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lation, has adopted the old Scottish idiom, which approaches so near to that of the Danish, as almost to give word for word, as well as line for line, and indeed in many verses the orthography alone is altered. As Wester Haf, mentioned in the first stanzas of the ballad, means the West Sea, in opposition to the Baltic, or East Sea, Mr Jamieson inclines to be of opinion, that the scene of the disenchantment is laid in one of the Orkney or Hebride Islands. To each verse in the original is added a burden, having a kind of meaning of its own, but not applicable, at least not uniformly applicable, to the sense of the stanza to which it is subjoined: this is very common, both in Danish and Scottish song.

THE ELFIN GRAY.

TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH KÆMPE VISER, p. 143,
AND FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1591.

Der ligger en vold i Vester Haf,

Der agter en bondè at bygge :
Hand förer did baadè hög og hund,

Og agter der am vinteren at liggè.

(DE VILDE DIUR OG DIURENE UDI SKOPVEN.)

1.

There liggs a wold in Wester Haf,

There a husbande means to bigg,

And thither he carries baith hawk and hound
There meaning the winter to ligg.
(The wild deer and daes i the show out.)

He taks wi' him baith hound and cock,

The langer he means to stay,

The wild deer in the shaws that are

May sairly rue the day.

(The wild deer, &c.)

3.

He's hew'd the beech, and he's fell'd the aik,
Sae has he the poplar gray;

And grim in mood was the grewsome elf,

That be sae bald he may.

4.

He hew'd him kipples, he hew'd him bawks,

Wi' mickle moil and haste;

Syne speer'd the Elf i' the knock that bade

"Wha's hacking here sae fast?"

5.

Syne up and spak the weiest Elf,

Crean'd as an immert sma:

"It's here is come a Christian man:

I'll fley him or he ga."

6.

It's up syne started the firsten Elf,

And glowr'd about sae grim:

"It's we'll awa to the husbande's house,

And hald a court on him.

7.

"Here hews he down baith skugg and shaw,

And works us skaith and scorn:

His huswife he sall gie to me ;

They's rue the day they were born!

8.

The Elfen a'i' the knock that were.

Gaed dancing in a string:

They nighed near the husband's house;

Sae lang their tails did hing.

9.

The bound he yowls i' the yard,

The herd toots in his horn;

The earn scraighs, and the cock craws,

As the husbande has gi'en him his corn.

Pris singular quatrain stands thus in the original : "Hunden hand giör i gaarden:

Horden tudè i sit horn;

Ernen skriger, og hanen galer,

Som bonden hafde gifvet sit korn."

10.

The Elfen were five score and seven,

Sae laidly and sae grim;

And they the husband's guests maun be,

To eat and drink wi' him.

11.

The husbande, out o' Villenshaw

At his winnock the Elves can see: "Help me, now, Jesu, Mary's son, Thir Elves they mint at me!"

12.

In every nook a cross he coost,

In his chalmer maist ava:

The Elfen a' were fley'd thereat,
And flew to the wild-wood shaw.

13.

And some flew east, and some flew west,

And some to the norwart flew;

And some they flew to the deep dale down

There still they are I trow.1

14.

It was then the weist Elf,

In at the door braids he;

Agast was the husbande, for that Elf

For cross nor sign wad flee.

15.

The huswife she was a canny wife,

She set the Elf at the board;

She set before him baith ale and meat

Wi' mony a weel-waled word.

16.

"Hear thou, Gudeman o' Villenshaw,

What now I say to thee;

Wha bade thee bigg within our bounds,

Without the leave o' me!

In the Danish :

"Sommè flöyè oster, og sommè flöyè vestezi

Nogle flöyè nör paa

Nogle flöyè ned i dybenè dalê.

Jeg troer de erè der endnu."

17.

"But, an thou in our bounds will bigg, And bide, as well as may be.

Then thou thy dearest huswife maur

To me for a lemman gie."

18.

Up spak the luckless husbande then.

As God the grace him gae: "Eline she is to me sae dear,

Her thou may nac-gate hae."

19.

Till the Elf he answered as he couth:

"Lat but my huswife be,

And take whate'er, o' gude or gean

Is mine, awa wi' thee."

20.

"Thine I'll thy Eline tak and thee,

Aneath my feet to tread ;

And hide thy goud and white monie
Aneath my dwelling stead."

21.

The husbande and his househald a'

In sary rede they join:

"Far better that she be now forfaire,

Nor that we a' should tyne."

22.

Up, will of rede, the husbande stood,

Wi' heart fu' sad and sair:

And he has gien his huswife Eline

Wi' the young Elfe to fare.

23.

Then blyth grew he, and sprang about >

He took her in his arm;

The rud it left her comely cheek;

Her heart was clem'd wi' harm.

24.

A waefu' woman then she was anc

And the moody tears loot fa': God rew on me, unseely wife, How hard a weird I fa !

25.

"My fay I plight to the fairest wight
That man on mold mat see:-
Maun I now mell wi' a laidly El,
His light lemman to be?"

26.

He minted ance-he minted twice,

Wae wax'd her heart that syth:

Syne the laidliest fiend he grew that e'er

To mortal ee did kyth.

27.

When he the thirden time can mint

To Mary's son she pray'd,

And the laidly Elf was clean awa,

And a fair knight in his stead.

28.

This fell under a linden green.

That again his shape he found; O' wae and care was the word nae mair, A' were sae glad that stound.

29.

"O dearest Eline, hear, thou this, And thou my wife sall be,

And a' the goud in merry England

Sae freely I'll gr'e thee!

30.

“Whan I was but a little wee bairn.

My mither died me frs;

My stepmither sent me awa fra her:

I turn'd till an Bits Gray.

31.

To thy husbande I a gift will gie,

WT mickle state and gear,

As mends for Eline his huswife

Thou's be my heartis dear.~—

$2.

Thou nobil kayght, we thank now GX

That has freed us frae skaith;

Sse wed then thee & maiden free,

And joy attend ye baith!

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