Laurel · Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · A Psalm of Life, and Other Poems

King Svend of the Forked Bear

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) · 1839–1882

iambic trimeter · AAABCCCB · 72 lines · from A Psalm of Life, and Other Poems

Loudly the sailors cheeredSvend of the Forked Beard,As with his fleet he steeredSouthward to Vendland;Where with their courses hauledAll were together called,Under the Isle of SvaldNear to the mainland.

After Queen Gunhild's death,So the old Saga saith,Plighted King Svend his faithTo Sigrid the Haughty;And to avenge his bride,Soothing her wounded pride,Over the waters wideKing Olaf sought he.

Still on her scornful face,Blushing with deep disgrace,Bore she the crimson traceOf Olaf's gauntlet;Like a malignant star,Blazing in heaven afar,Red shone the angry scarUnder her frontlet.

Oft to King Svend she spake,"For thine own honor's sakeShalt thou swift vengeance takeOn the vile coward!"Until the King at last,Gusty and overcast,Like a tempestuous blastThreatened and lowered.

Soon as the Spring appeared,Svend of the Forked BeardHigh his red standard reared,Eager for battle;While every warlike Dane,Seizing his arms again,Left all unsown the grain,Unhoused the cattle.

Likewise the Swedish KingSummoned in haste a Thing,Weapons and men to bringIn aid of Denmark;Erie the Norseman, too,As the war-tidings flew,Sailed with a chosen crewFrom Lapland and Finmark.

So upon Easter daySailed the three kings away,Out of the sheltered bay,In the bright season;With them Earl Sigvald came,Eager for spoil and fame;Pity that such a nameStooped to such treason!

Safe under Svald at last,Now were their anchors cast,Safe from the sea and blast,Plotted the three kings;While, with a base intent,Southward Earl Sigvald went,On a foul errand bent,Unto the Sea-kings.

Thence to hold on his course,Unto King Olaf's force,Lying within the hoarseMouths of Stet-haven;Him to ensnare and bring,Unto the Danish king,Who his dead corse would flingForth to the raven!

Words in this poem 18

isle v. t.: To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
mainland n.: The continent; the principal land; -- opposed to island, or peninsula.
saga n.: A Scandinavian legend, or heroic or mythic tradition, among the Norsemen and kindred people; a northern European popular historical or religious tale of olden time. [Icel., akin to E. saw a saying. See Say, and cf. Saw.]
saith: 3d pers. sing. pres. of Say.
haughty a.: High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
gauntlet n.: A glove of such material that it defends the hand from wounds. [F. gantelet, dim. of gant glove, LL. wantus, of Teutonic origin; cf. D. want, Sw. & Dan. vante, Icel. vöttr, for vantr.]
afar adv.: At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
angry a.: Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
frontlet n.: A frontal or brow band; a fillet or band worn on the forehead. [OF. frontelet brow band, dim. of frontel, frontal. See Frontal, n.]
shalt: 2d per. sing. of Shall.
gusty a.: Subject to, or characterized by, gusts or squalls; windy; stormy; tempestuous.
overcast v. t.: To cast or cover over; hence, to cloud; to darken.
dane n.: A native, or a naturalized inhabitant, of Denmark. Great Dane. [LL. Dani: cf. AS. Dene.]
unhoused a.: Etym: [Properly p. p. of unhouse.]
norseman n.: One of the ancient Scandinavians; a Northman.
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
ensnare v. t.: To catch in a snare. See Insnare.
corse n.: A living body or its bulk. [OF. cors, F. corps. See Corpse.]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

King Svend of the Forked Bear is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Project Gutenberg ebook #1365; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, King Svend of the Forked Bear, in A Psalm of Life, and Other Poems (1839–1882), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1365, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/longfellow-poems/king-svend-of-the-forked-bear.html, id L17669.

Form and metre

King Svend of the Forked Bear is 72 lines in 9 stanzas of 8 lines each. Every stanza rhymes AAABCCCB. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 5.8 syllables. 11 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 26% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in iambic trimeter.

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 AAABCCCB cheered^A · beard^A · steered^A · vendland^B · hauled^C · called^C · svald^C · mainland^B
2 AAABCCCB death^A · saith^A · faith^A · haughty^B · bride^C · pride^C · wide^C · he^B
3 AAABCCCB face^A · disgrace^A · trace^A · gauntlet^B · star^C · afar^C · scar^C · frontlet^B
4 AAABCCCB spake^A · sake^A · take^A · coward^B · last^C · overcast^C · blast^C · lowered^B
5 AAABCCCB appeared^A · beard^A · reared^A · battle^B · dane^C · again^C · grain^C · cattle^B
6 AAABCCCB king^A · thing^A · bring^A · denmark^B · too^C · flew^C · crew^C · finmark^B
7 AAABCCCB day^A · away^A · bay^A · season^B · came^C · fame^C · name^C · treason^B
8 AAABCCCB last^A · cast^A · blast^A · kings^B · intent^C · went^C · bent^C · kings^B
9 AAABCCCB course^A · force^A · hoarse^A · haven^B · bring^C · king^C · fling^C · raven^B

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 trimeter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Loudly the sailors cheered	6	/˘·/˘·
Svend of the Forked Beard,	6	····˘·
As with his fleet he steered	6	······
Southward to Vendland;	5	/˘···
Where with their courses hauled	6	···/˘·
All were together called,	6	··˘/˘·
Under the Isle of Svald	6	······
Near to the mainland.	5	···/·
After Queen Gunhild's death,	6	······
So the old Saga saith,	6	···/˘·
Plighted King Svend his faith	6	/˘····
To Sigrid the Haughty;	6	·/˘·/˘
And to avenge his bride,	6	··˘/··
Soothing her wounded pride,	6	/˘·/˘·
Over the waters wide	6	···/˘·
King Olaf sought he.	5	·/˘··
Still on her scornful face,	6	···/˘·
Blushing with deep disgrace,	6	/˘··˘/
Bore she the crimson trace	6	···/˘·
Of Olaf's gauntlet;	5	·/˘/˘
Like a malignant star,	6	··˘/˘·
Blazing in heaven afar,	6	/˘·/˘/
Red shone the angry scar	6	···/˘·
Under her frontlet.	5	···/˘
Oft to King Svend she spake,	6	······
"For thine own honor's sake	6	···/˘·
Shalt thou swift vengeance take	6	···/˘·
On the vile coward!"	5	···/˘
Until the King at last,	6	······
Gusty and overcast,	6	/˘·/˘·
Like a tempestuous blast	6	···/˘·
Threatened and lowered.	6	/˘˘·/˘
Soon as the Spring appeared,	6	····˘/
Svend of the Forked Beard	6	····˘·
High his red standard reared,	6	···/˘·
Eager for battle;	5	/˘·/˘
While every warlike Dane,	6	·/˘/··
Seizing his arms again,	6	/˘··˘/
Left all unsown the grain,	6	······
Unhoused the cattle.	6	˘/˘·/˘
Likewise the Swedish King	6	/··/˘·
Summoned in haste a Thing,	6	/˘····
Weapons and men to bring	6	/˘····
In aid of Denmark;	5	···/·
Erie the Norseman, too,	6	/˘·/˘·
As the war-tidings flew,	6	···/˘·
Sailed with a chosen crew	6	···/˘·
From Lapland and Finmark.	6	·/····
So upon Easter day	6	···/˘·
Sailed the three kings away,	6	····˘/
Out of the sheltered bay,	6	···/˘·
In the bright season;	5	···/˘
With them Earl Sigvald came,	6	······
Eager for spoil and fame;	6	/˘····
Pity that such a name	6	/˘····
Stooped to such treason!	6	·˘··/˘
Safe under Svald at last,	6	······
Now were their anchors cast,	6	···/˘·
Safe from the sea and blast,	6	······
Plotted the three kings;	5	/˘···
While, with a base intent,	6	····˘/
Southward Earl Sigvald went,	6	/˘····
On a foul errand bent,	6	···/˘·
Unto the Sea-kings.	5	·····
Thence to hold on his course,	6	······
Unto King Olaf's force,	6	···/˘·
Lying within the hoarse	6	/˘····
Mouths of Stet-haven;	5	···/˘
Him to ensnare and bring,	6	··˘/··
Unto the Danish king,	6	···/˘·
Who his dead corse would fling	6	······
Forth to the raven!	5	···/˘

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.

More by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Song of Hiawatha Evangeline Judas Maccabaeus Michael Angelo: A Fragment Christus: A Mystery A Psalm of Life, and Other Poems