The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-11

- T.E~
~ SIT By THE DIN SHINE OF MY LAMP"
Of tho northern sea I sit by the dim
shine Of my lamp, while the night wind
sighs without, and across these lean,
thin hands, these palsied, knotted
fingers that tremble like the white
aspen leaves, lies fair braid Of yellow
hair. Long, long it seems since that
braid was cut from the head that grew
it. Long, long months Of pain and days
Of regretting have passed since that
strand was cut from it's wearer; the
salt sea has dimmed it, time has touched
it's luster, and the dark stain Of blood is
upon it, yet as I, the monk Ulla,
raise that fair thing again and again to
my lips and press it where naught but
the sign of the new faith should he
pressed-press it trembling and silently
to those cold lips-something Of the old
love shoots through my shrunken veins
something Of the strong passion that
once nerved them tingles into those
withered fingers that smooth that gleam-
ing toy 80 tenderly, and a white mist
rises to my dull eyes, and my head
droops forward, and the little cell seems
widening out as wide as life itself; and
sad as the sound OF the wind among
pine trees, desolate as .the beat OF the
tireless pulse OF the sea upon the rim Of
the night comes to my lonely heart the
echo Of long ago.
It was in the time Of my master, Half
dan the Black, and was a Norway jarl
and lived by the white lip Of the sea in
Baldersuud. I was young then, was
scarcely twenty, and had herds and men
and farms all the way up the wild coast
as far up as fair Hitteren. and long
ship lay in the creep by my homestead,
and boar hounds lay on the rushes by my
inglenoek, and my bows and spears lay
on the tressels, and hundred jolly fell
lows drank from my flowing horns and
esryedl my meats each day, and were
proud to call ne lord aid leader. Three
times as many stocked my yellow har-
vests and filed my barns. And I was
strong and tall and big Of limb, and al
though I was so young had already
been twice abroad and had harried
across the wide sea in distant Fareyjar
and down south to Ljodhus. had
slipped the glorious wine Of battle, and
watched the red flame of burning thorp
and tower leap up to heaven from my
footsteps. Princes had courted me and
scalds had sung; everything I had,
everything that old heart could hope
for or strong hand reach-everything
but one; the chair on my left hand still
stood empty at the feast, no bright eyes
welcomed Ulla returning victorious from
foray, no tall Norway maid tempered
with her presence the rude revelry in
his fathers hall, for Ulla was unwed.
Yet it was not for lack If fitting
choice, for our maids were straight as
young spruces, supple as the yellow
sedges by the tarns and fair as the
spring flowers Of the fields when the
May snow rolls back from them. and
many such might I have had for the
asking. Thoralla there was, for in
stance, whose locks were as yellow as
the ripe hill barley: and INN, whose
sky-blu eyes shone wondrously kindly
on her handsome neighbor when they
met in shady forest path; and Thyri the
slim, whose mother thought the lands OF
Ulla and their own would well match
together, and Thora the smiler and
many another. But I was wild and
wayward, and as difficult to net as the
free blue hawks that sail along the cliff
face in springtime.
4 Matters were like this when my
maste-, King Halfdan, more easily per-
suaded, had determined to marry the
eomely Ragnhild, daughter Of Harold
GOldbeard, and. everything having beeu
settled by the ambassadors, one day IN
carly summer from all tie isles and
~
tain fiat came trooping the Norway lords
and chiefs to honor the ceremonial and
see the show. BY Frigga's self that
was day, when all those cavaliers came
riding down to the plain by the southern
city, and so far as the eye could see the
meadows were aglisten with spear and
cuirass and winged helms, and every
way was blocked with mighty men in
skins and golden armor. strong sons OF
Odin with wiz blue eyes, keen features,
and yellow hair astream upon their
shoulders and mighty muscles showing
beneath their clinking armlets and
bands OF beaten metal. Indeed, that
was day. Snd I could fill here, rs sit
with nothing but the blank rock wall
before me, hundred pages with the
names and deeds OF those who came,
and every name should sound to you
like that of giant and rincely brother,
and every splendid deed l linked to
every name should bring the blush OF
pride to your cheek and the pulse Of
pleasure to your kindred hearts-but
the lamp burns low and am no Sc aid,
therefore let those warlike lows BASS
uncnronlcled again into the vo1ds o.
memory from whence they came.
In the mid of the plain the kings mel
had built hall OF rough-hewn pine
logs, so long and wide that 5000 chiefs
could sit to meat within it at once. AnC
every vassal Of the king had sent pol
ished buckler 20 deck the bride house
and these were ranged in rows alonl
the roofs and sides until all these war
like trappings cleaned together Will
one broad shine that men could SCI
from Akinfell to the white pools BY
.Flekkerfjord. And every Norway mait
had bound o fillet Of green spruce ant
golden flower, and these were ranged
between the shields until cloud OF sof1
color wrapped the palace far and near