARGRETE. - - Part from you! How can you think such a thought? Give me your - hand——! - - HÅKON. - - Touch it not!—It has even now been lifted in oath—— - - MARGRETE. - - In oath? - - HÅKON. - - An oath that set its sacred seal upon a death-warrant. - - MARGRETE. - - [_With a shriek._] My father! Oh, my father! - - [_Totters; two women rush forward to support her._ - - HÅKON. - - Yes, Margrete—his King has doomed your father to death. - - MARGRETE. - - Then well I know he has committed a greater crime than when he took - the kingly title. - - HÅKON. - - That has he;—and now, if you feel that we must part, so let it be. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Coming close to him, firmly._] We can never part! I am your wife, - nought else in the world but your wife! - - HÅKON. - - Are you strong enough? Did you hear and understand all? I have - doomed your father. - - MARGRETE. - - I heard and understood. You have doomed my father. - - HÅKON. - - And you ask not to know what was his crime? - - MARGRETE. - - ’Tis enough that you know it. - - HÅKON. - - But it was to death that I doomed him! - - MARGRETE. - - [_Kneels before the_ KING, _and kisses his hand_.] My husband and - noble lord, your doom is just! - - - - - ACT FIFTH. - - - _A room in the palace at Nidaros. The entrance door is on the right; - in front, on the same side, a window; to the left a smaller - door. It is after night-fall._ PAUL FLIDA, BÅRD BRATTE, _and - several of_ KING SKULE’S _principal followers are standing at - the window and looking upward_. - - A MAN-AT-ARMS. - - How red it glows! - - A SECOND. - - It stretches over half the sky, like a flaming sword. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Holy King Olaf, what bodes such a sign of dread? - - AN OLD VÅRBÆLG. - - Assuredly it bodes a great chief’s death. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Håkon’s death, my good Vårbælgs. He is lying out in the fiord with - his fleet; we may look for him in the town to-night. This time, ’tis - our turn to conquer! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Trust not to that; there is little heart in the host now. - - THE OLD VÅRBÆLG. - - And reason enough, in sooth; ever since the flight from Oslo has - King Skule shut himself in, and will neither see nor speak with his - men. - - THE FIRST MAN-AT-ARMS. - - There are those in the town who know not whether to believe him - alive or dead. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - The King must out, however sick he may be. Speak to him, Bård - Bratte—the safety of all is at stake. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - It avails not; I have spoken to him already. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Then must I try what I can do. [_Goes to the door on the left, and - knocks._] My lord King, you must take the helm in your own hands; - things can no longer go on in this fashion. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Within._] I am sick, Paul Flida. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - What else can you look for? You have eaten nought these two days; - you must nourish and strengthen you—— - - KING SKULE. - - I am sick. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - By the Almighty, ’tis no time for sickness. King Håkon lies out in - the fiord, and may at any time be upon us here in Nidaros. - - KING SKULE. - - Strike him down for me! Slay him and the King-child. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - You must be with us, my lord! - - KING SKULE. - - No, no, no,—you are surest of fortune and victory when I am not - there. - - PETER. - - [_Enters from the right; he is in armour._] The townsfolk are ill at - ease; they flock together in great masses before the palace. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Unless the King speak to them, they will desert him in the hour of - need. - - PETER. - - Then must he speak to them. [_At the door on the left._] Father! The - Trönders, your trustiest subjects, will fall away from you if you - give them not courage. - - KING SKULE. - - What said the skald? - - PETER. - - The skald? - - KING SKULE. - - The skald who died for my sake at Oslo. A man cannot give what he - himself does not possess, he said. - - PETER. - - Then neither can you give away the kingdom; for it is mine after - you! - - KING SKULE. - - Now I will come! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - God be praised! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Comes forward in the doorway; he is pale and haggard; his hair has - grown very grey._] You shall not look at me! I will not have you - look at me now that I am sick! [_Goes up to_ PETER.] Take from you - the kingdom, you say? Great God in heaven, what was I about to do! - - PETER. - - Oh, forgive me;—I know that what you do is ever the right. - - KING SKULE. - - No, no, not hitherto; but now I will be strong and sound—I will act! - - LOUD SHOUTS. - - [_Without, on the right._] King Skule! King Skule! - - KING SKULE. - - What is that? - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - [_At the window._] The townsmen are flocking together; the whole - courtyard is full of people;—you must speak to them. - - KING SKULE. - - Do I look like a king? Can I speak now? - - PETER. - - You must, my noble father! - - KING SKULE. - - Well, be it so. [_Goes to the window and draws the curtain aside, - but lets it go quickly and starts back in terror._] There hangs the - flaming sword over me again! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - It bodes that the sword of victory is drawn for you. - - KING SKULE. - - Ah, were it but so! [_Goes to the window and speaks out._] Trönders, - what would you? Here stands your King. - - A TOWNSMAN. - - [_Without._] Leave the town! The Birchlegs will burn and slay if - they find you here. - - KING SKULE. - - We must all hold together. I have been a gracious King to you; I - have craved but small war-tax—— - - A MAN’S VOICE. - - [_Down in the crowd._] What call you all the blood, then, that - flowed at Låka and Oslo? - - A WOMAN. - - Give me my betrothed again! - - A BOY. - - Give me my father and my brother! - - ANOTHER WOMAN. - - Give me my three sons, King Skule! - - A MAN. - - He is no King; homage has not been done him on St. Olaf’s shrine! - - MANY VOICES. - - No, no—no homage has been done him on St. Olaf’s shrine! He is no - king! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Shrinks behind the curtain._] No homage——! No king! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - ’Twas a dire mischance that the shrine was not brought forth when - you were chosen. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Should the townsfolk desert us, we cannot hold Nidaros if the - Birchlegs come. - - KING SKULE. - - And they will desert us, so long as homage has not been done to me - on the Saint’s shrine. - - PETER. - - Then let the shrine be brought forth, and take our homage now! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Shaking his head._] How should that be possible? - - PETER. - - Is aught impossible, where _he_ is concerned? Sound the call for the - folkmote, and bring forth the shrine! - - SEVERAL OF THE MEN. - - [_Shrinking back._] Sacrilege! - - PETER. - - No sacrilege!—Come, come! The monks are well disposed towards King - Skule; they will agree—— - - PAUL FLIDA. - - That will they not; they dare not, for the Archbishop. - - PETER. - - Are you King’s men, and will not lend your aid when so great a cause - is at stake! Good, there are others below of better will. My father - and King, the monks _shall_ give way; I will pray, I will beseech; - sound the summons for the folkmote; you shall bear your kingship - rightfully. - - [_Rushes out to the right._ - - KING SKULE. - - [_Beaming with joy._] Saw you him! Saw you my gallant son! How his - eyes shone! Yes, we will all fight and conquer. How strong are the - Birchlegs? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Not stronger than that we may master them, if but the townsfolk hold - to us. - - KING SKULE. - - They _shall_ hold to us. We must all be at one now and put an end to - this time of dread. See you not that ’tis Heaven’s command that we - should end it? Heaven is wroth with all Norway for the deeds that - have so long been doing. A flaming sword glows night by night in the - sky; women swoon and bear children in the churches; a frenzy creeps - abroad among priests and monks, causing them to run through the - streets and proclaim that the last day is come. Ay, by the Almighty, - this shall be ended at one stroke! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - What are your commands? - - KING SKULE. - - All the bridges shall be broken down! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Go, and let all the bridges be broken. - - [_One of the Men-at-arms goes out to the right._ - - KING SKULE. - - Gather all our men upon the foreshore; not one Birchleg shall set - foot in Nidaros. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Well spoken, King. - - KING SKULE. - - When the shrine is borne forth, let the horn sound to the folkmote. - The host and the townsfolk shall be called together. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_To one of the men._] Go forth and bid the hornblower wind his horn - in all the streets. - - [_The man goes._ - - KING SKULE. - - [_Addresses the people from the window._] Hold fast to me, all my - sorrowing people. There shall come peace and light over the land - once more, as in Håkon’s first glad days, when the fields yielded - two harvests every summer. Hold fast to me; believe in me and trust - to me; ’tis that I need so unspeakably. I will watch over you and - fight for you; I will bleed and die for you, if need be; but fail me - not, and doubt not——! [_Loud cries, as though of terror, are heard - among the people._] What is that? - - A WILD VOICE. - - Atone! Atone! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - [_Looks out._] ’Tis a priest possessed of the devil! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - He is tearing his cowl to shreds and scourging himself with a whip. - - THE VOICE. - - Atone, atone! The last day is come. - - MANY VOICES. - - Flee, flee! Woe upon Nidaros. A deed of sin! - - KING SKULE. - - What has befallen? - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - All flee, all shrink away as though a wild beast were in their - midst. - - KING SKULE. - - Yes, all flee. [_With a cry of joy._] Ha! it matters not. We are - saved! See, see—King Olaf’s shrine stands in the middle of the - courtyard. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - King Olaf’s shrine! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Ay, by Heaven—there it stands! - - KING SKULE. - - The monks are true to me; so good a deed have they never done - before! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Hark! the call to the folkmote! - - KING SKULE. - - Now shall lawful homage be done to me. - - PETER. - - [_Enters from the right._] Take on you the kingly mantle; now stands - the shrine out yonder. - - KING SKULE. - - Then have you saved the kingdom for me and for yourself; and tenfold - will we thank the pious monks for yielding. - - PETER. - - The monks, father—you have nought to thank them for. - - KING SKULE - - ’Twas not they that helped you? - - PETER. - - They laid the ban of the Church on whoever should dare to touch the - holy thing. - - KING SKULE. - - The Archbishop then! At last he gives way. - - PETER. - - The Archbishop hurled forth direr curses than the monks. - - KING SKULE. - - Ah, then I see that I still have trusty men. You here, who should - have been the first to serve me, stood terrified and shrank back—but - down in the crowd have I friends who for my sake fear not to take so - great a sin upon their souls. - - PETER. - - You have not one trusty man who dared to take the sin upon him. - - KING SKULE. - - Almighty God! has then a miracle come to pass? Who bore out the holy - thing? - - PETER. - - I, my father! - - KING SKULE. - - [_With a shriek._] You! - - THE MEN. - - [_Shrink back appalled._] Church-robber! - - [PAUL FLIDA, BÅRD BRATTE, _and one or two others go out_. - - PETER. - - The deed had to be done. No man’s faith is sure ere homage be - lawfully done to you. I begged, I besought the monks; it availed - not. Then I broke open the church door; none dared to follow me. I - sprang up to the high altar, gripped the handle, and pressed hard - with my knees; ’twas as though an unseen power gave me more than - human strength. The shrine came loose, I dragged it after me down - the nave, while the ban moaned like a storm high up under the - vaultings. I dragged it out of the church; all fled and shrank from - me. When I came to the middle of the courtyard the handle broke; - here it is! - - [_Holds it aloft._ - - KING SKULE. - - [_Quietly, appalled._] Church-robber. - - PETER. - - For your sake; for the sake of your great king’s-thought! You will - wipe out the sin; all that is evil you will wipe away. Light and - peace will follow you; a glorious day will dawn over the land—what - matter, then, if there went a storm-night before it? - - KING SKULE. - - There was as ’twere a halo round your head when your mother brought - you to me; now I see in its stead the lightnings of the ban. - - PETER. - - Father, father, think not of me; be not afraid for my woe or weal. - Is it not your will I have fulfilled?—how can it be accounted to me - for a crime? - - KING SKULE. - - I hungered for your faith in me, and your faith has turned to sin. - - PETER. - - [_Wildly._] For your sake, for your sake! Therefore God dare not - deny to blot it out! - - KING SKULE. - - “Pure and blameless,” I swore to Ingeborg—and he scoffs at heaven! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - [_Entering._] All is in uproar! The impious deed has struck terror - to your men; they flee into the churches. - - KING SKULE. - - They shall out; they must out! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - [_Entering._] The townsfolk have risen against you; they are slaying - the Vårbælgs wherever they find them, on the streets or in the - houses! - - A MAN-AT-ARMS. - - [_Entering._] The Birchlegs are sailing up the river! - - KING SKULE. - - Summon all my men together! None must fail me here! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - They will not come; they are benumbed with dread. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Despairingly._] But I _cannot_ fall now! My son must not die with - a deadly sin upon his soul! - - PETER. - - Think not of me; ’tis you alone that are to be thought of. Let us - make for Indherred; there all men are true to you! - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, to flight! Follow me, whoso would save his life! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - What way? - - KING SKULE. - - Over the bridge! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - All bridges are broken down, my lord. - - KING SKULE. - - Broken down——! All the bridges broken, say you? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Had you broken them down at Oslo, you might have let them stand at - Nidaros. - - KING SKULE. - - We must over the river none the less;—we have our lives and our - souls to save! To flight! To flight! - - [_He and_ PETER _rush out to the left_. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Ay, better so than to fall at the hands of the townfolk and the - Birchlegs. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - In God’s name, then, to flight! - - [_All follow_ SKULE. - - _The room stands empty for a short time; a distant and confused - noise is heard from the streets; then a troop of armed - townsmen rushes in by the door on the right._ - - A TOWNSMAN. - - Here! He must be here! - - ANOTHER. - - Slay him! - - MANY. - - Slay the church-robber too! - - A SINGLE ONE. - - Go carefully! They may yet bite! - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - No need; the Birchlegs are already coming up the street. - - A TOWNSMAN. - - [_Entering._] Too late—King Skule has fled! - - MANY. - - Whither? Whither? - - THE NEW-COMER. - - Into one of the churches, methinks; they are full of the Vargbælgs. - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - Then let us seek for him; great thanks and reward will King Håkon - give to the man who slays Skule. - - ANOTHER. - - Here come the Birchlegs. - - A THIRD. - - King Håkon himself! - - MANY OF THE CROWD. - - [_Shout._] Hail to King Håkon Håkonsson! - - HÅKON. - - [_Enters from the right, followed by_ GREGORIUS JONSSON, DAGFINN THE - PEASANT, _and many others_.] Ay, now are you humble, you Trönders; - you have stood against me long enough. - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - [_Kneeling._] Mercy, my lord! Skule Bårdsson bore so hardly on us! - - ANOTHER. - - [_Also kneeling._] He compelled us, else had we never followed him. - - THE FIRST. - - He seized our goods and forced us to fight for his unrighteous - cause. - - THE SECOND. - - Alas, noble lord, he has been a scourge to his friends no less than - to his foes. - - MANY VOICES. - - Ay, ay,—Skule Bårdsson has been a scourge to the whole land. - - DAGFINN. - - That, at least, is true enough. - - HÅKON. - - Good; with you townsfolk I will speak later; ’tis my purpose to - punish sternly all transgressions; but first there are other things - to be thought of. Knows any man where Skule Bårdsson is? - - MANY. - - In one of the churches, lord! - - HÅKON. - - Know you that for certain? - - THE TOWNSMEN. - - Ay, there are all the Vargbælgs. - - HÅKON. - - [_Softly to_ DAGFINN.] He must be found; set a watch on all the - churches in the town. - - DAGFINN. - - And when he is found, he must straightway be slain. - - HÅKON. - - [_Softly._] Slain? Dagfinn, Dagfinn, how heavy a deed it seems! - - DAGFINN. - - My lord, you swore it solemnly at Oslo. - - HÅKON. - - And all men in the land will call for his death. [_Turns to_ - GREGORIUS JONSSON _and says, unheard by the others_.] Go; you were - once his friend; seek him out and prevail on him to fly the land. - - GREGORIUS. - - [_Joyfully._] You will suffer it, my lord! - - HÅKON. - - For the sake of my gentle, well-beloved wife. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - But if he should _not_ flee? If he will not or cannot? - - HÅKON. - - Then, in God’s name, I may not spare him; then must my kingly word - be fulfilled. Go! - - GREGORIUS JONSSON - - I go, and shall do my utmost. Heaven grant I may succeed. - - [_Goes out by the right._ - - HÅKON. - - You, Dagfinn, go with trusty men down to the King’s ship; you shall - conduct the Queen and her child up to Elgesæter[45] convent. - - DAGFINN. - - My lord, think you she will be safe there? - - HÅKON. - - Nowhere safer. The Vargbælgs have shut themselves up in the - churches, and she has besought to be sent thither; her mother is at - Elgesæter. - - DAGFINN. - - Ay, ay, that I know. - - HÅKON. - - Greet the Queen most lovingly from me; and greet Lady Ragnhild also. - You may tell them that so soon as the Vargbælgs shall have made - submission and been taken to grace, all the bells in Nidaros shall - be rung, for a sign that there has come peace in the land once - more.—You townsfolk shall reckon with me to-morrow, and punishment - shall be meted to each according to his misdeeds. - - [_Goes with his men._ - - THE FIRST TOWNSMAN. - - Woe upon us to-morrow! - - THE SECOND. - - We have a long reckoning to pay. - - THE FIRST. - - We, who have stood against Håkon so long—who bore our part in - acclaiming Skule when he took the kingly title. - - THE SECOND. - - Who gave Skule both ships and war-tribute—who bought all the goods - he seized from Håkon’s thanes. - - THE FIRST. - - Ay, woe upon us to-morrow! - - A TOWNSMAN. - - [_Rushes in from the left._] Where is Håkon? Where is the King? - - THE FIRST. - - What would you with him? - - THE NEW-COMER - - Bring him great and weighty tidings. - - MANY. - - What tidings? - - THE NEW-COMER. - - I tell them to no other than the King himself. - - MANY. - - Ay, tell us, tell us! - - THE NEW-COMER. - - Skule Bårdsson is fleeing up toward Elgesæter. - - THE FIRST. - - It cannot be! He is in one of the churches. - - THE NEW-COMER. - - No, no; he and his son crossed over the river in a skiff. - - THE FIRST. - - Ha, then we can save us from Håkon’s wrath! - - THE SECOND. - - Ay, let us forthwith give him to know where Skule is. - - THE FIRST. - - Nay, better than that; we will say nought, but ourselves go up to - Elgesæter and slay Skule. - - THE SECOND. - - Ay, ay—that will we! - - A THIRD. - - But did not many Vargbælgs go with him over the river? - - THE NEW-COMER. - - No, there were but few men in the boat. - - THE FIRST. - - We will arm us as best we can. Oh, now are we townsfolk safe enough! - Let no man know what we are about; we are enough for the task!—And - now, away to Elgesæter. - - ALL. - - [_Softly._] Ay, away to Elgesæter! - - [_They go out to the left, rapidly but cautiously._ - - -------------- - - _A fir-wood on the hills above Nidaros. It is moonlight, but the - night is misty, so that the background is seen indistinctly, - and sometimes scarcely at all. Tree-stumps and great boulders - lie round about._ KING SKULE, PETER, PAUL FLIDA, BÅRD BRATTE, - _and other_ VÅRBÆLGS _come through the wood from the left_. - - PETER. - - Come hither and rest you, my father. - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, let me rest, rest. - - [_Sinks down beside a stone._ - - PETER. - - How goes it with you? - - KING SKULE. - - I am hungry! I am sick, sick! I see dead men’s shadows! - - PETER. - - [_Springing up._] Help here—bread for the King! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Here is every man king; for life is at stake. Stand up, Skule - Bårdsson, if you be king! Lie not there to rule the land. - - PETER. - - If you scoff at my father, I will kill you. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - I shall be killed whatever betides; for me King Håkon will have no - grace; for I was his thane, and deserted him for Skule’s sake. Think - of somewhat that may save us. No deed so desperate but I will risk - it now. - - A VÅRBÆLG. - - Could we but get over to the convent at Holm? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Better to Elgesæter. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - [_With a sudden outburst._] Best of all to go down to Håkon’s ship - and bear away the King-child. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Are you distraught? - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - No, no; ’tis our one hope, and easy enough to do. The Birchlegs are - ransacking every house, and keeping watch on all the churches; they - think none of us can have taken flight, since all the bridges are - broken. There can be but few men on board the ships; when once we - have his heir in our power, Håkon must grant us peace, else will his - child die with us. Who will go with me to save our lives? - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Not I, if they are to be saved in such wise. - - SEVERAL. - - Not I! Not I! - - PETER. - - Ha, but if it were to save my father——! - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - If you will go with me, come. First I go down to Hladehammer; there - lies the troop we met at the bottom of the hill; they are the - wildest dare-devils of all the Vargbælgs; they had swum the river, - knowing that they would find no grace in the churches. They are the - lads for a raid on the King’s ship! Which of you will follow me? - - SOME. - - I! I! - - PETER. - - Mayhap I too; but first must I see my father into safe shelter. - - BÅRD BRATTE. - - Ere daybreak will we make speed up the river. Come, here goes a - short way downwards towards Hlade. - - [_He and some others go out to the right._ - - PETER. - - [_To_ PAUL FLIDA.] Let not my father know aught of this; he is - soul-sick to-night, we must act for him. There is safety in Bård - Bratte’s deed; ere daybreak shall the King-child be in our hands. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - To be slain, most like. See you not that it is a sin—— - - PETER. - - Nay, it cannot be a sin; for my father doomed the child in Oslo. - Sooner or later it must die, for it blocks my father’s path;—my - father has a great king’s-thought to carry through; it matters not - who or how many fall for its sake. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Hapless for you was the day you came to know that you were King - Skule’s son. [_Listening._] Hist!—cast you flat to the ground; there - come people this way. - - [_All throw themselves down behind stones and stumps; a - troop of people, some riding, some on foot, can be seen - indistinctly through the mist and between the trees; - they come from the left, and pass on to the right._ - - PETER. - - ’Tis the Queen! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Ay; she is talking with Dagfinn the Peasant. Hush! - - PETER. - - They are making for Elgesæter. The King-child is with them! - - PAUL FLIDA. - - And the Queen’s ladies. - - PETER. - - But only four men! Up, up, King Skule—now is your kingdom saved! - - KING SKULE. - - My kingdom? ’Tis dark, my kingdom—like the angel’s that rose against - God. - - _A party of_ MONKS _comes from the right_. - - A MONK. - - Who speaks there? Is it King Skule’s men. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - King Skule himself. - - THE MONK. - - [_To_ SKULE.] God be praised that we met you, dear lord! Some - townsmen gave us to know that you had taken the upward path, and we - are no less unsafe than you in Nidaros. - - PETER. - - You have deserved death, you who denied to give forth St. Olaf’s - shrine. - - THE MONK. - - The Archbishop forbade it; but none the less we would fain serve - King Skule; we have ever held to him. See, we have brought with us - robes of our Order for you and your men; put them on, and then can - you easily make your way into one convent or another, and can seek - to gain grace of Håkon. - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, let me put on the robe; my son and I must stand on consecrated - ground. I will to Elgesæter. - - PETER. - - [_Softly, to_ PAUL FLIDA.] See that my father comes safely thither. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Bethink you that there are Birchlegs at Elgesæter. - - PETER. - - But four men; you may easily deal with them, and once inside the - convent walls they will not dare to touch you. I will seek Bård - Bratte. - - PAUL FLIDA. - - Nay, do not so! - - PETER. - - Not on the King’s ship, but at Elgesæter, must the outlaws save the - kingdom for my father. - - [_Goes quickly out to the right._ - - A VÅRBÆLG. - - [_Whispering to another._] Go you to Elgesæter with Skule? - - THE OTHER. - - Hist; no; the Birchlegs are there! - - THE FIRST. - - Neither will I go; but say nought to the rest. - - THE MONK. - - And now away, two and two,—one spearman and one monk. - - ANOTHER MONK. - - [_Sitting on a stump behind the rest._] I will guide King Skule. - - KING SKULE. - - Know you the way? - - THE MONK. - - The broad way. - - THE FIRST MONK. - - Haste you; let us take different paths, and meet outside the convent - gate. - - [_They go out among the trees, to the right; the fog lifts - and the comet shows itself red and glowing, through the - hazy air._ - - KING SKULE. - - Peter, my son——! [_Starts backwards._] Ha, there is the flaming - sword in heaven! - - THE MONK. - - [_Sitting behind him on the stump._] And here am I! - - KING SKULE. - - Who are you? - - THE MONK. - - An old acquaintance. - - KING SKULE. - - Paler man have I never seen. - - THE MONK. - - But you know me not? - - KING SKULE - - ’Tis you that are to lead me to Elgesæter. - - THE MONK. - - ’Tis I that will lead you to the throne. - - KING SKULE. - - Can you do that? - - THE MONK. - - I can, if you but will it. - - KING SKULE. - - And by what means? - - THE MONK. - - By the means I have used before;—I will take you up into a high - mountain and show you all the glory of the world. - - KING SKULE. - - All the glory of the world have I seen ere now, in dreams of - temptation. - - THE MONK. - - ’Twas I that gave you those dreams. - - KING SKULE. - - Who are you? - - THE MONK. - - An envoy from the oldest Pretender in the world. - - KING SKULE. - - From the oldest Pretender in the world? - - THE MONK. - - From the first Earl, who rose against the greatest kingdom, and - himself founded a kingdom that shall endure beyond doomsday. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Shrieks._] Bishop Nicholas! - - THE MONK. - - [_Rising._] Do you know me now? We were friends of yore, - and ’tis you that have brought me back; - once the self-same galley our fortunes bore, - and we sailed on the self-same tack. - At our parting I quailed, in the gloom and the blast; - for a hawk in his talons had gripped my soul fast; - I besought them to chant and to ply the bell, - and I bought me masses and prayers as well,— - they read fourteen, though I’d paid but for seven; - yet they brought me no nearer the gates of heaven. - - KING SKULE. - - And you come from down yonder——? - - THE MONK. - - Yes, from the kingdom down yonder I’m faring; - the kingdom men always so much miscall. - I vow ’tis in nowise so bad after all, - and the heat, to my thinking, is never past bearing. - - KING SKULE. - - And it seems you have learnt skald-craft, old Bagler-chieftain! - - THE MONK. - - Not only skald-craft, but store of Latinity! - Once my Latin was not over strong, you know; - now few can beat it for ease and flow. - To take any station in yonder vicinity, - ay, even to pass at the gate, for credential - a knowledge of Latin is well-nigh essential. - You can’t but make progress with so many able - and learned companions each day at the table,— - full fifty ex-popes by my side carouse, and - five hundred cardinals, skalds seven thousand. - - KING SKULE. - - Greet your Master and give him my thanks for his friendship. Tell - him he is the only king who sends help to Skule the First of Norway. - - THE MONK. - - Hear now, King Skule, what brings me to you— - my Master’s henchmen down there are legion, - and each up here is allotted a region; - they gave Norway to me, as the place I best knew. - Håkon Håkonsson serves not my Master’s will; - we hate him, for he is our foeman still— - so he must fall, leaving you at the helm, - the sole possessor of crown and realm. - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, give me the crown! When once I have that, I will rule so as to - buy myself free again. - - THE MONK. - - Ay, that we can always talk of later—— - we must seize the time if we’d win the fight. - King Håkon’s child sleeps at Elgesæter; - could you once wrap him in the web of night, - then like storm-swept motes will your foes fly routed, - then your victory’s sure and your kingship undoubted! - - KING SKULE. - - Think you so surely that the victory were mine? - - THE MONK. - - All men in Norway are sighing for rest; - the king with an heir[46] is the king they love best— - a son to succeed to the throne without wrangling; - for the people are tired of this hundred-years’ jangling. - Rouse you, King Skule! one great endeavour! - the foe must perish to-night or never! - See, to the northward how light it has grown, - see how the fog lifts o’er fiord and o’er valley— - there gather noiselessly galley on galley— - hark! men are marching with rumble and drone! - One word of promise, and all is your own— - hundreds of glittering sails on the water, - thousands of warriors hurtling to slaughter. - - KING SKULE. - - What word would you have? - - THE MONK. - - For raising you highest, my one condition - is just that you follow your heart’s ambition; - all Norway is yours, to the kingship I’ll speed you, - if only you vow that your son shall succeed you! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Raising his hand as if for an oath._] My son shall—-[_Stops - suddenly, and breaks forth in terror._] The church-robber! All the - might to him! Ha! now I understand;—you seek for his soul’s - perdition! Get thee behind me, get thee behind me! [_Stretches out - his arms to heaven._] Oh have mercy on me, thou to whom I now call - for help in my sorest need! - - [_He falls prone to the earth._ - - THE MONK. - - Accursëd! He’s slipped through my fingers at last— - and I thought of a surety I held him so fast! - But the Light, it seems, had a trick in store - that I knew not of—and the game is o’er. - Well, well; what matters a little delay? - _Perpetuum mobile_’s well under way; - my might is assured through the years and the ages, - the haters of light shall be still in my wages; - in Norway my empire for ever is founded, - though it be to my subjects a riddle unsounded. - - [_Coming forward._ - - While to their life-work Norsemen set out - will-lessly wavering, daunted with doubt, - while hearts are shrunken, minds helplessly shivering, - weak as a willow-wand wind-swept and quivering,— - while about one thing alone they’re united, - namely, that greatness be stoned and despited,— - when they seek honour in fleeing and falling - under the banner of baseness unfurled,— - then Bishop Nicholas ’tends to his calling, - the Bagler-Bishop’s at work in the world! - - [_He disappears in the fog among the trees._ - - KING SKULE. - - [_After a short pause, half rises and looks around._] Where is he, - my black comrade? [_Springs up._] My guide, my guide, where are you? - Gone!— No matter; now I myself know the way, both to Elgesæter and - beyond. - - [_Goes out to the right._ - - -------------- - - _The courtyard of Elgesæter Convent. To the left lies the chapel, - with an entrance from the courtyard; the windows are lighted - up. Along the opposite side of the space stretch some lower - buildings; in the back, the convent wall with a strong gate, - which is locked. It is a clear moonlight night. Three Birchleg - Chiefs stand by the gate_; MARGRETE, LADY RAGNHILD, _and_ - DAGFINN THE PEASANT _come out from the chapel_. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Half to herself._] King Skule had to flee into the church, you - say! He, he, a fugitive! begging at the altar for peace—begging for - his life mayhap—oh no, no, that could never be; but God will punish - you who dared to let it come to this! - - MARGRETE. - - My dear, dear mother, curb yourself; you know not what you say; ’tis - your grief that speaks. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Hear me, ye Birchlegs! ’Tis Håkon Håkonsson that should lie before - the altar, and beseech King Skule for life and peace. - - A BIRCHLEG. - - It ill beseems loyal men to listen to such words. - - MARGRETE. - - Bow your heads before a wife’s sorrow! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - King Skule doomed! Look to yourselves, look to yourselves all of - you, when he regains his power! - - DAGFINN. - - That will never be, Lady Ragnhild. - - MARGRETE. - - Hush, hush! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Think you Håkon Håkonsson dare let his doom be fulfilled if the King - should fall into his hands? - - DAGFINN. - - King Håkon himself best knows whether a king’s oath can be broken. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_To_ MARGRETE.] And this man of blood have you followed in faith - and love! Are you your father’s child? May the wrath of heaven——! Go - from me, go from me! - - MARGRETE. - - Blessed be your lips, although now they curse me. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - I must down to Nidaros and into the church to find King Skule. He - sent me from him when he sat victorious on the throne; then, truly, - he had no need of me—now will he not be wroth if I come to him. Open - the gate for me; let me go to Nidaros! - - MARGRETE. - - My mother, for God’s pity’s sake——! - - [_A loud knocking at the convent gate._ - - DAGFINN. - - Who knocks? - - KING SKULE. - - [_Without._] A king. - - DAGFINN. - - Skule Bårdsson. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - King Skule. - - MARGRETE. - - My father! - - KING SKULE. - - Open, open! - - DAGFINN. - - We open not here to outlaws. - - KING SKULE. - - ’Tis a king who knocks, I tell you; a king who has no roof over his - head; a king whose life is forfeit if he reach not consecrated - ground. - - MARGRETE. - - Dagfinn, Dagfinn, ’tis my father! - - DAGFINN. - - [_Goes to the gate and opens a small shutter._] Come you with many - men to the convent? - - KING SKULE. - - With all the men that were true to me in my need. - - DAGFINN. - - And how many be they? - - KING SKULE. - - Fewer than one. - - MARGRETE. - - He is alone, Dagfinn. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Heaven’s wrath fall upon you if you deny him sanctuary! - - DAGFINN. - - In God’s name, then! - - [_He opens the gate; the Birchlegs respectfully uncover - their heads._ KING SKULE _enters the courtyard_. - - MARGRETE. - - [_Throwing herself on his neck._] My father! My dear, unhappy - father! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Interposing wildly between him and the Birchlegs._] Ye who feign - reverence for him, ye will betray him, like Judas. Dare not to come - near him! Ye shall not lay a finger on him while I live! - - DAGFINN. - - Here he is safe, for he is on holy ground. - - MARGRETE. - - And not one of all your men had the heart to follow you this night! - - KING SKULE. - - Both monks and spearmen brought me on the way; but they slipped from - me one by one, for they knew there were Birchlegs at Elgesæter. Paul - Flida was the last to leave me; he came with me to the convent gate; - there he gave me his last hand-grip, in memory of the time when - there were Vargbælgs in Norway. - - DAGFINN. - - [_To the Birchlegs._] Get you in, chieftains, and set you as guards - about the King-child; I must to Nidaros to acquaint the King that - Skule Bårdsson is at Elgesæter; in so weighty a matter ’tis for him - to act. - - MARGRETE. - - Oh, Dagfinn, Dagfinn, have you the heart for that? - - DAGFINN. - - Else should I ill serve King and land. [_To the men._] Lock the - gates after me, watch over the child, and open to none until the - King be come. [_Softly_ to SKULE.] Farewell, Skule Bårdsson—and God - grant you a blessed end. - - [_Goes out by the gate; the Birchlegs close it after him, - and go into the chapel._ - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Ay, let Håkon come; I will not loose you; I will hold you straitly - and tenderly in my arms, as I never held you before. - - MARGRETE. - - Oh, how pale you are—and aged; you are cold. - - KING SKULE. - - I am not cold—but I am weary, weary. - - MARGRETE. - - Come in then, and rest you—— - - KING SKULE. - - Yes, yes; ’twill soon be time to rest. - - SIGRID. - - [_From the chapel._] You come at last, my brother! - - KING SKULE. - - Sigrid! you here? - - SIGRID. - - I promised that we should meet when you were fain of me in your - sorest need. - - KING SKULE. - - Where is your child, Margrete? - - MARGRETE. - - He sleeps, in the sacristy. - - KING SKULE. - - Then is our whole house gathered at Elgesæter to-night. - - SIGRID. - - Ay, gathered after straying long and far. - - KING SKULE. - - Håkon Håkonsson alone is wanting. - - MARGRETE AND LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Cling about him, in an outburst of sorrow._] My father!—My - husband! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Looking at them, much moved._] Have you loved me so deeply, you - two? I sought after happiness abroad, and heeded not the home - wherein I might have found it. I pursued after love through sin and - guilt, little dreaming that ’twas mine already, in right of God’s - law and man’s.—And you, Ragnhild, my wife, you, against whom I have - sinned so deeply, you take me to your warm, soft heart in the hour - of my sorest need; you can tremble and be afraid for the life of the - man who has never cast a ray of sunshine upon your path. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Have you sinned? Oh, Skule, speak not so; think you I should ever - dare accuse you! From the first I was too mean a mate for you, my - noble husband; there can rest no guilt on any deed of yours. - - KING SKULE. - - Have you believed in me so surely, Ragnhild? - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - From the first day I saw you. - - KING SKULE. - - [_With animation._] When Håkon comes, I will beg grace of him! You - gentle, loving women,—oh, but it is fair to live! - - SIGRID. - - [_With an expression of terror._] Skule, my brother! Woe to you if - you stray from the path this night. - - [_A loud noise without; immediately afterwards, a knocking - at the gate._ - - MARGRETE. - - Hark, hark! Who comes in such haste? - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Who knocks at the gate? - - VOICES. - - [_Without._] Townsfolk from Nidaros! Open! We know that Skule - Bårdsson is within! - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, he is within; what would ye with him? - - NOISY VOICES. - - [_Without._] Come out, come out! Death to the evil man! - - MARGRETE. - - You townsfolk dare to threaten that? - - A SINGLE VOICE. - - King Håkon doomed him at Oslo. - - ANOTHER. - - ’Tis every man’s duty to slay him. - - MARGRETE. - - I am the Queen; I command you to depart! - - A VOICE. - - ’Tis Skule Bårdsson’s daughter, and not the Queen, that speaks thus. - - ANOTHER. - - You have no power over life and death; the King has doomed him! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Into the church, Skule! For God’s mercy’s sake, let not the - bloodthirsty caitiffs approach you! - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, into the church; I would not fall at the hands of such as these. - My wife, my daughter; meseems I have found peace and light; oh, I - cannot lose them again so soon! - - [_Moves towards the chapel._ - - PETER. - - [_Without, on the right._] My father, my king. Now will you soon - have the victory! - - KING SKULE. - - [_With a shriek._] He! He! - - [_Sinks down upon the church steps._ - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Who is it? - - A TOWNSMAN. - - [_Without._] See, see! the church-robber climbs over the convent - roof! - - OTHERS. - - Stone him! Stone him! - - PETER. - - [_Appears on a roof to the right, and jumps down into the yard._] - Well met again, my father! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Looks at him aghast._] You—I had forgotten you——! Whence come you? - - PETER. - - [_Wildly._] Where is the King-child? - - MARGRETE. - - The King-child! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Starts up._] Whence come you, I ask? - - PETER. - - From Hladehammer; I have given Bård Bratte and the Vargbælgs to know - that the King-child lies at Elgesæter to-night. - - MARGRETE. - - O God! - - KING SKULE. - - You have done that! And now——? - - PETER. - - He is gathering together his men, and they are hasting up to the - convent.—Where is the King-child, woman? - - MARGRETE. - - [_Who has placed herself before the church door._] He sleeps in the - sacristy! - - PETER. - - ’Twere the same if he slept on the altar! I have dragged out St. - Olaf’s shrine—I fear not to drag out the King-child as well. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Calls to_ SKULE.] And he it is you have loved so deeply! - - MARGRETE. - - Father, father! How could you forget us all for his sake? - - KING SKULE. - - He was pure as a lamb of God when the penitent woman gave him to - me;—’tis his faith in me has made him what he now is. - - PETER. - - [_Without heeding him._] The child must out! Slay it, slay it in the - Queen’s arms,—that was King Skule’s word in Oslo! - - MARGRETE. - - Oh shame, oh shame! - - PETER. - - A saint might do it unsinning, at my father’s command! My father is - King; for the great king’s-thought is his! - - TOWNSMEN. - - [_Knocking at the gate._] Open! Come out, you and the church-robber, - else will we burn the convent down! - - KING SKULE. - - [_As if seized by a strong resolution._] The great king’s-thought! - ’Tis _that_ has poisoned your young loving soul! Pure and blameless - I was to give you back; ’tis faith in me that drives you thus wildly - from crime to crime, from deadly sin to deadly sin! Oh, but I can - save you yet: I can save us all! [_Calls toward the background._] - Wait, wait, ye townsmen without there: I come! - - MARGRETE. - - [_Seizing his hand in terror._] My father! what would you do? - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - [_Clinging to him with a shriek._] Skule! - - SIGRID. - - [_Tears them away from him, and calls with wild, radiant joy._] - Loose him, loose him, women;—now his thought puts forth wings! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Firmly and forcibly, to_ PETER.] You saw in me the heaven-chosen - one,—him who should do the great king’s-work in the land. Look at me - better, misguided boy! The rags of kingship I have decked myself - withal, they were borrowed and stolen—now I put them off me, one by - one. - - PETER. - - [_In dread._] My great, my noble father, speak not thus! - - KING SKULE. - - The king’s-thought is Håkon’s, not mine; to him alone has the Lord - granted the power that can act it out. You have believed in a lie; - turn from me, and save your soul. - - PETER. - - [_In a broken voice._] The king’s-thought is Håkon’s! - - KING SKULE. - - I yearned to be the greatest in the land. My God! my God! behold, I - abase myself before thee, and stand as the least of all men. - - PETER. - - Take me from the earth, O Lord! Punish me for all my sin; but take - me from the earth; for here am I homeless now! - - [_Sinks down upon the church steps._ - - KING SKULE. - - I had a friend who bled for me at Oslo. He said: A man can die for - another’s life-work; but if he is to go on living, he must live for - his own.—I have no life-work to live for, neither can I live for - Håkon’s,—but I can die for it. - - MARGRETE. - - Nay, nay, that shall you never do! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Takes her hand, and looks at her tenderly._] Do you love your - husband, Margrete? - - MARGRETE. - - Better than the whole world. - - KING SKULE. - - You could endure that he should doom me; but could you also endure - that he should let the doom be fulfilled? - - MARGRETE. - - Lord of heaven, give me strength! - - KING SKULE. - - Could you, Margrete? - - MARGRETE. - - [_Softly and shuddering._] No, no—we should have to part,—I could - never see him more! - - KING SKULE. - - You would darken the fairest light of his life and of yours;—be at - peace, Margrete,—it shall not be needful. - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Flee from the land, Skule; I will follow you whithersoever you will. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Shaking his head._] With a mocking shade between us?—To-night have - I found you for the first time; there must fall no shade between me - and you, my silent, faithful wife;—therefore must we not seek to - unite our lives on this earth. - - SIGRID. - - My kingly brother! I see you need me not;—I see you know what path - to take. - - KING SKULE. - - There are men born to live, and men born to die. My desire was ever - thitherward where God’s finger pointed not the way for me; therefore - I never saw my path clear, till now. My peaceful home-life have I - wrecked; I can never win it back again. My sins against Håkon I can - atone by freeing him from a kingly duty which must have parted him - from his dearest treasure. The townsfolk stand without; I will not - wait for King Håkon! The Vargbælgs are near; so long as I live they - will not swerve from their purpose; if they find me here, I cannot - save your child, Margrete.—See, look upwards! See how it wanes and - pales, the flaming sword that has hung over my head! Yes, yes,—God - has spoken and I have understood him, and his wrath is appeased. Not - in the sanctuary of Elgesæter will I cast me down and beg for grace - of an earthly king;—I must into the mighty church roofed with the - vault of stars and ’tis the King of Kings I must implore for grace - and mercy over all my life-work. - - SIGRID. - - Withstand him not! Withstand not the call of God! The day dawns; it - dawns in Norway and it dawns in his restless soul! Have not we - trembling women cowered long enough in our secret rooms, - terror-stricken and hidden in the darkest corners, listening to all - the horror that was doing without, listening to the bloody pageant - that stalked over the land from end to end! Have we not lain pale - and stone-like in the churches, not daring to look forth, even as - Christ’s disciples lay in Jerusalem on the Great Good Friday when - the Lord was led by to Golgotha! Use thy wings, and woe to them who - would bind thee now! - - LADY RAGNHILD. - - Fare forth in peace, my husband; fare thither, where no mocking - shade shall stand between us, when we meet. - - [_Hastens into the chapel._ - - MARGRETE. - - My father, farewell, farewell,—a thousand times farewell! - - [_Follows_ LADY RAGNHILD. - - SIGRID. - - [_Opens the church door and calls in._] To your knees, all ye women! - Assemble yourselves in prayer; send up a message in song to the - Lord, and tell him that now Skule Bårdsson comes penitent home from - his rebellious race on earth. - - KING SKULE. - - Sigrid, my faithful sister, greet King Håkon from me; tell him that - even in my last hour I know not whether he be king-born; but this I - know of a surety: he it is whom God has chosen. - - SIGRID. - - I will bear him your greeting. - - KING SKULE. - - And yet another greeting must you bear. There dwells a penitent - woman in the north, in Halogaland; tell her that her son has gone - before; he went with me when there was great danger for his soul. - - SIGRID. - - That will I. - - KING SKULE. - - Tell her, it was not with the heart he sinned; pure and blameless - shall she surely meet him again. - - SIGRID. - - That will I. [_Points towards the background._] Hark! they are - breaking the lock! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Points towards the chapel._] Hark! they are singing loud to God of - salvation and peace! - - SIGRID. - - Hark again! All the bells in Nidaros are ringing——! - - KING SKULE. - - [_Smiles mournfully._] They are ringing a king to his grave. - - SIGRID. - - Nay, nay, they ring for your true crowning! Farewell, my brother, - let the purple robe of blood flow wide over your shoulders; under it - may all sin be hidden! Go forth, go into the great church and take - the crown of life. - - [_Hastens into the chapel._ - - [_Chanting and bell-ringing continue during what follows._ - - VOICES. - - [_Outside the gate._] The lock has burst! Force us not to break the - peace of the church! - - KING SKULE. - - I come. - - THE TOWNSMEN. - - And the church-robber must come too! - - KING SKULE. - - Ay, the church-robber shall come too. [_Goes over to_ PETER.] My - son, are you ready? - - PETER. - - Ay, father, I am ready. - - KING SKULE. - - [_Looks upwards._] O God, I am a poor man, I have but my life to - give; but take that, and keep watch over Håkon’s great - king’s-thought.—See now, give me your hand. - - PETER. - - Here is my hand, father. - - KING SKULE. - - And fear not for that which is now to come. - - PETER. - - Nay, father, I fear not, when I go with you. - - KING SKULE. - - A safer way have we two never trodden together. [_He opens the gate; - the_ TOWNSMEN _stand without with upraised weapons_.] Here are we; - we come of our own free will;—but strike him not in the face. - - [_They pass out, hand in hand; the gate glides to._ - - A VOICE. - - Aim not, spare not;—strike them where ye can. - - KING SKULE’S VOICE. - - ’Tis base to deal thus with chieftains. - - [_A short noise of weapons; then a heavy fall is heard; all - is still for a moment._ - - A VOICE. - - They are dead, both of them! - - [_The_ KING’S _horn sounds_. - - ANOTHER VOICE. - - There comes King Håkon with all his guard! - - THE CROWD. - - Hail Håkon Håkonsson; now have you no longer any foemen. - - GREGORIUS JONSSON. - - [_Stops a little before the corpses._] So I have come too late! - - [_Enters the convent yard._ - - DAGFINN. - - It had been ill for Norway had you come sooner. [_Calls out._] In - here, King Håkon! - - HÅKON. - - [_Stopping._] The body lies in my way! - - DAGFINN. - - If Håkon Håkonsson would go forward, he must pass over Skule - Bårdsson’s body! - - HÅKON. - - In God’s name then! - - [_Steps over the corpse and comes in._ - - DAGFINN. - - At last you can set about your king’s-work with free hands. In there - are those you _love_; in Nidaros they are ringing in peace in the - _land_; and yonder he lies who was your direst foe. - - HÅKON. - - All men misjudged him, reading not his secret. - - DAGFINN. - - His secret? - - HÅKON. - - [_Seizes him by the arm, and says softly._] Skule Bårdsson was God’s - step-child on earth; that was the secret. - - [_The song of the women is heard more loudly from the - chapel; all the bells are still ringing in Nidaros._ - - THE END. - ------ - -Footnote 21: - - Pronounce _Sverrë_. - -Footnote 22: - - Pronounce Inghë. - -Footnote 23: - - The old name for Trondheim. - -Footnote 24: - - The “Birkebeiner” or Birchlegs were at this period a political - faction. They were so called because, at the time of their first - appearance, when they seem to have been little more than bandits, - they eked out their scanty attire by making themselves leggings of - birch-bark. Norway at this time swarmed with factions, such as the - “Bagler” or Croziers (Latin, baculus), so called because Bishop - Nicholas was their chief, the Ribbungs, the Slittungs, etc., - devoted, for the most part, to one or other of the many Pretenders - to the crown. - -Footnote 25: - - A “thing,” or assembly, held from time to time on the “öre” or - foreshore at the mouth of the river Nid, at Trondhiem. - -Footnote 26: - - The word _hird_ is very difficult to render. It meant something - between “court,” “household,” and “guard.” I have never translated - it “court,” as that word seemed to convey an idea of peaceful - civilisation foreign to the country and period; but I have used - either “guard” or “household” as the context seemed to demand. - _Hirdmand_ I have generally rendered “man-at-arms.” _Lendermand_ I - have represented by “baron”; _lagmand_ and _sysselmand_ by - “thane”; and _stallare_ by “marshal”—all mere rough - approximations. - -Footnote 27: - - See note, p. 125. - -Footnote 28: - - Pronounce _Shaldarband_. - -Footnote 29: - - Bishop Nicholas’s speech, “Nu slår jeg bonden, herre jarl,” means - literally, “Now I strike (or slay) the peasant”; the pawn being - called in Norwegian “bonde,” peasant, as in German “Bauer.” Thus - in this speech and the next the Bishop and the Earl are girding at - Dagfinn the Peasant. [Our own word “pawn” comes from the Spanish - peon = a foot-soldier or day-labourer.] - -Footnote 30: - - Pronounce _Yostein_. - -Footnote 31: - - _Den lykkeligste mand._ The word _lykke_ means not only luck or - fortune, but happiness. To render _lykkeligste_ completely, we - should require a word in which the ideas “fortunate” and “happy” - should be blent. - -Footnote 32: - - See note, p. 125. - -Footnote 33: - - An ancient city close to the present Christiania. - -Footnote 34: - - Men of the Trondheim district. - -Footnote 35: - - _Skibreder_, districts each of which furnished a ship to the - fleet. - -Footnote 36: - - The metre of this song is very rugged in the original, and the - wording purposely uncouth. - -Footnote 37: - - See note, p. 127. - -Footnote 38: - - The derivation of this word is doubtful. In the form _Vargbælg_ it - means Wolf-skin, from Icelandic _Vargr_ = a wolf, and _Belgr_—the - skin of an animal taken off whole. The more common form, however, - is _Varbelg,_ which, as P. A. Munch suggests (“Det Norske Folks - Historie,” iii. 219), may possibly come from _var_ (our word - “ware”), a covering, and may be an allusion to the falsity and - cunning of the faction. What Ibsen understands by the form - _Vårbælg_ I cannot discover. _Vår_ (Icelandic _Vâr_) means the - springtide. The nick-name had been applied to a political faction - as early as 1190, and was merely revived as a designation for - Skule’s adherents. - -Footnote 39: - - _Knœsœtte_, see note, p. 19. - -Footnote 40: - - _Varger_, the first part of the word _Vargbælg_. - -Footnote 41: - - As to the earlier text of this scene, see Brandes’ _Ibsen and - Björnson_ (Heinemann, 1899), p. 29. - -Footnote 42: - - _Lur_, the long wooden horn still used among the mountains in - Norway. - -Footnote 43: - - The arms of Norway consist of a lion rampant, holding an axe. - -Footnote 44: - - _Et nyt kongs-emne._ - -Footnote 45: - - _Elgesæter_—Elk-châlet. - -Footnote 46: - - _Et kongs-emne._ - ------ - - Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO. LIMITED - Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - - There are quite a few instances of missing punctuation. The - conventional period following the character’s name is sometimes - missing and has been added for consistency’s sake without further - comment. Those missing from setting and stage direction are also - added without comment, since there is no obvious purpose to be - served by the omission. However, the restoration of punctuation - missing from dialogue is noted below, since the punctuation is - frequently expressive. - - Volume I of this series included errata for each succeeding volume. - Some, but not all of the corrections indicated there had been made - before this printing. Those that remained unchanged have been - corrected here, and noted as such. - - Other errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been - corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and - line in the original. The following issues should be noted, along - with the resolutions. - - 63.16 If Thorol[d/f] is slain Replaced, - per Errata. - - 63.18 If Thorol[d/f] is slain Replaced, - per Errata. - - 82.29 Whither wilt thou[?] Added. - - 118.12 _H[a/å]kon’s marshal._ Replaced. - - 123.32 The old name for Trondh[ie/ei]m. Transposed. - - 161.27 the full strength of my youth[;/.] Replaced. - - 279.13 what have you done[?] Added. - - 329.1 [_Softly_ [to] SKULE.] Farewell, Skule Added. - Bårdsson - - 341.4 And the church-robber must come too[!] Added. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COLLECTED WORKS OF HENRIK -IBSEN VOL. 02 (OF 11) *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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