Scandinavian Influences in the English Romantic Movement

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1903. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... I offer my freight unto the king: I owe a poem for my ransome. I present to the English chief1 the songs of Odin. Renown is imperfect without songs. My lays resound his praise; I intreat his silent attention; while he is the subject of my song. Listen, O prince, that I may swell the strain. If I can obtain but silence, many men shall know the atchievements of the king. Odin hath seen where the dead bodies lie. The clash of arms increased about the edges of the shield. The goddesses of war had required this of him. The king was impetuous: he was distinguished in the tumult: a torrent flowed from his sword: the storm of weapons furiously raged. There are twenty-one stanza-paragraphs in all. The translation is as inaccurate as it is weak. Now that we have finished considering the contents of Percy's Five Pieces of Runic Poetry, we are ready to turn our attention to the miscellaneous translations, imitations, and other writings bearing on our subject that were produced during the half-century succeeding the publication of Percy's book. These writings group themselves naturally into two classes: (i) works primarily of literary interest; (2) works primarily of scientific interest. In my next chapter I shall discuss the first of these classes. CHAPTER IV MISCELLANEOUS TRANSLATIONS AND IMITATIONS The first volume of Thomas Warton's History of English Poetry, which appeared in 1774, must have been of some service in popularizing Norse literature. Prefixed to this volume was a Dissertation On the Origin of Romantic Fiction in Europe, a considerable portion of whicha had to do with Scandinavian mythology and literature. 1 Percy explains that Erik was called "the English Chief, in compliment to his having gained some footing in the kingdom of Northumberland." The line in wh...