Original Fiction and Poetry

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Original Fiction & Poetry
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Chesleyan Chestnuts

You can read more original fiction from Emily Chesley in the Meanderings of the Emily Chesley Reading Circle<

Read Norseman!

Norseman!
--A poem by Emily Chesley.

First published in 1901 in that august poetry journal "The Arva Annual", the sweeping romantic poem "Norseman" is a departure for Emily Chesley. Yet, paradoxically, it is also fits perfectly into the Chesleyan oeuvre. It is a departure in that it is an historical piece, set in that brutal Medieval time when Norse hordes regularly sacked the coasts of the British Isles. This is a far cry from Chesley's regular speculationist fare. Yet, on another level, this poem is pure Chesley in that it further expresses her lifelong obsession with men of Nordic descent -- Danes, Swedes and, of course, Norwegians.

The poem has been republished in numerous journals and compilations over the years, usually under Chesley's preferred title "Norseman!" but also sometimes under its alternative title of "The Viking and the Peasant Girl". There is tantalizing evidence that "The Viking and the Peasant Girl" may refer to more than a poem. Among Chesley's personal effects found after her death was a large wooden trunk that contained a horned helmet and wooden sword, homespun clothing and sandals. The trunk was labeled simply, "Frolics".

Now, read the poem...>

--"Scholarship" by Thuder