E-text prepared by S. R. Ellison, David Starner, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team Poet Lore VOLUME XXIV VACATION, 1912 NUMBER IV SWORD AND CROZIER Drama in Five Acts BY INDRIDI EINARSSON (Authorized translation from the Icelandic by Lee M. Hollander) DRAMATIS PERSONAE BOTOLF, bishop of Holar KOLBEIN ARNORSSON 'THE YOUNG,' chieftain of the 'North Quarter of Iceland,' thirty-four years old HELGA, his wife SALVOR, woman physician THOROLF BJARNASON } ASBJORN ILLUGASON } Henchmen of Kolbein Arnorsson HAF BJARNASON } KOLBEIN KALDALJOS, kinsman of Kolbein Arnorsson and steward of the bishopric of Holar, seventy years old BRAND KOLBEINSSON, his son, chieftain of Reynistad, thirty-three years old JORUN, his wife KALF, eight years old } their sons THORGEIR, six years old } BRODDI THORLEIFSSON, brother-in-law of Kolbein Arnorsson SIGURD, deacon HELGI SKAFTASON } henchmen of Brand ALF OF GROF } EINAR THE RICH, of Vik HELGI, priest at Holar ILLUGI, the blind beggar BOY LEADING ILLUGI JARNGRIM Followers of Thorolf Bjarnason, of Brand, and of Kolbein Arnorsson. People of Holar in Hjaltadel. The scene is laid in the district of Skagafirth, in the North of Iceland. The action takes place during the winter previous to the battle of Hunafloi, 1244 A.D. ACT I SCENE I (_So-called 'Little Hall' in_ BRAND'S _manor-house at Reynistad. Enter the_ DEACON SIGURD, THOROLF BJARNASON, ALF OF GROF, _and_ EINAR THE RICH, _of Vik_.) _Deacon Sigurd_.--Thorolf, Lady Jorun bade you wait here until her husband comes. _Thorolf_.--Where is Brand Kolbeinsson? I bear a message for him from my Lord Kolbein the Young. _Sigurd_.--Why comes he not himself? _Alf_.--Kolbein is nigh unto d---- _Thorolf_.--Are you garrulous again, Alf? _Sigurd_.--He lies sick with his wound, I ween. _Thorolf and Alf_ (_remain silent_). _Einar the Rich_ (_aside_).--That news I ought to bring secretly to Thord Kakali. _Thorolf_.--Why will Lady Jorun not speak to her guests? _Sigurd_.--She bade me say that she had seen you last, Thorolf Bjarnason, at such business that she cares not to see you any more. _Thorolf_ (_laughs_).--Last I saw her at the slaying of Kalf Guttormsson, her father, and of Guttorm, her brother. _Sigurd_.--Much good reason has my lady if she cares to see you no more. _Einar_.--You are the man who most egged on to the deed, that father and son should be slain. _Thorolf_.--No, Uraekja it was, the son of Snorri Sturlason. A most useful deed it was. Ever since Kolbein's men have obeyed his commands without gainsaying. _Einar_.--More useful still, I suppose you think that you snatched from out of Kalf's hands the crucifix he held when kneeling to receive the mortal stroke.