Ole Gabriel Ueland
Of long toil 't is a matterThrough many a silent age,Before such power can shatterTime-hallowed custom's cage.The soul-fruit of the peasant,Though seldom seed was sown,It is our honor present,--Our future sure foreknown.
The fjords that earnest waited'Mid mountain-snows aroundHis childhood's thoughts createdAnd depth of life profound.The highlands' sun that played thereOn fjord and mountain snowSo wide a vision made thereAs one could wish to know.
When he to Ting repairingWould plead the peasant's right,Each word a beam was bearing.To make our young day bright.It came like ancient storyOr long-lost song's refrain;What crowned our past with gloryIt made our present gain.
Though in his boat a seaman,A farmer in his field,Ne'er finer thoughts did freemanIn royal council wield.His years bear witness readyThat we shall yet achieveOur people's self-rule steady,He taught us to believe.
When weary, worn, and aged,His faith was ever strong;The people's war he wagèdFor victory erelong.Beneath the banner dying,He would not yet give o'er,And him Valkyries flyingHome to Valhalla bore.
From wintry night and bitterHe was with stately treadIn Saga's hall a-glitterBefore the high-sear led.Old heroes proud or merryRising to greet him went,But first of all King Sverre,From whom was his descent.
Words in this poem
- ting n.
- A sharp sound, as of a bell; a tinkling. [An imitative word. Cf. Tink.]
- wield v. t.
- To govern; to rule; to keep, or have in charge; also, to possess. [OE. welden to govern, to have power over, to possess, AS. geweldan, gewyldan, from wealdan; akin to OS. waldan, OFries. walda, G. walten, OHG. waltan, Icel. val]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- erelong adv.
- Before the ere long.
- valhalla n.
- The palace of immortality, inhabited by the souls of heroes slain in battle. [Icel. valhöll, literally, hall of the slain; valr the slain (akin to AS. wæl, OHG. wal battlefield, wuol defeat, slaughter, AS. wol pestilence) + höll a royal h]
- wintry a.
- Suitable to winter; resembling winter, or what belongs to winter; brumal; hyemal; cold; stormy; wintery. [AS. wintrig.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ole Gabriel Ueland is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems and Songs, Project Gutenberg ebook #6619, the Arthur Hubbell Palmer translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Ole Gabriel Ueland, in Poems and Songs (1915), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6619, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bjornson-poems-and-songs/ole-gabriel-ueland.html, id L29313.
Form and metre
Ole Gabriel Ueland is 48 lines in 6 stanzas of 8 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABABCDCD. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABCDCD matterA · ageB · shatterA · cageB · peasantC · sownD · presentC · foreknownD
- 2 ABABCDCD waitedA · aroundB · createdA · profoundB · thereC · snowD · thereC · knowD
- 3 ABABCDCD repairingA · rightB · bearingA · brightB · storyC · refrainD · gloryC · gainD
- 4 ABABCDCD seamanA · fieldB · freemanA · wieldB · readyC · achieveD · steadyC · believeD
- 5 ABABCDCD agedA · strongB · wagèdA · erelongB · dyingC · o'erD · flyingC · boreD
- 6 ABABCDCD bitterA · treadB · glitterA · ledB · merryC · wentD · sverreC · descentD
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Of long toil 't is a matter | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Through many a silent age, | 6 | ·/·/˘· |
| Before such power can shatter | 7 | ···/·/˘ |
| Time-hallowed custom's cage. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| The soul-fruit of the peasant, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Though seldom seed was sown, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| It is our honor present,-- | 7 | ··//˘/˘ |
| Our future sure foreknown. | 7 | //˘···· |
| The fjords that earnest waited | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| 'Mid mountain-snows around | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| His childhood's thoughts created | 7 | ·/··˘/˘ |
| And depth of life profound. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| The highlands' sun that played there | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| On fjord and mountain snow | 6 | ···/˘· |
| So wide a vision made there | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| As one could wish to know. | 6 | ······ |
| When he to Ting repairing | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Would plead the peasant's right, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Each word a beam was bearing. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| To make our young day bright. | 6 | ··/··· |
| It came like ancient story | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Or long-lost song's refrain; | 6 | ····˘/ |
| What crowned our past with glory | 7 | ··/··/˘ |
| It made our present gain. | 6 | ··/˘/· |
| Though in his boat a seaman, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| A farmer in his field, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Ne'er finer thoughts did freeman | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| In royal council wield. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| His years bear witness ready | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| That we shall yet achieve | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Our people's self-rule steady, | 7 | //˘··/˘ |
| He taught us to believe. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| When weary, worn, and aged, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| His faith was ever strong; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| The people's war he wagèd | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| For victory erelong. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Beneath the banner dying, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| He would not yet give o'er, | 6 | ······ |
| And him Valkyries flying | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Home to Valhalla bore. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| From wintry night and bitter | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| He was with stately tread | 6 | ···/˘· |
| In Saga's hall a-glitter | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Before the high-sear led. | 6 | ······ |
| Old heroes proud or merry | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Rising to greet him went, | 6 | /˘···· |
| But first of all King Sverre, | 6 | ······ |
| From whom was his descent. | 6 | ····˘/ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.