The Unfortunate Marriage

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Title:     The Unfortunate Marriage
Author: George Borrow [More Titles by Borrow]

Hildebrand gave his sister away,
Causing her many a mournful day.

She was given away and evilly wed,
Joy from her bosom quickly fled.

On Sunday she was a graceful bride,
On Monday a prisoner sad she sigh’d.

“O what, my Lord, have I done to thee?”
“Woman, I had no gold with thee.

“This have I, Dame, to say to thee,
Thou brought’st no silver home to me.”

“Thou knowest I brought thee as my dower
Eight full coffers to thy bower.

“Two filled with silver, white to see,
And two with gold so ruddy of blee.

“Two filled with sable and mard skins rare,
And two with pelts of deer and of bear.

“Upon thy father I bestow’d
Gilded saddle and courser proud.

“Upon thy mother did I bestow
Scarlet to place her feet below.

“To thy brother a ship from off the wave,
To your sister gold from my breast I gave.

“All thy courtiers I have dight
With little shirts as ivory white.

“No serving lass in the house is there
But I gave her silk to snood her hair.

“With what, my Lord, canst me upbraid,
And why in durance am I laid?”

“Woman, to thee I’ve this to say,
Thy brothers my father slew in fray.”

“If my brothers a deed so dire did dare,
I in that deed did in no ways share.

“And thou for thy father’s death wast paid
Seven tons of silver, and golden braid.

“What more, my Lord, canst thou require,
To remove from me thy anger dire?”

“Woman, with this I thee upbraid,
Thou cam’st not into my bed a maid.”

“So lend me, God, in my trouble aid,
As I came into thy bed a maid!

“And may God never give me grace,
If I came not a maid to thy embrace.”

“To-day thou shall sit within and mourn,
To-morrow at dawn on faggots burn.”

There she sits and her hands she wrings,
Till she heard the clang of the Raven’s wings.

“O Raven, Raven, stay thy wing,
Can’st thou the tune of the watchman sing?”

“O well can I, and well I ought,
So little was I when the tune I caught.”

“Wilt fly for me, Raven, to Tonne town,
For there my friends and kindred wone?

“I’ll give thee, Raven, a red gold band,
To carry my message to Hildebrand.

“A red gold band I’ll give to thee,
To tell him the tale of my misery.”

“Thy gold will do me little good,
Dearer to me my raven food.”

“O Raven, if thou wilt fly for me,
My husband’s eyes shall be thy fee.”

Abroad his black wings the Raven threw,
And over three kingly realms he flew.

The Raven into the chamber sped,
Where Hildebrand drank the wine so red.

“Hear thou, Hildebrand the young,
Thy sister’s into durance flung.

“Here art thou sitting and drinking wine,
To-morrow they’ll burn sweet sister thine.”

Hildebrand sprang the table o’er,
Dashing the wine on the marble floor.

Hildebrand hies him into the stall,
There he beholds the coursers all.

He viewed the brown, and the gray as well,
On the black he laid the gilded selle.

“Blacklille, Blacklille, if me thou’lt bear,
Thou on winnowed wheat all thy days shalt fare.”

“Then willingly, willingly, thee I’ll bear,
But to breathe my name thou must not dare.”

He placed himself Blacklille’s back upon,
And across the sea then away he ran.

And when to the midst of the Sound they came,
He in evil hour uttered Blacklille’s name.

Blacklille quickly swam to the land,
But down to the bottom sank Hildebrand.

On the Ting stood the damsel at break of day,
Then heard she afar off Blacklille neigh.

Blacklille ran towards the Ting in wrath,
Back scattered both women and men from his path.

Blacklille he kicked, the Raven he hewed,
With the blood of men was his beak embrued.

Black took on his back the fair young dame,
He went from the Ting and with her was tame.

And when they reached the yellow sand,
Upon it was standing Hildebrand.

“Welcome, sweet Kirsten, dear sister mine,
Why is so pallid that cheek of thine?”

“The reason my cheek so pale is seen,
Is because I’ve far from my dear home been.”

“Now let no honest man,” she said,
“Into foreign lands his daughter wed.

“Of gold perhaps he may get a store,
But her happiness goeth for evermore.”

Hildebrand kissed her o’er and o’er:
“My darling sister, pray sorrow no more.

“Kirsten, I pray thee, pardon me
For bringing thee into this misery.”

Then spake Blacklille as he stood:
“I’ve saved thee by shedding human blood.

“Give me, Kirsten, one little kiss,
And the Raven one on that beak of his.”

On their mouths she kissed them both with glee—
From hideous thrall were they both set free.

She kissed them both with good will, I ween,
They changed to her brothers who lost had been.

They all pressed her fondly to their breast,
From sorrow and woe she is now at rest.

[The end]
George Borrow's poem: The Unfortunate Marriage

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