Add MS 45318

WILLIAM MORRIS LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS. Vol. XXII (ff. 96). Contents:-

(1) 'The Niebelungennôt', 216 stanzas, being all of the translation from the Middle High German epic that Morris completed (see C.W., vii, p. xxxiii). A few stanzas are quoted in Morris, i, pp. 473-474. A note by May Morris on f. 1 gives the date as 1869. ff. 2-16.

(2) Poems from the Icelandic 'Edda', translated circ. 1870-1871, according to May Morris in C.W., vii, p. xx, viz.:-(a) 'Baldur's Dream' ('Vegtamskviða'), a draft (ff. 18-18b) and a fair copy (ff. 19-19b) by Morris, the second dated 'Feb: 19th 1871', followed by a collation of the two in the hand of May Morris (ff. 20-23) from which she printed the poem, C.W., vii, pp. xxi-xxiv. ff. 18-23;-(b) 'The Lay of Thrym' ('Ðrymskviða'), a draft (ff. 24-25b) by Morris, followed by a fair copy in the hand of May Morris (ff. 26-30) incorporating variants from a differing version not in this collection, from which she printed the poem in C.W., vii, pp. xxiv-xxxii. ff. 24-30;-(c) 'The Prophecy of the Vala' ('Völuspá'), a fair copy called by May Morris an 'unrevised translation' in Morris, i, p. 543, and printed by her ibid., pp. 543-563. ff. 32-41.

(3) Ballads from the Danish, viz.:-(a) A draft of 'Axel Thordson and Fair Walborg', up to stanza 167, but omitting a few intermediate stanzas. ff. 45-56b;-(b) A typewritten copy of (a) done for May Morris. ff. 57- 77;-(c) A rough literal translation of the missing stanzas of 'Axel Thordson and Fair Walborg' (ff. 78-81) and of 'Queen Dagmar's Death' (ff. 81-85). These were done 'for W[illiam] M[orris]' according to a note by May Morris on f. 77. ff. 78-85. On ff. 42-44b are copies of two letters from May Morris, dated 22 Oct. and 2 Dec. 1931, to Dame Bertha Phillpotts relating to these MSS.

(4) Draft of part of Fitt 19 of 'Beowulf' (published 1895) from the Anglo-Saxon, differing slightly from the text printed in C.W., x, pp. 215-216. f. 87.

(5) Draft of the Icelandic ballad printed as 'The Son's Sorrow' (from Poems By The Way) in C.W., ix, pp. 206-207, and differing considerably from it, including the refrain. ff. 88-88b.

(6) Draft of a ballad, 'The Mother under the Mould', printed in C.W., xxiv, pp. 352-355. (A fair copy of the same text is in 45298 B, f. 18.) ff. 89-90b.

(7) Two sonnets on Grettir, the Icelandic hero. The first is printed before the preface to Morris's translation of 'Grettis Saga' (C.W., vii, p. xxxvi), and the second in May Morris's introduction, ibid., p. xix. Both are as printed except that alternative endings are provided for the second sonnet. f. 91.

(8) Unidentified fragments, viz.:-(a) '0 fair gold goddess'. Mentioned among'Recent Songs and Ballads' in a list (Add. MS. 52772, f. 3) in Cockerell's hand of MSS. in Morris's possession in 1894. ff. 92- 92b;-(b) 'Three spae-wives left a rune staff on the bed'. f. 93;-

(c) 'Deep sea, mighty wonder'. (For fair copy see 45298 A, f. 106.) f. 94;-(d) 'Dead and gone is all desire'. (For fair copy see 45298 A, f. 4b.) f. 95.

(9) Copy by Morris of a humorous poem by D. G. Rossetti, the original of which (now 52333, f. 45) the latter sent 11 October 1869 to Morris's children accompanying a book. f. 96.

includes:

• ff. 19-41, 88-88b Iceland: Translations from and notes on Icelandic literature, by W. Morris: circ. 1870-1871, n.d.
• ff. 20-23, 26-30 May Morris, alias Mary; daughter of William Morris: Poems of her father, copied by: n.d.
• ff. 42-44b. Copies May Morris, alias Mary; daughter of William Morris: Letters to Dame B. Phillpotts: 1931.
• ff. 91-95 Poetry ENGLISH: W. Morris: poems: circ. 1853-1896.: Autogr. and copies.
• f. 96 Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet and painter: Humorous verses, 1869.: Copy by W. Morris.
• f. 96 (copy) Poetry ENGLISH: D. G. Rossetti: poems: 1870-1880, n.d.