The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Nightingale, the Valkyrie and Raven, and Other Ballads

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The Nightingale, the Valkyrie and Raven, and Other Ballads

Translator: George Borrow

Editor: Thomas James Wise

Release date: October 7, 2008 [eBook #26834]

Language: English

Credits: Transcribed from the 1913 Thomas J. Wise pamphlet by David Price

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NIGHTINGALE, THE VALKYRIE AND RAVEN, AND OTHER BALLADS ***

Transcribed from the 1913 Thomas J. Wise pamphlet by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

THE NIGHTINGALE
THE VALKYRIE AND RAVEN
and other ballads

by
GEORGE BORROW

London:
printed for private circulation

1913

Copyright in the United States of America
by Houghton, Mifflin and Co. for Clement Shorter.

THE NIGHTINGALE, OR THE TRANSFORMED DAMSEL

I know where stands a Castellaye,
   Its turrets are so fairly gilt;
With silver are its gates inlaid,
   Its walls of marble stone are built.

Within it stands a linden tree,
   With lovely leaves its boughs are hung,
Therein doth dwell a nightingale,
   And sweetly moves that bird its tongue.

A gallant knight came riding by,
   He heard its dulcet ditty ring;
And sorely, sorely, wondered he
   At midnight hour that it should sing.

“And hear, thou little Nightingale,
   If thou to me wilt sing a lay,
Thy feathers I’ll with gold bedeck,
   Thy neck with costly pearls array.”

“With golden feathers others lure,
   Such gifts for me have value slight;
I am a strange and lonely bird,
   But little known to mortal wight.”

“And thou, a strange wild bird thou be,
   Whom other mortals little know;
Yet hunger pinches thee, and cold,
   When falls the cruel winter snow.”

“I laugh at hunger, laugh at snow,
   Which falls so wide on hill and lea;
But I am vexed by secret care,
   I know not either joy or glee.

“Betwixt the hills and valleys deep
   Away the rapid rivers flow;
But ah! remembrance of true love
   From out the mind will never go.

“O I had once a handsome love,
   A famous knight of valour he;
But ah! my step-dame all o’erturn’d,
   She vowed our marriage ne’er should be.

“She changed me to a Nightingale,
   Bade me around the world to fly;
My Brother she changed to a wolf so gray,
   Bade him into the forest hie.

“She told him, as the wood he sought,
   That he should win his shape no more,
’Till he had drunk her heart’s blood out,
   And that befell when years were o’er.

“It happened on a summer tide,
   Amidst the wood she wandered gay,
My brother saw and watched her close,
   From ’neath the bushes where he lay.

“He seized her quickly by the foot,
   All with his laidly wolfish claw;
Tore out her heart, and drank her blood,
   And thus released himself he saw.

“Yet I am still a little bird,
   And o’er the verdant meads I fly;
So sorrowful I pass my life,
   But mostly ’neath the winter’s sky.

“But God be thanked, he me has waked,
   And speech from him my tongue has won;
For fifteen years I have not spoke
   As I with thee, Sir Knight, have done.

“But ever with a mournful voice,
   Have sung the green wood bough upon;
And had no better dwelling place
   Than gloomy forests, sad and lone.”

“Now hear, thou little Nightingale,
   This simple thing would I propose,
In winter sit within my bower,
   And hie thee forth when summer blows.”

“O many thanks, thou handsome knight
   Thy offer would I accept full fane;
But ah, my step-dame that forbade
   Whilst still in feather I remain.”

The Nightingale sat musing deep,
   Unto the knight she paid no heed,
Until he seized her by the foot,
   For God I ween had so decreed.

He carried her to his chamber in,
   The doors and windows fast he made;
Then changed she to the strangest beasts
   That ever mortal eye survey’d.

A lion now, and now a bear,
   And now a coil of hissing snakes;
At last a Dragon she became,
   And furious she the knight attacks.

He cut her with a little knife,
   So that her blood did stain the floor;
Then straight before his eye there stood
   A Damsel bright as any flower.

“Now, Damsel fair, I’ve rescued thee
   From thraldom drear and secret care;
Now tell me of thy ancestry,
   Thy parents and thy race declare.”

“My father he was England’s King,
   My mother was his lovely Queen;
My brother once a grey wolf was,
   And trotted o’er the wold so green.”

“If England’s King thy father was,
   And thy dear mother England’s Queen,
Thou art my sister’s daughter then,
   Who long a Nightingale has been.”

O there was joy throughout the land,
   And all the court was filled with glee;
The Knight has caught the Nightingale,
   That dwelt within the linden tree.

THE VALKYRIE AND RAVEN

Ye men wearing bracelets
   Be mute whilst I sing
Of Harald the hero—
   High Norroway’s king;
I’ll duly declare
   A discourse which I heard,
Betwixt a bright maiden
   And black raven bird.

The Valkyrie’s vext
   No war-field to find;
The speech she knew well
   Of the wild feather’d kind,
And thus she bespake him
   Who bears the brown bill,
So proud as he perch’d on
   The peak of the hill.

“What do you here, ravens,
   And whence come ye, say,
Your heads turn’d direct to
   The dying sun’s ray?
Bits of flesh hold your claws—
   There’s blood flowing free
From your beaks, surely nigh
   Dead bodies there be.”

Then wiping his beak,
   Bloody red, on the rock,
The eagle’s sworn brother
   Thus answer’d and spoke:
“Harald we’ve follow’d,
   Of Halfdan the son,
Ever since from the egg
   That we egress have won.”

“Then ye know, bird, the king,
   Whose keep is in Kvine,
The young king—the Norse king—
   Whose keels cut the brine;
Red-rimm’d are his bucklers,
   Betarr’d are his oars—
His sails are all bleach’d
   With the sea-spray and showers.”

“Abroad will drink Yule,
   The young king, and will try
To wake up, O maiden,
   The wild game of Frey,
Of the warmth of the hearth
   He weary is grown;
He loathes the close chamber
   And cushions of down.

“Heard ye not the hard fight
   Near Hafirsfirth beach,
’Twixt the king of high kindred
   And Kotva the rich?
Sail’d ships from the East
   Prepared for war stern;
Their dragon heads gaped,
   Their gilded sides burn.

“They were fill’d with proud freemen
   Well furnish’d with shields,
And the very best weapons
   The western land yields;
Grimly the Baresarkers
   Grinn’d, biting steel,—
Howl’d the wolf-heathens
   War madness they feel.

“They moved ’gainst the monarch
   Whose might makes them pine,
’Gainst the king—the Norse king—
   Who keeps court at Utstein;
Flinch’d the king’s bark at first,
   For they ply’d her right well—
There was hammering on helmets
   Ere Haklangr fell.

“Left the land to the lad
   With the locks long and full,
Rich Kotva, the lord,
   Thick of neck, like the bull;
’Neath the thwarts themselves threw,
   They who’d wounds, in despair,
Their heads to the keel
   And their heels to the air.

“On their shoulders their shields,
   Such as Swafni’s roof form,
Flinging swift as a fence
   From the fierce stony storm;
The yeomen affrighted
   From Hafirsfirth speed,
And arrived at their homes
   They call hoarsely for mead.

“The slain strew the strand
   To the very great joy
Of ourselves and of Odin,
   The chief of one eye.”

Valkyrie.

“Of his wars and his prowess
   With wonder I’ve heard;
Now speak of his wives
   And his women, O bird!”

Raven.

“He had damsels from Holmygg
   And Hordaland, too;
And damsels from Hedemark
   Dainty of hue;
But he sent them with gifts
   To their countries again,
When he wedded Ranhilda
   The beautiful Dane.”

Valkyrie.

“I warrant he’s bounteous!
   And well doth reward
The warriors and gallants
   His kingdom who guard.”

Raven.

“O, yes, he is bounteous!
   And bravely they fare
Who in Harald’s dominions
   Hew food for the bear;
With coin he presents them,
   And keen polish’d glaives,
With mail from Hungaria
   And Osterland slaves.”

“O happy lives have they
   Who help him in war,
Can run to the mast-head
   Or manage the oar;
Make the row-locks to creak,
   And the row-bench to crack,
And in their lord’s service
   Are never found slack.”

Valkyrie.

“Of the Skalds now I’ll ask thee,
   The sons of the strain,
By whom deathless honor
   He hopes to obtain;
I doubt not, O Raven,
   That thou knowest well
The workers of verse
   Who at Harald’s court dwell.”

Raven.

“By their gallant array,
   By the armlets they bear
All of gold, you may learn
   To their lord they are dear;
Ruddy kirtles they have
   That are laced at the skirts,
Swords silver inlaid,
   And steely mail shirts:
All gilded their hilts,
   Their helmets all graven;
Gold rings on their hands.”

Valkyrie.

   “Now read me, O Raven,
Of the Baresarkers—how
   Do ye style them who wade
In blood ankle-deep
   By no danger dismay’d?”

Raven.

“Wolf-heathens they hight,
   To the thick of the fray
Ruddy shields who do bear,
   And with swords clear away;
None but those who know nought
   Of terror can stand
When stout and strong men
   Shiver buckler with brand.”

Valkyrie.

“Of jesting and game
   Our discourse shall be brief;
What does Andadr do,
   Harald’s jester in chief?”

Raven.

“Fun Andadr loves;
   He makes faces and sneers,
And the monarch doth laugh
   At the loon without ears.
There are others who bear
   Burning brands from the fire
Stick a torch ’neath their belt,
   Yet ne’er singe their attire;
Some that dance on their heels,
   Or that tumble and spring—
O ’tis gay in the hall
   Of high Harald the king!”

ERIK EMUN AND SIR PLOG

Early at morn the lark sang gay—
   (All underneath so green a hill)
Sir Carl by his bed put on his array—
   (The Danish King will ’venge his fill).

He drew on his shirt as white as milk,
Then his doublet foisted with verdant silk.

His legs in his buckskin boots he placed,
And around them his gilded spurs he braced.

His gilded spurs there around he braced,
And away to the Ting he rode in haste.

Sir Carl he galloped along the way,
Such wondrous things he proved that day.

Sir Carl he galloped up to the Ting,
The crowd before him scattering.

To warriors nine the Dane-king cries:
“Bind ye Sir Carl before my eyes.”

Up then amain the nine warriors rise,
They bound Sir Carl ’fore their sovereign’s eyes.

And out from the town Sir Carl they convey’d,
And upon a new wheel his body laid.

To Sir Plog then quickly a messenger came:
“The Dane-king has broken thy brother’s frame.”

Sir Plog he sprang o’er the wide, wide board,
But returned in answer no single word.

In his buckskin boots his shanks he cased
And around his gilded spurs he braced.

His gilded spurs there around he tied,
And away to the Ting the noble hied.

And fast and furious was his course,
So leapt and bounded his gallant horse.

Up, up to the Ting Sir Plog he goes,
And up to receive him the Dane-king rose.

“If I had been earlier here to-day,
Then things had turned out in a better way.

“My brother is wheeled though he did no wrong,
That deed, Dane-king, thou shalt rue ere long.

“If four hours sooner I had but come,
My brother, for certain, had followed me home.

“Deprived of his life doth my brother lie,
Dane-king, thou hast lost thine honour thereby.”

The Dane-king so fitting an answer returned:
“Thy brother full richly his death had earned.

“When the great with sword can oppress the mean
The law is not worth a rotten bean.”

“My brother, Sir King, was good and bold,
I could have redeemed him with silver and gold.”

“Thy silver and gold I hold at nought,
The law shall have the course it ought.

“And since thou so long on this matter doth prate,
Thou shalt suffer the very same fate.”

To warriors nine the Dane-king cries:
“Bind ye Sir Plog before my eyes.”

“If a truly brave man, Dane-king, thou be,
Do thou thyself bind and fetter me.”

The King off his hands the little gloves took,
Sir Plog his spear with vehemence shook.

He first slew four, then five he slew,
And the Dane-king himself with his warriors true.

When all the King’s men he dead had laid,
His gallant brother he home convey’d.

To Ribe the royal corse they bear,
Where it rests ’neath a tomb of marble fair.

But Sir Plog he went to a foreign shore,
No word they heard of him evermore.

THE ELVES

Take heed, good people, of yourselves;
And oh! beware ye of the elves.

Once a peasant young and gay
Was in his meadow cutting hay,
There came a lovely looking lass
From out the neighbouring morass.
The lass he woo’d, her promise won,
And soon the bridal day came on.
But when the pair had got to bed,
The bridegroom found, with fear and dread,
That he a rough oak stump embrac’d,
Instead of woman’s lovely waist.
Then, to increase his fear and wonder,
There sang a voice his window under:

“Come out to her whom thou didst wed,
Upon my mead the bed is spread.”
From that wild lay the peasant knew
He with a fay had had to do.

Take heed, good people, of yourselves;
And oh! beware ye of the elves.

FERIDUN

No face of an Angel could Feridun claim,
Nor of musk nor of amber I ween was his frame;
In bright generosity beauteous was he,
Be generous like him and as fair thou shalt be.

EPIGRAMS

1.

A worthless thing is song, I trow,
From out the heart which does not flow;
But song from out no heart will flow
Which does not feel of love the glow.

2.

Though pedants have essayed to hammer
Into our heads the points of grammar;
We’re oft obliged to set at nought
The different force of should and ought;
And oft are sorely puzzled whether
We should make use of both or either.

3.

When of yourself you have cause to speak
Always make yourself broad and tall;
Envy attacks you if you are great,
But thorough contempt attends the small.

* * * * *

London:
Printed for THOMAS J. WISE, Hampstead, N.W.

Edition limited to Thirty Copies.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NIGHTINGALE, THE VALKYRIE AND RAVEN, AND OTHER BALLADS ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.