The Brother Avenged, and Other Ballads

In Short

This collection of translated poems and ballads traverses the rugged landscapes of Northern Europe and Wales, charting violent blood feuds, haunted forest trysts, and encounters with supernatural folk. From vengeful archers hiding among bears to disappointed treasure seekers striking bargains with deception, the book dramatizes timeless human appetites for justice, love, and hidden wealth. It has endured as a curious window into nineteenth-century romantic fascination with traditional folklore, preserving archaic rhythms and wild, elemental storytelling through meticulous translation and lyric intensity.

The Story

The volume opens with a grim tale of vengeance in "The Brother Avenged." A grieving worker learns of his brother's murder, leaps onto his horse, and rides fifteen leagues to his mother's side. Finding the royal Kempions responsible, he shoots them down with his bow. He goes before the twelve judges at the Ting to seek legal sanction and protection, but a king's liege-man thrusts at him fiercely. The speaker strikes him down as well, earning a sentence of outlawry. He flees to the lonely woods, where he survives for eight long years on grass and leaves, sharing his dark retreat only with roaring bears. When the Swedish King rides to church in splendour, the hidden archer looses a yard-long arrow straight into the monarch's heart, leaving him dying on the ground while his killer rests in the forest bowers.

Shifting from violent retribution to courtly adoration, the collection turns to the mesmerizing power of Sophy Ribeaupierre’s eyes in "The Eyes." The speaker declares that he would gladly trade his kingly crown, troops, victories, and fair renown just to kiss those beaming, wicked, and matchless eyes, which burn with more intensity than the June sun and leave him withering away like a parched plant. This lyric devotion echoes in "Harmodius and Aristogiton," where the speaker vows to cover his brand with myrtle leaves to honor the ancient heroes who slew the tyrant Hipparchus and restored just laws to their native land.

Domestic intrigue and pastoral fantasy mingle in "My Dainty Dame," where a husband urges his love to flee to the greenwood, leaving her tiresome, choleric lord behind to be a jest among his clan. Similar uncanny illusions shape "The Elf Bride," in which a young swain scything new grass wooes a lovely maid from a morass, only to find on his bridal night that he is embracing a rough oak trunk while a mocking voice sings from the window. The peril of forbidden desires returns in "The Treasure Digger," where a man spends every Saturday night digging for buried gold with a wishing-rod, only for the copper chest to burst in twain and vanish into thin air while fiends laugh at his gullibility.

The collection also explores moral trials in "The Fisher," where a poor fisherman catches a golden fish that turns out to be the child of ocean royalty. When the fish begs for release, promising wealth, the fisherman refuses to profit from two lovers' sorrow and casts it back unharmed. Rewarded instead with magical gold shillings on every subsequent cast, he finds wealth without destroying life. Finally, in "The Cuckoo," a Welsh bard wanders the May meads seeking his beloved Morfydd, only to be taunted by a cuckoo that insists she has married another. The enraged poet curses the bird to perish in winter frost, bringing the poetic journey to a sharp, vivid close.

How It Unfolds

• The brother's wrath — A loyal servant learns of a sibling's murder, slays the guilty Kempions, and flees into the wilderness after striking down an opposing royal officer at the local assembly.
• The woodland exile — An outlaw survives for eight lonely years on leaves and grass in the company of roaring bears before finally assassinating the Swedish King from a narrow gap.
• The worship of gaze — A passionate lover declares that even a monarch's crown and victories are worth sacrificing merely to win the fierce, parching glance of Sophy Ribeaupierre.
• The tyranny's fall — Classical memory is invoked as the speaker pledges to hide a blade in myrtle leaves to celebrate the ancient slaying of a tyrant.
• The greenwood escape — A secret lover persuades a noble dame to abandon her disagreeable lord and live like Eve in a rustic forest arbor by the sea.
• The woody phantom — A naive swain marries a radiant maid from the marsh, only to discover too late that he has passionately embraced a rough oak trunk.
• The midnight coin — A desperate laborer trusts in Satan to find buried treasure, but watches helplessly as the magical chest sinks back into the earth amid demon laughter.
• The generous catch — A humble fisherman returns a royal sea-creature to the brine and receives a steady stream of gold coins in return for his mercy.
• The mocking bird — An eager bard searches the spring meadows for his betrothed, only to quarrel bitterly with a cuckoo that brings news of her betrayal.

The People

• The Outlaw Archer wants vengeance for his murdered brother and absolute justice against royal corruption. Standing in his way are the king's guards, the twelve judges, and eight years of brutal isolation in the wild. He ends his journey as a triumphant, unyielding exile resting among forest bowers.
• Sophy Ribeaupierre appears as the silent object of intense, almost destructive adoration. While she does not act, her mere presence and piercing eyes dominate her suitor, leaving him willing to sacrifice everything for her attention and eventually withering under her gaze.
• The Fisher wants relief from grinding poverty without compromising his integrity. Standing in his way is the temptation of immense, easy riches offered by a magical sea-creature. He ends up moderately rewarded with daily gold coins, having chosen compassion over greed.
• Dafydd the Bard wants to meet his beloved Morfydd in the May meadows and celebrate their solemn vow. Standing in his way is a stubborn cuckoo that insists she has married another. He ends his quest in frustrated rage, cursing the bird for its bitter news.

In Its Own Voice

And hidden for eight long years I lay Amid the woods so lonely; I’d nothing to eat in that dark retreat But grass and green leaves only.

The speaker describes the punishing reality of his long forest exile after taking vengeance on the king's men.

Were I the Czar, my kingly crown, My troops and victories, And fair renown I’d all lay down To kiss but Sophy’s eyes.

The enamored narrator measures the supreme value of his beloved's gaze against all earthly power and imperial glory.

Thou wealthy man, be not, I pray thee, so gay, A much quieter part a poor fisher should play.

The captured golden creature warns the humble fisherman against arrogance in the face of unexpected fortune.

What It's Really About

The poems explore the heavy costs of transgression, whether through blood revenge, illicit romance, or dealings with supernatural tricksters. They investigate how human desire—for justice, wealth, or love—constantly collides with harsh natural and moral limits. Underneath the galloping rhythms of balladry lies a deep fascination with fate, isolation, and the tension between civilized laws and untamed wilderness. The text questions whether humanity can ever truly master its own destiny when faced with implacable royal authority, capricious woodland spirits, or the unpredictable judgments of nature.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love traditional folk poetry, brisk narrative momentum, and atmospheric historical settings will find much to admire here. It feels like stepping into a cold, northern forest lit by flickering campfires, where ancient oral traditions survive in stark, rhythmic English verse. However, modern readers must navigate period attitudes toward violence, archaic vocabulary, and occasional thematic repetition that reflect nineteenth-century antiquarian tastes. Despite these stylistic hurdles, the collection offers an invigorating, unvarnished glimpse into the mythic imagination of the European past, leaving behind vivid mental images of archers in the canopy, lonely woodland retreats, and mysterious creatures lurking just beneath the surface of everyday life.