________________________________________________
_
PART FIRST: Interlude [4]
And then the blue-eyed Norseman told
A Saga of the days of old.
"There is," said he, "a wondrous book
Of Legends in the old Norse tongue,
Of the dead kings of Norroway,--
Legends that once were told or sung
In many a smoky fireside nook
Of Iceland, in the ancient day,
By wandering Saga-man or Scald;
Heimskringla is the volume called;
And he who looks may find therein
The story that I now begin."
And in each pause the story made
Upon his violin he played,
As an appropriate interlude,
Fragments of old Norwegian tunes
That bound in one the separate runes,
And held the mind in perfect mood,
Entwining and encircling all
The strange and antiquated rhymes
with melodies of olden times;
As over some half-ruined wall,
Disjointed and about to fall,
Fresh woodbines climb and interlace,
And keep the loosened stones in place.
Content of PART FIRST: Interlude [4] [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem collection: Tales of a Wayside Inn]
_
Read next: PART FIRST: The Musician's Tale - The Saga of King Olaf: I - The Challenge of Thor
Read previous: PART FIRST: The Sicilian's Tale: King Robert of Sicily
Table of content of Tales of a Wayside Inn
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
Post your review
Your review will be placed after the table of content of this book
