Sintram and His Companions
Page 12
Just then the warder blew his horn from his tower, and a trooper cameinto the room with a look of surprise. "A knight is coming hither,"said he; "a wonderful knight. I could have taken him for our LordSintram--but a bright, bright morning cloud floats so close before him,and throws over him such a clear light, that one could fancy red flowerswere showered down upon him. Besides, his horse has a wreath of redleaves on his head, which was never a custom of the son of our deadlord."
"Just such a one," replied another, "I wove for him yesterday. He wasnot pleased with it at first, but afterwards he let it remain."
"But why didst thou that?"
"It seemed to me as if I heard a voice singing again and again in myear: 'Victory! victory! the noblest victory! The knight rides forthto victory!' And then I saw a branch of our oldest oak-tree stretchedtowards me, which had kept on almost all its red and yellow leaves inspite of the snow. So I did according to what I had heard sung; and Iplucked some of the leaves, and wove a triumphal wreath for the noblewar-horse. At the same time Skovmark,--you know that the faithful beasthad always a great dislike to Biorn, and therefore had gone to thestable with the horse,--Skovmark jumped upon me, fawning, and seemedpleased, as if he wanted to thank me for my work; and such noble animalsunderstand well about good prognostics."
They heard the sound of Sintram's spurs on the stone steps, andSkovmark's joyous bark. At that instant the supposed corpse of oldBiorn sat up, looked around with rolling, staring eyes, and asked of theterrified retainers in a hollow voice, "Who comes there, ye people? whocomes there? I know it is my son. But who comes with him? The answerto that bears the sword of decision in its mouth. For see, good people,Gotthard and Rudlieb have prayed much for me; yet if the little Mastercome with him, I am lost in spite of them."
"Thou art not lost, my beloved father!" Sintram's kind voice was heardto say, as he softly opened the door, and the bright red morning cloudfloated in with him.
Biorn joined his hands, cast a look of thankfulness up to heaven, andsaid, smiling, "Yes, praised be God! it is the right companion! It issweet gentle death!" And then he made a sign to his son to approach,saying, "Come here, my deliverer; come, blessed of the Lord, that I mayrelate to thee all that has passed within me."
As Sintram now sat close by his father's couch, all who were in the roomperceived a remarkable and striking change. For old Biorn, whose wholecountenance, and not his eyes alone, had been wont to have a fieryaspect, was now quite pale, almost like white marble; while, on theother hand, the cheeks of the once deadly pale Sintram glowed with abright bloom like that of early youth. It was caused by the morningcloud which still shone upon him, whose presence in the room was ratherfelt than seen; but it produced a gentle thrill in every heart.
"See, my son," began the old man, softly and mildly, "I have lain fora long time in a death-like sleep, and have known nothing of what wasgoing on around me; but within,--ah! within, I have known but too much!I thought that my soul would be destroyed by the eternal anguish; andyet again I felt, with much greater horror, that my soul was eternallike that anguish. Beloved son, thy cheeks that glowed so brightly arebeginning to grow pale at my words. I refrain from more. But let merelate to you something more cheering. Far, far away, I could see abright lofty church, where Gotthard and Rudlieb Lenz were kneeling andpraying for me. Gotthard had grown very old, and looked almost likeone of our mountains covered with snow, on which the sun, in the lovelyevening hours, is shining; and Rudlieb was also an elderly man, but veryvigorous and very strong; and they both, with all their strength andvigour, were calling upon God to aid me, their enemy. Then I heard avoice like that of an angel, saying, 'His son does the most for him! Hemust this night wrestle with death and with the fallen one! His victorywill be victory, and his defeat will be defeat, for the old man andhimself.' Thereupon I awoke; and I knew that all depended upon whom thouwouldst bring with thee. Thou hast conquered. Next to God, the praise beto thee!"
"Gotthard and Rudlieb have helped much," replied Sintram; "and, belovedfather, so have the fervent prayers of the chaplain of Drontheim. Ifelt, when struggling with temptation and deadly fear, how the heavenlybreath of holy men floated round me and aided me."
"I am most willing to believe that, my noble son, and everything thousayest to me," answered the old man; and at the same moment the chaplainalso coming in, Biorn stretched out his hand towards him with a smile ofpeace and joy. And now all seemed to be surrounded with a bright circleof unity and blessedness. "But see," said old Biorn, "how the faithfulSkovmark jumps upon me now, and tries to caress me. It is not long sincehe used always to howl with terror when he saw me."
"My dear lord," said the chaplain, "there is a spirit dwelling in goodbeasts, though dreamy and unconscious."
As the day wore on, the stillness in the hall increased. The lasthour of the aged knight was drawing near, but he met it calmly andfearlessly. The chaplain and Sintram prayed beside his couch. Theretainers knelt devoutly around. At length the dying man said: "Is thatthe prayer-bell in Verena's cloister?" Sintram's looks said yea; whilewarm tears fell on the colourless cheeks of his father. A gleam shone inthe old man's eyes, the morning cloud stood close over him, and then thegleam, the morning cloud, and life with them, departed from him.
CHAPTER 29
A few days afterwards Sintram stood in the parlour of the convent, andwaited with a beating heart for his mother to appear. He had seen herfor the last time when, a slumbering child, he had been awakened by herwarm farewell kisses, and then had fallen asleep again, to wonder in hisdreams what his mother had wanted with him, and to seek her in vain thenext morning in the castle and in the garden. The chaplain was now athis side, rejoicing in the chastened rapture of the knight, whose fiercespirit had been softened, on whose cheeks a light reflection of thatsolemn morning cloud yet lingered.
The inner doors opened. In her white veil, stately and noble, the LadyVerena came forward, and with a heavenly smile she beckoned her son toapproach the grating. There could be no thought here of any passionateoutbreak, whether of sorrow or of joy.
"In whose sweet presence sorrow dares not lower Nor expectation rise Too high for earth."--Christian Year (Footnote in 1901 text.)
The holy peace which had its abode within these walls would have foundits way to a heart less tried and less purified than that which beat inSintram's bosom. Shedding some placid tears, the son knelt before hismother, kissed her flowing garments through the grating, and felt asif in paradise, where every wish and every care is hushed. "Belovedmother," said he, "let me become a holy man, as thou art a holy woman.Then I will betake myself to the cloister yonder; and perhaps I mightone day be deemed worthy to be thy confessor, if illness or theweakness of old age should keep the good chaplain within the castle ofDrontheim."
"That would be a sweet, quietly happy life, my good child," replied theLady Verena; "but such is not thy vocation. Thou must remain a bold,powerful knight, and thou must spend the long life, which is almostalways granted to us children of the North, in succouring the weak, inkeeping down the lawless, and in yet another more bright and honourableemployment which I hitherto rather honour than know."
"God's will be done!" said the knight, and he rose up full ofself-devotion and firmness.
"That is my good son," said the Lady Verena. "Ah! how many sweet calmjoys spring up for us! See, already is our longing desire of meetingagain satisfied, and thou wilt never more be so entirely estranged fromme. Every week on this day thou wilt come back to me, and thou wiltrelate what glorious deeds thou hast done, and take back with thee myadvice and my blessing."
"Am I not once more a good and happy child!" cried Sintram joyously;"only that the merciful God has given me in addition the strength ofa man in body and spirit. Oh, how blessed is that son to whom it isallowed to gladden his mother's heart with the blossoms and the fruit ofhis life!"
Thus he left the quiet cloister's shade, joyful in spirit and richlyladen with blessings, to
enter on his noble career. He was not contentwith going about wherever there might be a rightful cause to defend orevil to avert; the gates of the now hospitable castle stood always openalso to receive and shelter every stranger; and old Rolf, who was almostgrown young again at the sight of his lord's excellence, was establishedas seneschal. The winter of Sintram's life set in bright and glorious,and it was only at times that he would sigh within himself and say,
"Ah, Montfaucon! ah, Gabrielle! if I could dare to hope that you havequite forgiven me!"
CHAPTER 30
The spring had come in its brightness to the northern lands, when onemorning Sintram turned his horse homewards, after a successfulencounter with one of the most formidable disturbers of the peace ofhis neighbourhood. His horsemen rode after him, singing as they went. Asthey drew near the castle, they heard the sound of joyous notes wound onthe horn. "Some welcome visitor must have arrived," said the knight; andhe spurred his horse to a quicker pace over the dewy meadow. While stillat some distance, they descried old Rolf, busily engaged in preparinga table for the morning meal, under the trees in front of thecastle-gates. From all the turrets and battlements floated banners andflags in the fresh morning breeze: esquires were running to and froin their gayest apparel. As soon as the good Rolf saw his master, heclapped his hands joyfully over his grey head, and hastened into thecastle. Immediately the wide gates were thrown open; and Sintram, as heentered, was met by Rolf, whose eyes were filled with tears of joy whilehe pointed towards three noble forms that were following him.
Two men of high stature--one in extreme old age, the other grey-headed,and both remarkably alike--were leading between them a fair young boy,in a page's dress of blue velvet, richly embroidered with gold. The twoold men wore the dark velvet dress of German burghers, and had massivegold chains and large shining medals hanging round their necks.
Sintram had never before seen his honoured guests, and yet he felt as ifthey were well known and valued friends. The very aged man reminded himof his dying father's words about the snow-covered mountains lighted upby the evening sun; and then he remembered, he could scarcely tell how,that he had heard Folko say that one of the highest mountains of thatsort in his southern land was called the St. Gotthard. And at the sametime, he knew that the old but yet vigorous man on the other side wasnamed Rudlieb. But the boy who stood between them ah! Sintram's humilitydared scarcely form a hope as to who he might be, however much hisfeatures, so noble and soft, called up two highly honoured images beforehis mind.
Then the aged Gotthard Lenz, the king of old men, advanced with a solemnstep, and said--"This is the noble boy Engeltram of Montfaucon, the onlyson of the great baron; and his father and mother send him to you, SirSintram, knowing well your holy and glorious knightly career, thatyou may bring him up to all the honourable and valiant deeds of thisnorthern land, and may make of him a Christian knight, like yourself."
Sintram threw himself from his horse. Engeltram of Montfaucon held thestirrup gracefully for him, checking the retainers, who pressed forward,with these words: "I am the noblest born esquire of this knight, and theservice nearest to his person belongs to me."
Sintram knelt in silent prayer on the turf; then lifting up in his arms,towards the rising sun, the image of Folko and Gabrielle, he cried,"With the help of God, my Engeltram, thou wilt become glorious as thatsun, and thy course will be like his!"
And old Rolf exclaimed, as he wept for joy, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thyservant depart in peace."
Gotthard Lenz and Rudlieb were pressed to Sintram's heart; the chaplainof Drontheim, who just then came from Verena's cloister to bring ajoyful greeting to her brave son, stretched out his hands to bless themall.