The earn scraighs, and the cock craws,
As the husbande has gi'en him his corn.]

10.

The Elfen were five score and seven,

Sae laidly and sae grim;

And they the husband's guests maun be,
To eat and drink wi' him.

And some flew east, and some flew west,

And some to the norwart flew;

And some they flew to.the deep dale down,
There still they are I trow.2

! This singular quatrain stands thus in the original :— "Hunden hand giör i gaarden;

Hiorden tudè i sit horn;
Ernen skriger, og hanen galer,

Som bonden hafdè gifvet sit korn."

2 In the Danish :

"Sommè flöyè oster, og sommè flöyè vester,

Nogle flöyè nör paa;

Nogle flöyè ned i dybenè dalè,

Jeg troer de erè der endnu."

14.

It was then the weist Elf,

In at the door braids he;

Agast was the husbande, for that Elf For cross nor sign wad flee.

15.

The huswife she was a canny wife,
She set the Elf at the board;

She set before him baith ale and meat,
Wi' mony a weel-waled word.

16.

"Hear thou, Gudeman o' Villenshaw, What now I say to thee;

Wha bade thee bigg within our bounds, Without the leave o' me?

17.

But, an thou in our bounds will bigg, And bide, as well as may be,

Then thou thy dearest huswife maun To me for a lemman gie."

18.

Up spak the luckless husbande then,
As God the grace him gae:
Eline she is to me sae dear,

Her thou may nae-gate hae."

19.

Till the Elf he answered as he couth:

"Lat but my huswife be,

And take whate'er, o' gude or gear,

Is mine, awa wi' thee."

20.

"Then I'll thy Eline tak and thee,

Aneath my feet to tread;

And hide thy goud and white monie
Aneath my dwalling stead."

21.

The husbande and his househald a

In sary rede they join:

"Far better that she be now forfairn, Nor that we a' should tyne."

22.

Up, will of rede, the husbande stood,
Wi' heart fu' sad and sair;

And he has gien his huswife Eline
Wi' the young Elfe to fare.

23.

Then blyth grew he, and sprang about;
He took her in his arm;

The rud it left her comely cheek;
Her heart was clem'd wi' harm.

24.

A waefu' woman then she was ane,

And the moody tears loot fa': God rew on me, unseely wife,

How hard a weird I fa'!

25.

"My fay I plight to the fairest wight

That man on mold mat see;Maun I now mell wi' a laidly El, His light lemman to be?"

26.

He minted ance-he minted twice,

Wae wax'd her heart that syth:

Syne the laidliest fiend he grew that e'cr To mortal ee did kyth.

27.

When he the thirden time can mint

To Mary's son she pray'd,

And the laidly Elf was clean awa,

And a fair knight in his stead.

28.

This fell under, a linden green,
That again his shape he found;
O' wae and care was the word nae mair,
A' were sae glad that stound.

29.

"O dearest Eline, hear thou this,
And thou my wife sall be,
And a' the goud in merry England

Sae freely I'll gi'e thee!

30.

"Whan I was but a little wee bairn,
My mither died me fra;

My stepmither sent me awa fra her;
I turn'd till an Elfin Gray.

31.

"To thy husbande I a gift will gie,
Wi' mickle state and gear,

As mends for Eline his hus wife;-
Thou's be my heartis dear."—

32.

"Thou nobil knyght, we thank now God That has freed us frae skaith;

Sae wed thou thee a maiden free,
And joy attend ye baith!

33.

"Sin I to thee nae maik can be

My dochter may be thine; And thy gud will right to fulfill,

Let this be our propine.".

34.

"I thank thee, Eline, thou wise woman;

My praise thy worth sall ha'e; And thy love gin I fail to win, Thou here at hame sall stay."

35.

The husbande biggit now on his öe,
And nane ane wrought him wrong;
His dochter wore crown in Engeland,
And happy lived and lang.

36.

Now Eline, the husbande's hus wife has
Cour'd a' her grief and harms;

She's mither to a noble queen

That sleeps in a kingis arms.

GLOSSARY.

St. 1. Wold, a wood; woody Bald, bold.