Produced by Charlene Taylor, Margo Romberg and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) ARNE EARLY TALES AND SKETCHES WORKS OF BJOeRNSTJERNE BJOeRNSON PATRIOTS EDITION ARNE EARLY TALES AND SKETCHES _Translated from the Norse By_ Rasmus B. Anderson NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY Copyright, 1881, 1882, By HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. _All rights reserved._ TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE 5 ARNE Chapter I 9 Chapter II 14 Chapter III 28 Chapter IV 42 Chapter V 52 Chapter VI 60 Chapter VII 70 Chapter VIII 77 Chapter IX 89 Chapter X 108 Chapter XI 126 Chapter XII 139 Chapter XIII 149 Chapter XIV 163 Chapter XV 174 Chapter XVI 195 EARLY TALES AND SKETCHES The Railroad and the Churchyard Chapter I 203 Chapter II 219 Chapter III 237 Thrond 248 A Dangerous Wooing 264 The Bear Hunter 272 The Father 284 The Eagle's Nest 290 PREFACE. "Arne" was written in 1858, one year later than "Synnoeve Solbakken," and is thought by many to be Bjoernson's best story, though it is, in my opinion, surpassed in simplicity of style and delicate analysis of motives, feelings, and character by "A Happy Boy," his third long story, the translation of which is now in progress, and which will follow this volume. Norway's most eminent composers have written music for many of Bjoernson's poems, and made them favorite songs, not only with the cultivated classes, but also with the common people. To the songs in "Arne" melodies were composed by Bjoernson's brilliant cousin, Rikard Nordraak, who died in 1865, only twenty-three years old, but who had already won a place as one of Norway's greatest composers. With a view of popularizing these melodies in this country, all the poems have been given in precisely the same metre and rhyme as the original, and those caring to know how the tunes are supposed to have sounded on the lips of Arne are referred to "The Norway Music Album," edited by Auber Forestier and myself, and published by Oliver Ditson & Co. of Boston. In it will be found, together with the original and English words, Rikard Nordraak's music to the following five songs from "Arne":-- 1. "Oh, my pet lamb, lift your head," from chapter v.