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


King Olaf's dragons take the sea,
The piping south-wind drives them fast,
The shields dip deep upon the lee,
The white sails strain on every mast.
Leaping from wave to wave they round
The cape that bars the stormy sound,
And where the ocean opens wide
They see far stretched on either side
The Danish ships and Svithiod's ride;
High on his deck King Olaf stands,
The war-axe grasp'd in both his hands,
With helm of gold and jerkin red,
And fair curls blowing round his head,
First of his fleet, he leads the van
And seeks the battle, man to man.

But seaward, landward, cape and bay
Cast forth their foes on Norroway;
Ten thousand shaven oar-blades sweep
The bosom of the troubled deep;
As crash the prows, ring bill and shield,
And arm meets arm that will not yield;
Still where the foemen thickest throng
King Olaf's galley sweeps along,
And still her lofty sides to scale
Ply the fierce foemen oar and sail,
And pour their heroes bright in mail,
Woe, woe for Norroway!
O'erwhelmed, her stout sea-dragons fly,
Or, scatter'd, powerless, scarcely try
To join once more the fray:

'Yet still, like sunbeam through a cloud,
Glimmers the helm of Olaf proud,
Faint and more faint to see:
Around it close the dark'ning spears,
It sinks, it sparkles, disappears,
King Olaf, woe to thee!

Thy latest fight is fought in vain,
No more the axe of Olaf slain,
No more the glittering crest,
Shall victory pluck from ruin's verge,
Or to the chase his spearmen urge;
Above him rolls the sullen surge,
That stormy heart has rest.

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: 2009-10-03.

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