The foaming waters parted wide, And took the hero to their breast. An island rose up in the tide, And in this place he sank to rest. Within the castle fearful screams And cries of lamentation rose, And now Laimdota-dead her dreams- To end her life that moment chose. The Latvian warriors, stricken sore, His kin and brethren, all in sum, Now, one by one, fell in the war, By stronger forces overcome. The Strangers gained the upper hand, And ruled as lords, cruel and depraved: The well-loved people of the land, For centuries were all enslaved. But still, though ages long pass by, The grieving folk his memory keeps.- For them, in death he does not lie, But in a golden palace sleeps. Below the island risen there, He lies within the Daugava's breast, With Latvia's folk their fate to share, And close to Lielvarde rest. From time to time, late in the night, The Daugava boatmen sometimes see Two men in combat on the height, In struggles that they cannot flee. While in the castle ruins, clear, A little flame there flickers bright. The fighting men the edge come near, But take no heed, so hot their fight. Until at last they cross the bounds, And deep into the depths they drop.- A scream within the castle sounds, The little flame's bright flickers stop. It is Bearslayer struggling there The Strangers to eradicate.- But long Laimdota's watching stare Upon his triumph yet must wait. But still, the day will come, is sure, When he the Black Knight will cast down: In Staburags's raging maw, His deadly foe alone will drown. Then for the folk new times will dawn; At last their freedom will be born. GLOSSARY OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES The entries in this section explain personal and place names for the purposes of the poem. I am not trying to give you a history or geography lesson! The material in square brackets after each Latvian word explains how I would like you to pronounce that word. This pronunciation is necessary for the metrical structure of the English-language poem, and may differ from standard Latvian pronunciation. I apologize for any offence that this causes. The syllable represented in the square brackets as "-a" should be pronounced as in "bad", the one represented as "-ah" as a long "bad". The syllable represented as "-e" should be pronounced as in "bed", "-o" as in "hot", "-oh" as in "throw,""oo" as in "zoo", "ow" as in "bough", "-u" as in "hut" and "uh" as in "book". Syllables in boldface should be stressed. Aizkraukle [Eyes-krow-kle]: A Latvian stockade near the southern bank of the River Daugava, about 100 Km SE of Riga. Aizkrauklis [Eyes-krow-kliss]: The Lord of Aizkraukle; father of Spidala.