Havelok the Dane (Legendary character) -- Romances
+Herkne nou hwat me haueth met:
[Sidenote: He dreamt he was on a high hill in Denmark,
and began to possess all that country.]
Me þouthe y was i{n} denemark set,
But on on þe moste hil
Þat eu{er}e yete kam i til. 1288
It was so hey, þat y wel mouthe
Al þe werd se, als me þouthe.
Als i sat up-on þat lowe,
I bigan denemark for to awe, 1292
Þe borwes, and þe castles stronge;
And mine armes were{n} so lo{n}ge,
That i fadmede, al at ones,
denemark, with mine lo{n}ge bones; 1296
And þa{n}ne y wolde mine armes drawe
Til me, and hom for to haue,
[Sidenote: All things in Denmark cleaved to his arms.]
Al that euere in denemark liueden
On mine armes faste clyueden; 1300
And þe stronge castles alle
On knes bigunne{n} for to falle,
Þe keyes felle{n} at mine fet:--
[Sidenote: He also dreamt that he went to England,
and that became his too.]
Anoþer drem dremede me ek, 1304
Þat ich fley ouer þe salte se
Til engeland, and al with me
Þat euere was in denemark lyues,
But bo{n}deme{n}, and here wiues, 1308
And þat ich kom til engelond,
[Sidenote: [Fol. 211, col. 2.]]
Al closede it i{n}til min hond,
And, goldeborw, y gaf [it] þe:--
Deus! le{m}man, hwat may þis be?” 1312
Sho answerede, and seyde sone:
“Ih{es}u c{ri}st, þat made mone,
Þine dremes t{ur}ne to ioye;
Þat wite þw that sittes i{n} trone! 1316
[Sidenote: She says, he will be king of England and Denmark.]
Ne non stro{n}g ki{n}g, ne caysere,
So þou shalt be, fo[r] þou shalt bere
In engelond corune yet;
Denemark shal knele to þi fet; 1320
Alle þe castles þat aren þer-inne,
Shal-tow, le{m}man, ful wel winne.
I woth, so wel so ich it sowe,
To þe shole come{n} heye and lowe, 1324
[Sidenote: “All men in Denmark shall come to thee.]
And alle þat in denemark wone,
Em and broþer, fader and sone,
Erl and baroun, dreng an kayn,
Knithes, and burgeys, and sweyn; 1328
And mad king heyelike and wel,
Denemark shal be þin euere-ilc del.
Haue þou nouth þer-offe douthe
Nouth þe worth, of one nouthe; 1332
Þer-offe with-i{n}ne þe firste yer
[Sidenote: Thou shalt be king within the year.]
Shalt þou ben king, of euere-il del.
But do nou als y wile rathe,
Nim in with þe to denema[r]k baþe, 1336
And do þou nouth onfrest þis fare,
Lith and selthe felawes are.
For shal ich neuere bliþe be
Til i with eyen denemark se; 1340
For ich woth, þat al þe lond
Shalt þou haue{n} in þin hon[d].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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