George Borrow

“ Our chieftain hewed his cable,
And with his ship departed—
We follow, broken-hearted;
For in Horunga haven
Our bravest feed the raven;
We did our best, but no men
Can stand ’gainst hail and foemen. ”

“ Rosmer came from the ocean home,
And straight he fell to bann:
“O I can smell by my right hand
That here is a Christian man.”
“A Bird with a dead man’s shank in its mouth,
Chanced over our house to fly ”

“ This ballad should be read in conjunction with Rosmer, printed in The Mermaid’s Prophecy, and other Songs relating to Queen Dagmar, 1913, pp. 25–30.
[23] This ballad should be compared with The Wicked Stepmother, printed in The Dalby Bear and Other Ballads, 1913, pp. 14–20. ”