He showed him the shops of the china ware,
   And of silk and sendal also,
And he showed him the baths and the waterpipes
   On arches aloft that go.

He showed him ostrich and unicorn,
   Ape, lion, and tiger keen;
And elephants wise roared ‘Hail Kaiser!’
   As though they had Christians been.

He showed him the hoards of the dragons and trolls,
   Rare jewels and heaps of gold—­
’Hast thou seen, in all thy hundred years,
   Such as these, thou king so old?’

Now that cunning Kaiser was a scholar wise,
   And could of gramarye,
And he cast a spell on that old old Balt,
   Till lowly and meek spake he.

’Oh oft have I heard of the Micklegard,
   What I held for chapmen’s lies;
But now do I know of the Micklegard,
   By the sight of mine own eyes.

’Woden in Valhalla,
   But thou on earth art God;
And he that dare withstand thee, Kaiser,
   On his own head lies his blood.’

Then out and spake that little Baltung,
   Rode at the king’s right knee,
Quoth ’Fridigern slew false Kaiser Valens,
   And he died like you or me.’

’And who art thou, thou pretty bold boy,
   Rides at the king’s right knee?’
’Oh I am the Baltung, boy Alaric,
   And as good a man as thee.’

’As good as me, thou pretty bold boy,
   With down upon thy chin?’
’Oh a spae-wife laid a doom on me,
   The best of thy realm to win.’

’If thou be so fierce, thou little wolf cub
   Or ever thy teeth be grown;
Then I must guard my two young sons
   Lest they should lose their own.’

’Oh, it’s I will guard your two lither lads,
   In their burgh beside the sea,
And it’s I will prove true man to them
   If they will prove true to me.

’But it’s you must warn your two lither lads,
   And warn them bitterly,
That if I shall find them two false Kaisers,
   High hanged they both shall be.’

Now they are gone into the Kaiser’s palace
   To eat the peacock fine,
And they are gone into the Kaiser’s palace
   To drink the good Greek wine.

The Kaiser alone, and the old old Balt,
   They sat at the cedar board;
And round them served on the bended knee
   Full many a Roman lord.

’What ails thee, what ails thee, friend Athanarich? 
   What makes thee look so pale?’
’I fear I am poisoned, thou cunning Kaiser,
   For I feel my heart-strings fail.

’Oh would I had kept that great great oath
   I swore by the horse’s head,
I would never set foot on Roman ground
   Till the day that I lay dead.

’Oh would I were home in Caucaland,
   To hear my harpers play,
And to drink my last of the nut-brown ale,
   While I gave the gold rings away.

’Oh would I were home in Caucaland,
   To hear the Gothmen’s horn,
And watch the waggons, and brown brood mares
   And the tents where I was born.