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j FRITHIOF’S SAGA 189
When shines the sun of Spring; a flood of gentle peace,
Of glad delight, his noble bosom overflowed.
It seemed as if the heart of Nature he could feel
To throb with his; as if with gladness he could clasp
The whole Heimskringla in his loving arms, and make
In sight of heaven a holy truce with earth.
Then entered Balder’s sacrificing priest the shrine,
Not young and fair as Balder, but a towering form,
With heavenly mildness in his noble countenance,
And downward to his belt his beard of silver flowed.
Then new-felt reverence filled FrithioPs haughty soul;
And lowly bent the eagle-wings upon his helm
Before the sage, who thus in words of friendship spake:
"Son Frithiof, welcome hither: I have watched for thee:
For youthful vigor wanders glad round earth and sea,
Like Berserk pale, who biteth furiously the shield,
But wearily and thoughtful wanders home at last.
Full oft enough to Jotunheim sped mighty Thor;
Yet spite of magic belt, and spite of gloves of steel,
UtgSrda-Loke sitteth ever on his throne;
To no might Evil, mighty in itself, will yield.
And profitless is piety unmatched with power,—
’T is like the sunbeam playing over ^Lgir’s breast,—
A changing glow that sinks and swells with every wave
Without a settled depth, unstable, insecure.
But power wanting piety devours itself,
Like buried battle-blade; it is life’s wild carouse,
Where o’er the beaker’s brim oblivious Haeger soars,
And when the drinker wakes, he blushes for his deed.
All vigor is of earth, from corpse of Ymer sprung;
Forth from its veins the stormy waste of water flows,
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