You shall see her pale as death sink under the contempt and scorn of
her people. You shall see her dragged along between the priests and the
soldiers to the ringing of bells and the singing of hymns. She is
already dead in the eyes of the people. She feels herself dead in her
heart, killed by what she has loved. You shall see her mount in the
tower, see how the stones are inserted, hear the scraping of the
trowels and hear the people who hurry forward with their stones. “Oh
mason, take mine, take mine! Use my stone for the work of vengeance!
Let my stone help to shut Ung-Hanse’s daughter in from light and air!
Visby is fallen, the glorious Visby! God bless your hands, oh masons!
Let me help to complete the vengeance!”
Hymns sound and bells ring as for a burial.
Oh Valdemar, King of Denmark, it will be your fate to meet death also.
Then you will lie on your bed, hear and see much and suffer great
pains. You shall hear that scraping of the trowels, those cries for
vengeance. Where are the consecrated bells that drown the martyrdom of
the soul? Where are they, with their wide, bronze throats, whose
tongues cry out to God for grace for you? Where is that air trembling
with harmony, which bears the soul up to God’s space?
Oh help Esrom, help Soró, and you big bells of Lund!
What a gloomy story that picture told! It seemed curious and strange to
come out into the park, in glowing sunshine, among living human beings.
MAMSELL FREDRIKA
It was Christmas night, a real Christmas night.
The goblins raised the mountain roofs on lofty gold pillars and
celebrated the midwinter festival. The brownies danced around the
Christmas porridge in new red caps. Old gods wandered about the heavens
in gray storm cloaks, and in the Österhaninge graveyard stood the horse
of Hel.[3] He pawed with his hoof on the frozen ground; he was marking
out the place for a new grave.
[3] The goddess of death
Not very far away, at the old manor of Årsta, Mamsell Fredrika was
lying asleep. Årsta is, as every one knows, an old haunted castle, but
Mamsell Fredrika slept a calm, quiet sleep. She was old now and tired
out after many weary days of work and many long journeys,— she had
almost traveled round the world,—therefore she had returned to the home
of her childhood to find rest.
Outside the castle sounded in the night a bold fanfare. Death mounted
on a gray charger had ridden up to the castle gate. His wide scarlet
cloak and his hat’s proud plumes fluttered in the night wind. The stern
knight sought to win an adoring heart, therefore he appeared in unusual
magnificence. It is of no avail, Sir Knight, of no avail! The gate is
closed, and the lady of your heart asleep. You must seek a better
occasion and a more suitable hour. Watch for her when she goes to early
mass, stern Sir Knight, watch for her on the church-road!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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