Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE WANDERER: 3. IN ENGLAND: THE DEATH OF KING HACON, by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: It was odin that whispered in vingolf Last Line: Shall stand in the battle again. Alternate Author Name(s): Meredith, Owen; Lytton, 1st Earl Of; Lytton, Robert Subject(s): England; Travel; English; Journeys; Trips | ||||||||
IT was Odin that whispered in Vingolf, "Go forth to the heath by the sea; Find Hacon before the moon rises, And bid him to supper with me." They go forth to choose from the Princes Of Yngvon, and summons from fight A man who must perish in battle, And sup where the gods sup to-night. Leaning over her brazen spear, Gondula Thus bespake her companions, "The feast Of the gods shall, in Vingolf, this evening, O ye Daughters of War, be increast. "For Odin hath beckoned unto me, For Odin hath whispered me forth, To bid to his supper King Hacon With the half of the hosts of the North." Their horses gleamed white through the vapor: In the moonlight their corselets did shine: As they wavered and whispered together, And fashioned their solemn design. Hacon heard them discoursing -- "Why hast thou Thus disposed of the battle so soon? O, were we not worthy of conquest? Lo! we die by the rise of the moon." "It is not the moon that is rising, But the glory which penetrates death, When heroes to Odin are summoned: Rise, Hacon, and stand on the heath! "It is we," she replied, "that have given To thy pasture the flower of the fight, It is we, it is we that have scattered Thine enemies yonder in flight. "Come now, let us push on our horses Over yonder green worlds in the east, Where the great gods are gathered together, And the tables are piled for the feast. "Betimes to give notice to Odin, Who waits in his sovran abodes, That the King to his palace is coming This evening to visit the gods." Odin rose when he heard it, and with him Rose the gods, every god to his feet. He beckoned Hermoder and Brago, They came to him, each from his seat. "Go forth, O my sons, to King Hacon, And meet him and greet him from all, A King that we know by his valor Is coming to-night to our hall." Then faintly King Hacon approaches, Arriving from battle, and sore With the wounds that yet bleed through his armor Bedabbled and dripping with gore. His visage is pallid and awful With the awe and the pallor of death, Like the moon that at midnight arises Where the battle lies strewn on the heath. To him spake Hermoder and Brago, "We meet thee and greet thee from all, To the gods thou art known by thy valor, And they bid thee a guest to their hall. "Come hither, come hither, King Hacon, And join those eight brothers of thine, Who already, awaiting thy coming, With the gods in Walhala recline. "And loosen, O Hacon, thy corselet, For thy wounds are yet ghastly to see. Go pour ale in the circle of heroes, And drink, for the gods drink to thee." But he answered, the hero, "I never Will part with the armor I wear. Shall a warrior stand before Odin Unshamed, without helmet and spear?" Black Fenris, the wolf, the destroyer, Shall arise and break loose from his chain Before that a hero like Hacon Shall stand in the battle again. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...RICHARD, WHAT'S THAT NOISE? by RICHARD HOWARD LOOKING FOR THE GULF MOTEL by RICHARD BLANCO RIVERS INTO SEAS by LYNDA HULL DESTINATIONS by JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN THE ONE WHO WAS DIFFERENT by RANDALL JARRELL THE CONFESSION OF ST. JIM-RALPH by DENIS JOHNSON SESTINA: TRAVEL NOTES by WELDON KEES TO H. B. (WITH A BOOK OF VERSE) by MAURICE BARING THE LAST WISH by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON THE WANDERER: 2. IN FRANCE: AUX ITALIENS by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON THE WANDERER: 2. IN FRANCE: THE CHESSBOARD by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON |
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