Explore "The Lay of Biarke. from the Ancient Norse" by George Borrow on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The day in East is glowing, / The cock on high is crowing; / Upon the heath's brown heather / 'Tis time our bands we gather.
Ye Chieftains disencumber / Your eyes of clogging slumber; / Ye mighty friends of Attil, / The far-renown'd in battle!
Thou Har, who grip'st thy foeman / Right hard, and Rolf the bowman, / And many, many others, / The forky lightning's brothers!
Wake -- not for banquet-table!
Wake -- not with maids to gabble!
But wake for rougher sporting, / For Hildur's {40} bloody courting.
Now food forego and drinking; / On war be ye all thinking, / To serve the king who've bound ye / For roof and raiment found ye; / Reflect there's prize and booty / For all who do their duty; / Away with fear inglorious, / If ye would be victorious!
Great Rolf, the land who shielded, / And who its sceptre wielded, / Who freely fed and paid us, / With mail and swords array'd us, / Now lies on bier extended, / His life by treachery ended -- / To us be like disaster, / Save we avenge our master.