Christmas in Iceland - 15.12.1940, Page 29

Continued from Page 5.
Arinbjorn thanked the king for his words.
Then Arinbjorn and Egil went back to the
house, and when they came in they two went
into a small upper room and talked over this
j matter. Arinbjorn said: “The king just now
;was very wroth, yet methought his mood rat-
• her softened before the end, and fortune will
now decide what may be the upshot. I know^
that Gunnhilda will set all her mind on marr-
ing your cause. Now I would fain that we
take his counsel: that you be awake through
the night, and compose a song of praise about
king Eric. I should think it had best be a
poem of twenty stanzas, and you might recite
it to-morrow when we come before the king.
Thus did Bragi my kinsman, when he was
under the wrath of Bjorn king of Sweden;
he composed a poem of praise about him in
one night, and for it received his head. Now
may we also have the same luck with the
king, that you may make your peace with
him, if you can offer him the poem of praise”.
Egil said: ”1 shall try this counsel that you,
wish, but ’twas the last thing I ever meant,
to sing king Eric’s praises”.
Arinbjorn bade him try.
Then Arinbjorn went away, and had food',
and drink carried to the upper room. Egil was
there alone for the night. Arinbjorn went to,
his men, and they sate over drink till mid-"
night. Then Arinbjorn and his men went to
the sleeping chambers, but before undressing
he went up to the room to Egil, and asked
how he was getting on with the poem.
Egil said that nothing was done. “Here”,
said he, “has sate a swallow by the window
and twittered all night, so that I have never
got rest for that same”.
Whereupon Arinbjorn went away and out
by the door leading up to the house-roof,
and he sate by the window of the upper room
.where the bird had before sate. He saw that
something of a shape witch-possest moved
away from the roof. Arinbjorn sate there by
the window all night till dawn. But after Ar-
inbjorn had come there, Egil composed all the
poem, and got it so by heart that he could
recite it in the morning when he met Arin-
bjorn. They watched for a fit time to go be-
fore the king.
King Eric went to table according to his
wont, and much people were with him. And
when Arinbjorn knew this, then went he with
all his followers fully armed to the king’s pal-
ace while the king sate at table. Arinbjorn
craved entrance into the hall; it was granted.
He and Egil went in with half of his follow-
ers, but the other half stood without before
the door. Arinbjorn saluted the king; the
king recived him well. Arinbjorn spoke: “Here
now is come Egil. He has not sought to run
away in the night. Now would we fain know,
my lord, what his lot is to be. I hope thou
wilt let him get good from my words, for I
think it a matter of great moment to me that
Egil gain terms from thee.
“If thou, O king, and thou Gunnhilda, if
ye two have resolved that Egil shall here get
no terms, then is the manly course, to give
him respite and leave to go for a week, that
he may look out for himself; of his own free
will any way he came hither to seek you, and
therefore hoped for peace. Thereafter, this
done, let your dealings together end as they
may”.
Gunnhilda said, ‘Well can I see by this, Arin-
bjorn, thou art more faithful to Egil than to
king Eric. If Egil is to ride hence for a week,
then will he in this time be come to king
Athelstan. But king Eric cannot now hide
this from himself, that every king is now
stronger than is he, whereas a little while ago
it had been deemed incredible that king Eric
would not have the will and energy to avenge
his wrongs on such an one as Egil”.
Said Arinbjorn: “No one will call Eric a
greater man for slaying a yeoman’s son, a
foreigner, who has freely come into his pow-
er. But if the king wishes to achieve greatness
hereby, then will I help him in this, so that
these tidings shall be thought more worthy of
record; for I and Egil will now back each ot-
her, so that we must both be met at once.
CHRISTMAS IN ICELAND
27