The conversion (Acworth, set by E. Elgar) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


Chorus.
 King Olaf's prows at Nidaros
Furrowed the golden shore,
 His axemen and his bowmen
Lay round the shrine of Thor.

 Round the stately fane at Mærin
King Olaf's housecarles lay,
 And watch'd the men of Drontheim
Gather at break of day.

 Mail-clad they came, and sworded,
Corslet and buckler ring
 As they throng behind the Ironbeard
Who leads them to the King.

 The shipmen grave of Iceland
Retir'd to give them room,
 Their ringed mail was rusted
And gray with salt sea-spume.

 All halted, all were silent,
When, shiv'ring through the blue,
 Smiting the walls of Asgard,
King Olaf's bugle blew.

OLAF (Tenor).

Behold me, my people, and answer and say
If the gods of your fathers ye worship to-day!
Or bend ye your will to the word of yonr King,
To the waters of Christ and the Cross that I bring?

 IRONBEARD (Bass).

By my beard called of iron, O King, thou shalt know
In the name of thy people, I answer thee, "No."

Shall thy cross and thy waters purge out the gods' ban,
Who feed on the flesh and the life-blood of man?

 OLAF.

Shall Thor and shall Odin be high gods agen?
Then give to their altars their guerdon of men.

But shall blood of base losels and felons restore
The glow to the altars of Odin and Thor?

Nay, a sacrifice rich to their shrines will I yield,
My fairest in bower and best under shield.

My mightiest dies there, by sun and by moon,
Ironbeard, and my fairest, his daughter Gudrun.

IRONBEARD.

Not the fair or the mighty, Gudrun or her sire,
Shall pass by thy mandate, O King, through the fire.

See above in the sun gleams the image of gold,
Of Thor with the battle-maul gripp'd in his hold;

If he seeks for a hero, his best thou shalt do,
Call the best of thine axemen and offer thereto.

OLAF.

O hearken, my people, behold me once more,
And may Christ lift my axe 'gainst the hammer of Thor.

 Chorus.

As leap the lights of winter
 Athwart the northern sky,
Against the golden image
 Flash'd Olaf's axe on high.

As falls a berg in springtime,
 Far shiver'd on the floe,
The golden shards of godhead
 Crash'd on the ground below.

Fierce Ironbeard sprang forward;
 A housecarle drew his bow,
And o'er the shattered image
 Its champion lay low.

IRONBEARD.

All-Father, I come! true to honour and troth,
To the faith of my fathers, and Odin the Goth.

O wide should the doors of Valhalla unroll
For a hero who gives for it body and soul.

King Olaf the Norseman! perchance it shall be,
That thy Peace-God may rule o'er the Norlander free;

But with axe in his hand, and with sword upon thigh,
And his face to his slayer doth Ironbeard die.

 Chorus.

Then o'er the blood-stained Horg-stone
 The Cross of Christ was seen,
The holy priests were praying,
 The singers sang between.

King Olaf's axe was lower'd,
 His bright blue eyes were dim,
As swung the golden censer,
 As swelled the solemn hymn.

The men of Drontheim trembled,
 They marvell'd and they knelt;
Their helpless God was broken,
 The power of Christ was felt.

 OLAF.

O brothers of Iceland, behold them, they kneel!
Of my Lord and His conquest, come, be you the seal.

Pass the gods of the Gothland; your serfdom shall cease,
For the sacrifice bloody I offer you peace:
The peace of the Christian; 0, join in the prayer
That swells to the Lord of the earth and the air.

 Chorus.

 Receive us, King; we kneel to Him
 Who felled by thee the War-god grim;
 Water bring, our brows to lave,
 On our shields the Cross engrave;

 Blood and battle let them cease,
 Knit us to the God of peace.

 OLAF (with Chorus).

Lord, receive them! King divine,
Breathe a blessing; they are Thine.

Input by Harold Ryan

Authorship

Harry Arbuthnot Acworth (1849-1933)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

King Olaf

Date added to the website: 2009-10-02.

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