Singing and winding her horn, rides the noble damosel.
And she is beautiful with a beauty from heaven; fresh and rosy are
her cheeks.
And straight she carries her crown.
And her little hand holds fast beneath her keirle the good sword of
Roel the Lion.
And wide open are her fearless eyes, searching the forest for Sir
Halewyn.
And she listens for the sound of his horse.
But she hears nothing, except, in the heavy silence, the still sound
of snowflakes falling quietly like feathers.
And she sees nothing, except the air whitened with snow, and white
also the long road, and white also the leafless trees.
What is it makes the flame glow in her clear brown eyes? It is her
high courage.
Why does she carry so straight her head and her crown? Because of
the great strength in her heart.
What is it so swells her breast? The cruel thought of Anne-Mie,
and her brother's shame and the great crimes of Sir Halewyn.
And ceaselessly she looks to see if he be not coming, and if she can
hear nothing of the sound of his horse.
But she sees nothing, except the air whitened with snow, and white
also the long road, and white also the leafless trees.
And she hears nothing, except, in the heavy silence, the still sound
of snowflakes falling quietly like feathers.
And she sings.
Then, speaking to Schimmel, she said: "Together, good Schimmel, we are
going to a lion. Canst not see him in his cavern, awaiting passers-by,
and devouring poor maids?"
And Schimmel, hearing her, whinnied joyously.
"Schimmel," said Magtelt, "thou art glad, I see, to be going to the
revenge of Anne-Mie with the good sword."
And Schimmel whinnied a second time.
And Magtelt sought Sir Halewyn everywhere as she went through the
forest. And she listened well for the sound of his horse, and looked
to see if he were nowhere coming.
And she saw nothing, except the air whitened with snow, and white
also the long road, and white also the leafless trees.
And she heard nothing, except, in the heavy silence, the still sound
of snowflakes falling quietly like feathers.
And she wound her horn.
XXIX. Of the crow and the sparrow, of the hound, the horse and the
seven echoes.
When she reached the middle part of the forest, she saw through the
thick snowflakes Sir Halewyn coming towards her.
The Miserable had that day on his body a fine dress of blue cloth,
on which was broidered in two colours his ugly arms. Round his waist
he had a fair belt studded with lumps of gold, and at his belt the
golden sickle, and over his dress a fair opperst-kleed of corn-coloured
cloth-of-scarlet.
Riding on his roan horse he came up to Magtelt, and she saw that he
was handsome.
Before his horse, barking and making a great noise, ran a hound like
a wolf, which, on seeing Schimmel, leapt at him and bit him. But
Schimmel, with a great kick which he let fly, set him dancing a sorry
dance, and singing a pitiful song over his broken paw.
"Ah," thought the maid, "God grant, brave Schimmel, that I may do
better for the master than thou hast done for the dog."
And the Miserable came to her:
"Salutation," he said, "fair maid with clear brown eyes."
"Salutation," she said, "Siewert Halewyn the Invincible."