TRANSLATIONS OF BÜRGER'S LENORE
105
ELLENORE
At break of day from frightful dreams
Upstarted Ellenore:
My William, art thou slayn, she sayde,
Or dost thou love no more?
Upstarted Ellenore:
My William, art thou slayn, she sayde,
Or dost thou love no more?
He went abroade with Richard's host
The paynim foes to quell;
But he no word to her had writt,
An he were sick or well.
The paynim foes to quell;
But he no word to her had writt,
An he were sick or well.
With blore of trump and thump of drum
His fellow-soldyers come,
Their helms bedeckt with oaken boughs,
They seeke their long'd-for home.
His fellow-soldyers come,
Their helms bedeckt with oaken boughs,
They seeke their long'd-for home.
And evry road and evry lane
Was full of old and young
To gaze at the rejoycing band,
To haile with gladsom toung.
Was full of old and young
To gaze at the rejoycing band,
To haile with gladsom toung.
"Thank God!" their wives and children sayde,
"Welcome!" the brides did saye;
But grief or kiss gave Ellenore
To none upon that daye.
"Welcome!" the brides did saye;
But grief or kiss gave Ellenore
To none upon that daye.
And when the soldyers all were bye,
She tore her raven hair,
And cast herself upon the growne,
In furious despair.
She tore her raven hair,
And cast herself upon the growne,
In furious despair.
Her mother ran and lyfte her up,
And clasped her in her arm,
"My child, my child, what dost thou ail?
God shield thy life from harm!"
And clasped her in her arm,
"My child, my child, what dost thou ail?
God shield thy life from harm!"
"O mother, mother! William's gone
What's all besyde to me?
There is no mercie, sure, above!
All, all were spar'd but he!"
What's all besyde to me?
There is no mercie, sure, above!
All, all were spar'd but he!"
"Kneele downe, thy paternoster saye,
'T will calm thy troubled spright:
The Lord is wise, the Lord is good;
What He hath done is right."
'T will calm thy troubled spright:
The Lord is wise, the Lord is good;
What He hath done is right."
- ↑ As printed in Taylor's Historic Survey of German Poetry II, 40-51, no edition of the original issue being known to exist.
