Dame Care Part 48

I knew a sweet maiden in years that are gone, Who on the green heath dwelt forsaken and lone.

And longed sore for love-- She looked from her window by day and by night Her lovely blue eyes glanced out smiling and bright; Ah! she longed sore for love!

Then by there came riding a bold youthful knight, Who asked, 'So strange on me gaze thine eyes bright?'

'I long sore for love!'

Then he laughed, 'Foolish maiden, wilt come to my arms, There can'st thou rest sweetly, free from all harms, And there find'st thou love.'

"'Dear heart, dost thou know how forsaken I dwell?

Oh, take me, poor maiden, o'er moor and o'er fell, But give, give me love!'

When of her company wearied at last, He said, 'Pretty rogue we've a pleasant time pa.s.sed, So hast thou had love!"

"'And of my love art thou weary, dear heart?

So will I stay by thee, nor evermore part, For I long for thy love.'

But heartily laughed the knight bold and gay; He saddled his horse and he rode far away, And left her in sorrow to love.

"And when the time had pa.s.sed sadly away, In sorrow her son saw the light of the day, An offspring of love.

She carried him out in the night on the heath; 'With a kiss, thou poor child, will I do thee to death-- I will kill thee with love."

"'Do to me, judge, what you will,' then she cried.

'Forsaken am I of the whole world so wide, And left without love.'

She mounted the scaffold in bridal array, And said 'Take me hence, thou good G.o.d, I pray, And I long sore for love!'"

Then his two sisters came to his mind, and he had a feeling as if his mother had known all and forgiven all beforehand.

And directly after stood written, in big letters, this t.i.tle:

THE FAIRY TALE OF DAME CARE.

There was once a mother, to whom the good G.o.d had given a son, but she was so poor and lonely that she had n.o.body who could stand G.o.dmother to him. And she sighed, and said, "Where shall I get a G.o.dmother from?"

Then one evening at dusk there came a woman to her house who was dressed in gray and had a gray veil over her head. She said, "I will be your son's G.o.dmother, and I will take care that he grows up a good man and does not let you starve; but you must give me his soul."

Then his mother trembled, and said, "Who are you?"

"I am Dame Care," answered the gray woman; and the mother wept; but as she suffered much from hunger, she gave the woman her son's soul and she was his G.o.dmother.

And her son grew up and worked hard to procure her bread. But as he had no soul, he had no joy and no youth, and often he looked at his mother with reproachful eyes, as if he would ask,

"Mother, where is my soul?"

Then the mother grew sad and went out to find him a soul.

She asked the stars in the sky, "Will you give me a soul?" But they said, "He is too low for that."

And she asked the flowers on the heath; they said, "He is too ugly."

And she asked the birds in the trees; they said, "He is too sad."

And she asked the high trees; they said, "He is too humble."

And she asked the clever serpents, but they said, "He is too stupid."

Then she went away weeping. And in the wood she met a young and beautiful princess surrounded by her court.

And because she saw the mother weeping she descended from her horse and took her to the castle, which was all built of gold and precious stones.

There she asked, "Tell me why you weep?" And the mother told the princess of her grief that she could not procure her son a soul nor joy and youth.

Then said the princess, "I cannot see anybody weep; I will tell you something--I will give him my soul."

Then the mother fell down before her and kissed her hands.

"But," said the princess, "I will not do it for nothing; he must ask me for it." Then the mother went to her son, but Dame Care had laid her gray veil over his head, so that he was blind and could not see the princess.

And the mother pleaded, "Dear Dame Care, set him free."

But Care smiled--and whoever saw her smile was forced to weep--and she said, "He must free himself."

"How can he do that?" asked the mother.

"He must sacrifice to me all that he loves," said Dame Care.

Then the mother grieved very much, and lay down and died. But the princess waits for her suitor to this very day.

"Mother, mother!" he cried, and sank down on the grave.

"Come," said Elsbeth, struggling with her tears as she laid her hand on his shoulder; "let mother be, she is at peace; and she shall not harm us any more--your wicked Dame Care!"

NOTES.

L TRANSLATION OF THE DEDICATION:

TO MY PARENTS.

FOR THE 26TH OF NOVEMBER.

Dame Care, the deep gray-veiled dame, You know her, dear parents, not only by name; She came, His thirty years to-day, And into strange countries she followed your way.

As the November day, sad and dreary and dull, Lay on the heath in a leaden lull, And in the willow-trees the wind Whistled your wedding-dance, rough and unkind.

And when, after hours without any rest, In Littau's forest you found a nest, And trembling stood at the threshold so bare, She entered with you, gray Dame Care, And waving her arms she blessed the two, The home you entered, the house and you, And blessed those two, who, without harm, Still slept in creation's shielding arm.

The empty cradle that time did mark Stands under the staircase in the dark, Indulging in long deserved rest, As four times it saw a new little guest.

Then when sun sunk, and all round slept, From some dark corner a shadow crept, And staggered dumbly and grew and rose, And crept with stretched arms to the cradle close.