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قراءة كتاب The Saxons A Drama of Christianity in the North
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اللغة: English
The Saxons A Drama of Christianity in the North
الصفحة رقم: 3
will hand down?
Meanwhile, suppose the Christians hear of this.
Their spies are all about us.
(Dropping his voice and pointing to the bridge.)
Who knows?
Fritz—(After looking under it.) No.
Rudolph—Suppose they once get rumor of it. Then
Suppose they torture Wiglaf for the rest.
Will not a thousand trumpets sound the chase?
Will they not beat the forest through and through,
Set fire to it, and when the stag appears
Shall breed the fawn shall grow the golden horns—
Suppose they torture Wiglaf for the rest.
Will not a thousand trumpets sound the chase?
Will they not beat the forest through and through,
Set fire to it, and when the stag appears
Shall breed the fawn shall grow the golden horns—
(As though drawing back a bow-string and letting spring the arrow.)
Then what? What then?
Fritz— We—
Rudolph— We—?
Rudolph—We have them now.
Fritz— And we can keep them.
Rudolph— We
Can neither keep our swords nor keep ourselves.
Who is it plants the white cross in our land?
The Frank? The Wend? The Saxon; we ourselves.
No; in that fire that burns up from the south
Thousands of our swords have melted and become
Scales on the dragon's back and teeth and claws
That now tear out our hearts. To-day swords strike
For Woden, and to-morrow the strange god
With those same swords storms Valhal, and lays low
Its golden roof. Our ash Iggdrasil dies.
Its beautiful leaves fall far off on the sea.
Can neither keep our swords nor keep ourselves.
Who is it plants the white cross in our land?
The Frank? The Wend? The Saxon; we ourselves.
No; in that fire that burns up from the south
Thousands of our swords have melted and become
Scales on the dragon's back and teeth and claws
That now tear out our hearts. To-day swords strike
For Woden, and to-morrow the strange god
With those same swords storms Valhal, and lays low
Its golden roof. Our ash Iggdrasil dies.
Its beautiful leaves fall far off on the sea.
Fritz—Let's kill the worm that bites it, then.
Rudolph— That worm
Hath bit the Northman and the Northman bites
Val-father.
Hath bit the Northman and the Northman bites
Val-father.
(A crash is heard in the forest.)
Fritz— It was the tree fell.
Rudolph— So falls
Iggdrasil and the golden roof comes down.
When the North bites, Val-father dies. No, Fritz;
The South has thrown a snake upon the North,
And in its trail no fairy can be found.
They, too, have gone to the mountains.
Iggdrasil and the golden roof comes down.
When the North bites, Val-father dies. No, Fritz;
The South has thrown a snake upon the North,
And in its trail no fairy can be found.
They, too, have gone to the mountains.
Fritz— Leave our homes?
Rudolph—For all of us it will be better there.
The slopes are thickly clothed with oak and pine.
There, too, your flock will find good grazing, Fritz.
Conrad and I saw ledges thick with grass.
The slopes are thickly clothed with oak and pine.
There, too, your flock will find good grazing, Fritz.
Conrad and I saw ledges thick with grass.
Fritz—It's thick here, too.
Rudolph— And torrents tumbling down
Fill to the brim the basins of the rocks.
There, in the dryest season—
Fill to the brim the basins of the rocks.
There, in the dryest season—
Fritz— Look down here. (He points down in the stream.)
And this mid-summer.
And this mid-summer.
Rudolph— And game is plentiful.
Fritz—It's plentiful here, too; deer and—
Rudolph— Chamois
And wild-goats browsing on the crags.
And wild-goats browsing on the crags.
Fritz— And here
Are wild-boars' lairs and—
Are wild-boars' lairs and—
Rudolph— The dragon's den.
Fritz—His den is here, but he feeds everywhere.
Rudolph—Not on the mountains.
Fritz— They are barren; but
He would feed there if we should go there.
He would feed there if we should go there.
Rudolph— No.
Fritz—He ravages the whole wide—
Rudolph— (Moving his hand horizontally.)
This way, yes;
But that way?
This way, yes;
But that way?
(Pointing up.)
No. He dare not face the light
That father Woden pours upon the peaks.
Under Valhalla's eaves the dark elf died
When the dawn smote him; so the dragon there.
His paws would break off on the mountain sides.
That father Woden pours upon the peaks.
Under Valhalla's eaves the dark elf died
When the dawn smote him; so the dragon there.
His paws would break off on the mountain sides.
Fritz—We will stay here and cut them off.
Rudolph— Those paws?
Those huge, red, century-scarred paws? With what?
Those huge, red, century-scarred paws? With what?
Fritz—They want our woods and crofts, that's what they want.
Rudolph—The Saxon sword is broken. The great shield
That covered all the North lies in the loam
Rusting, and the wild-flowers eat its stains.
Where are our fathers, Fritz? Heimdall, who sees
All races, sees not anywhere that race
That stood at bay when Swabian went down,
Frank and Bavarian and the great North fell.
A paw was put upon its breast and lo,
It is scattered, blood and bones and heart and brain!
That covered all the North lies in the loam
Rusting, and the wild-flowers eat its stains.
Where are our fathers, Fritz? Heimdall, who sees
All races, sees not anywhere that race
That stood at bay when Swabian went down,
Frank and Bavarian and the great North fell.
A paw was put upon its breast and lo,
It is scattered, blood and bones and heart and brain!