As has been pointed out by Menéndez Pidal, there are many versions of this ballad. Pidal's own recension opts for the most archaic, not the commonest, in the belief that the more primitive the language and technique, the closer the ballad is to its primal source. I had already finished translating another version when I read Pidal's. Out of respect for Pidal's acknowledged authority, I thought of scrapping my translation and starting afresh on a translation of the Pidal version. In the end, however, I considered I would gain little extra, in terms of poetry in English, by re-doing the whole ballad.

The ballad is based on the legendary love of Eginard, the secretary and chamberlain of Charlemagne, for the Emperor's daughter Emma.

The sword on the bed signifies the legal respect for virginity while at the same time being a threat and an accusation.