Scoffing at men and at God, is guilty of Christ's blessed body, And the Redeemer's blood! To himself he eatetl and drinketh Death and doom! And from this preserve us, thou heavenly Father! Are ye ready, ye children, to eat of the bread of Atonement ?" Thus with emotion he asked; and together answered the children, "Yes!" with deep sobs interrupted. he the due supplications, Then read Read the Form of Communion, and in chimed the organ and anthem: O Holy Lamb of God, who takest away our transgressions, Hear us! give us thy peace! have mercy, have mercy upon us! Th' old man, with trembling hand, and heavenly pearls on his eyelids, Filled now the chalice and paten, and dealt round the mystical symbols. O then seemed it to me as if God, with the broad eye of mid-day, Clearer looked in at the windows, and all the trees in the churchyard Bowed down their summits of green, on the graves 'gan to shiver. and the grass But in the children (I noted it well; I knew it) there ran a Tremor of holy rapture along through their icycold members. Decked like an altar before them, there stood the green earth, and above it Heaven opened itself, as of old before Stephen: there saw they Radiant in glory the Father, and on his right hand the Redeemer. Under them hear they the clang of harp-strings, and angels from gold clouds Beckon to them like brothers, and fan with their pinions of purple. Closed was the Teacher's task; and with heaven in their hearts and their faces, Up rose the children all, and each bowed him, weeping full sorely, Downward to kiss that reverend hand, but all of them pressed he Moved to his bosom, and laid, with a prayer, his hands full of blessings, Now on the holy breast, and now on the innocent tresses. Danish. KING CHRISTIAN. A NATIONAL SONG OF DENMARK. FROM JOHANNES EVALD. KING CHRISTIAN stood by the lofty mast "Fly!" shouted they; "fly, he who can! Nils Juel 87 gave heed to the tempest's roar, He hoisted his blood-red flag once more, And shouted loud, through the tempest's roar, "Now is the hour!" 66 Fly!" shouted they, "for shelter fly! Of Denmark's Juel who can defy The power?" North sea! a glimpse of Wessel rent Then champions to thine arms were sent; From Denmark, thunders Tordenskiol', Path of the Dane to fame and might! Receive thy friend, who, scorning flight, And amid pleasures and alarms, THE ELECTED KNIGHT. [The following strange and somewhat mystic ballad is from Nyerup and Rahbek's Danske Viser of the Middle Ages. It seems to refer to the first preaching of Christianity in the North, and to the institution of Knight-Errantry. The three maidens I suppose to be Faith, Hope, and Charity. The irregularities of the original have been carefully preserved in the translation.] SIR OLUF he rideth over the plain, Full seven miles broad and seven miles wide, But never, ah never can meet with the man A tilt with him dare ride. He saw under the hill-side His steed was black, his helm was barred; He wore upon his spurs Twelve little golden birds; Anon he spurred his steed with a clang, He wore upon his mail Twelve little golden wheels; Anon in eddies the wild wind blew, And round and round the wheels they flew. He wore before his breast A lance that was poised in rest; He wore upon his helm A wreath of ruddy gold; And that gave him the Maidens Three, Sir Oluf questioned the Knight eftsoon "I am not Christ the Great, Thou shalt not yield thee yet; I am an Unknown Knight, Three modest maidens have me bedight." "Art thou a Knight elected, And have three maidens thee bedight; The first tilt they together rode, The second tilt they together rode, The third tilt they together rode, Now lie the lords upon the plain, |