[Footnote 2: See translations of Von Zedlitz's _Midnight Review_, of Follen's _Blücher's Ball_, of Freihgrath's _Death of Grabbe_, of Rückert's _Patriot's Lament_, of Arndt's _Field-Marshal Blücher_, of Pfeffel's _Tobacco-Pipe_, of Gleim's _War Song_, of Tegner's _Veteran_, (Swedish,) of Rahbek's _Peter Colbjornsen_, (Danish,) _The Death-Song of Regner Lodbrock_, (Norse,) and Körner's _Sword-Song_, in Mr. Longfellow's _Poets and Poetry of Europe_. See all of Körner's soldier songs well translated, the _Sword-Song_ admirably, by Rev. Charles T. Brooks, in _Specimens of Foreign Literature_, Vol. XIV. See, in Robinson's _Literature of Slavic Nations_, some Russian and Servian martial poetry.]
But the early poetry which attempts the description of feats at arms which were points in the welfare of nations--when, for instance, Germany was struggling to have her middle class against the privileges of the barons--is more interesting than all the modern songs which nicely depict soldiers' moods. Language itself was fighting for recognition, as well as industrial and social rights. The verses mark successive steps of a people into consciousness and civilization. Some of this battle-poetry is worth preserving; a few camp-rhymes, also, were famous enough in their day to justify translating. Here are some relics, of pattern more or less antique, picked up from that field of Europe where so many centuries have met in arms. [3]
[Footnote 3: Among such songs is one by Bayard Taylor, entitled _Annie Laurie_, which is of the very best kind.]
The Northern war-poetry, before the introduction of Christianity, is vigorous enough, but it abounds in disagreeable commonplaces: trunks are cleft till each half falls sideways; limbs are carved for ravens, who appear as invariably as the Valkyrs, and while the latter pounce upon the souls that issue with the expiring breath, the former banquet upon the remains. The celebration of a victory is an exulting description of actual scenes of revelling, mead-drinking from mounted skulls, division of the spoils, and half-drunken brags[4] of future prowess. The sense of dependence upon an unseen Power is manifested only in superstitious vows for luck and congratulations that the Strong Ones have been upon the conquering side. There is no lifting up of the heart which checks for a time the joy of victory. They are ferociously glad that they have beaten. This prize-fighting imagery belongs also to the Anglo-Saxon poetry, and is in marked contrast with the commemorative poetry of Franks and Germans after the introduction of Christianity. The allusions may be quite as conventional, but they show that another power has taken the field, and is willing to risk the fortunes of war. Norse poetry loses its vigor when the secure establishment of Christianity abolishes piracy and puts fighting upon an allowance. Its muscle was its chief characteristic. We speak only of war-poetry.
