As regards Bjoernson's prosody, I am aware that it is sometimes
defective. Measured by the Tennysonian standard it is often needlessly
rugged and eccentric. But a poet whose bark carries so heavy a cargo of
thought may be forgiven if occasionally it scrapes the bottom. Moreover,
the Norwegian tongue has never, as a medium of poetry, been polished and
refined to any such elaborate perfection as the English language
exhibits in the hands of Swinburne and Tennyson.
The saga-drama, "Sigurd the Crusader," which was also published in 1870,
is a work of minor consequence. Its purpose may be stated in the
author's own words:
"'Sigurd the Crusader' is meant to be what is called a 'folk-play.'
It is my intention to make several dramatic experiments with grand
scenes from the sagas, lifting them into a strong but not too heavy
frame. By a 'folk-play' I mean a play which should appeal to every
eye and every stage of culture, to each in its own way, and at the
performance of which all, for the time being, would experience the
joy of fellow-feeling.
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