Knight Aagen And Maiden Else. Translated From The Danish.

It was the fair knight Aagen     To an isle he went his way,     And plighted troth to Else,     Who was so fair a may.     He plighted troth to Else     All with the ruddy gold,     But or ere that day's moon came again     Low he lay in the black, black mould.     It was the maiden Else,     She was fulfilled of woe     When she heard how the fair knight Aagen     In the black mould lay alow.     Uprose the fair knight Aagen,     Coffin on back took he,     And he's away to her bower,     Sore hard as the work might be.     With that same chest on door he smote,     For the lack of flesh and skin;     "O hearken, maiden Else,     And let thy true-love in!"     Then answered maiden Else,     "Never open I my door,     But and if thou namest Jesu's name     As thou hadst might before."     "O hearken, maiden Else,     And open thou thy door,     For Jesu's name I well may name     As I had might before!"     Then uprose maiden Else,     O'er her cheek the salt tears ran,     Nor spared she into her very bower     To welcome that dead man.     O, she's taken up her comb of gold     And combed adown her hair,     And for every hair she combed adown     There fell a weary tear.     "Hearken thou, knight Aagen,     Hearken, true-love, and tell,     If down-adown in the black, black earth     Thou farest ever well?"     "O whenso thou art joyous,     And the heart is glad in thee,     Then fares it with my coffin     That red roses are with me.     "But whenso thou art sorrowful     And weary is thy mood,     Then all within my coffin     Is it dreadful with dark blood.     "Now is the red cock a-crowing,     To the earth adown must I;     Down to the earth wend all dead folk,     And I wend in company.     "Now is the black cock a-crowing,     To the earth must I adown,     For the gates of Heaven are opening now,     Thereto must I begone."     Uprose the fair knight Aagen,     Coffin on back took he,     And he's away to the churchyard now,     Sore hard as the work might be.     But so wrought maiden Else,     Because of her weary mood,     That she followed after own true love     All through the mirk wild wood.     But when the wood was well passed through,     And in the churchyard they were,     Then was the fair knight Aagen     Waxen wan of his golden hair.     And when therefrom they wended     And were the church within,     Then was the fair knight Aagen     Waxen wan of cheek and chin.     "Hearken thou, maiden Else,     Hearken, true-love, to me,     Weep no more for thine own troth-plight,     However it shall be!     "Look thou up to the heavens aloft,     To the little stars and bright,     And thou shalt see how sweetly     It fareth with the night!"     She looked up to the heavens aloft,     To the little stars bright above     The dead man sank into his grave,     Ne'er again she saw her love.     Home then went maiden Else,     Mid sorrow manifold,     And ere that night's moon came again     She lay alow in the mould.