He was happy in men’s teaching, but was with women wearied;
All this he knew no longer; for, torn from them, he far away was carried.
Whene’er to him it happened weapons at court to see,
He understood them readily, and their wearer longed to be;
The helmet and ringed armor would he have put on gladly:
Alas! not long he saw them, and all his hopes of fighting ended sadly.
While the kingly Sigeband, beneath a cedar-tree,
One day on the turf was seated, the queen said earnestly:
“Although good name and riches we share with one another,
At one thing yet I wonder, and this from you I dare to hide no further.”
He asked of her: “What is it?” Then said his helpmeet kind:
“It me doth sorely worry in body and in mind,
And my heart, alas! is heavy; to my wish you give no heeding,
To see you ’midst your vassals, my beaming eyes with pride upon you feeding.”
The king to her thus answered: “How should it ever be
That you have had such longing me with my knights to see?
I will strive thy will to follow, of this think not so sadly;
Ever to meet thy wishes, both care and toil will I give myself most gladly.”
She said: “No man is living who owns such wealth, I trow,
Who has so many castles or lands so wide as thou,
With silver and gems so costly, and gold so heavy weighing;
For this are our ways too lowly, and nought there is in life to me worth saying.
“When erst I was a maiden, and on Scotland’s soil drew breath,
(Chide not, my lord, thy helpmeet, but list to what she saith,)
I there was daily seeing the liegemen of my father
For highest prizes striving; but here such games we never see together.
“A king so rich and mighty, as you in name have been,
Before his followers often should let himself be seen;
He oft should ride in tilting with other champions knightly,
That both himself and his kingdom should seem more fair, and hold their rank more fitly.
“It shows, in a lord so noble, a most unworthy mind,
When he has heaped together riches of every kind,
If he with his faithful warriors to share them is unwilling:
When men in the storm of warfare deep wounds have had, how else can they find healing?”
Then said to her King Sigeband: “Lady, you mock at me;
In all these warlike pastimes I will most earnest be;
And for the strife so worthy my wish shall never waver:
No man shall find it easy the ways of well-born kings to teach me ever.”
She said: “You now for warriors must send throughout the land;
Stores of wealth and clothing must be given with open hand.
I too will send out heralds my kinsmen all to rally,
And to show them my good wishes; we then shall find our life to pass more gaily.”
At this the king of Ireland unto his wife thus said:
“I yield to you most willingly, for men are often led
By the wishes of fair women great feastings to make ready;
I therefore now will gather my brave and hardy kinsmen, and those too of my lady.”
To him the queen then answered: “Sorrow no more I wear;
Five hundred women’s garments I will give, to each her share;
To four and sixty maidens gay clothes to give I’m willing.”
Then the king did tell her high times he soon would hold, his word fulfilling.
The sports were then bespoken: he bade his men to send,
In eighteen days or sooner, to liegeman and to friend,
To say to all in Ireland, who would in his games be riding,
That, after summer was ended, they should spend the winter, with him abiding.
He bade his men make benches, so our tale doth run,
And for these, from out the wilderness, timber must be drawn;
For sixty thousand warriors seats must they make ready.
His henchmen and deft stewards, to do this work for the king, were skilled and speedy.
Thither men then hastened on many a winding way;
All were kindly cared for throughout their lengthened stay.
Now from Ireland’s kingdom, as the king had bidden,
Full six and eighty thousand of warriors strong there to his court had ridden.
From the store-rooms of the castle clothing now was borne—
All the gear they wished for, and all that could be worn.
Shields were also given, and steeds of Irish breeding;
The proud and queenly lady bedecked her guests with all they could be needing.
She gave to a thousand women costly clothes enow,
And likewise to fair maidens what one to youth should allow—
Broidered bands and jewels, and silk that glistened brightly;
The many lovely ladies, together standing there, were fair and sightly.
To every one who wished it were given clothes well-made.
Horses were there seen prancing, by the hand of foot-boys led;
These light shields did carry, and their spears were seizing.
U-te, the queenly mother, was gladly seen, as she on the leads sat gazing.
The guests by the king were bidden freely in tilts to meet;
The glitter of their helmets grew dim in the dust and heat.
The ladies, held in honor, near by were also seated,
Where they the deeds of the warriors saw full well, and with words of wonder greeted.
As oft before has happened, the show had lasted long;
The king was not unwilling to be looked on by the throng.
This, meanwhile, to his lady happiness was giving,
As she, amidst her women, sat on the roof, and saw their earnest striving.
When now her lord had ridden, as doth beseem a king,
He thought to end their onsets; some rest to them to bring
He deemed not unbecoming; to stop the games he bade them.
And then before the ladies, after their skill thus shown, he proudly led them.
U-te, the high-born lady, began her friends to greet,
With those from far-off kingdoms; them as guests to meet
The queen was truly willing; on them her glad eyes rested.
The gifts of Lady U-te were not on scornful friends that evening wasted.
Knights and lovely ladies together there were seen.
The goodwill of the master to all well-known had been;
In all their games and tilting, his kindness was not hidden.
Once more the guests, that evening, to ride in warlike strife by him were bidden.
Their games and sports had lasted until nine days were gone;
They, as knights befitteth, their skill to the king had shown.
By the many wandering players the show was liked the better,
And they plied their work more briskly, and hoped that their reward would be the greater.
Sackbuts loud and trumpets there might all men hear;
Fluting too and harping fell upon the ear.
Some on the rote were playing, others in song were vying;
They, by their jigs and fifing, soon would better clothes for themselves be buying.
On the tenth morn it happened, (now hark to my sorry tale,)
That,
