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King Theodric was with Atli, and had there lost the
greater number of his men. Theodric and Gudrun mutually bewailed their
afflictions. She related to him and said:
1. A maid above all maids I was; my mother reared me
Bright in her bower; my brothers I much loved,
Until me Giuki, with gold adorned,
With gold adorned, to Sigurd gave.
2. Such was Sigurd above Giuki's sons,
As the green leek is, springing from the grass,
Or the high-limbed hart above the savage beasts,
Or gleed-red
gold above grey silver.
3. Until my brothers the possession grudged me
Of a consort to all superior.
They could not sleep, nor on affairs deliberate,
Before they Sigurd had caused to die.
4. Grani to the assembly ran, his tramp was to be heard;
But Sigurd then himself came not.
All the saddle-beasts were splashed with blood,
And with sweating faint, from the murderers.
5. Weeping I went to talk to Grani,
With humid cheeks, I prayed the steed to tell:
Then Grani shuddered, in the grass bowed down his
head.
The steed knew that his master was no more.
6. Long I wandered, long was my mind distracted,
Ere of the people's guardian I inquired for my king.
7. Gunnar hung his head, but Hogni told me
Of Sigurd's cruel death.
"Beyond the river slaughtered lies
Guthorm's murderer, and to the wolves given.
8. Yonder behold Sigurd, towards the south,
There thou wilt hear the ravens croak,
The eagles scream, in their feast exulting;
The wolves howling round thy consort."
9. "Why wilt thou, Hogni!
To a joyless being such miseries recount?
May thy heart by ravens be torn and scattered over the
wide world,
Rather than thou shouldst walk with men."
10. Hogni answered, for once cast down,
From his cheerful mood by intense trouble:
"Gudrun! thou wouldst have greater cause to weep,
If the ravens should tear my heart."
11. Alone I turned from that interview
To the wolves' scattered leavings.
No sigh I uttered, nor with my hands beat,
Nor wailed, as other women,
When I heartbroken sat by Sigurd.
12. Night seemed to me of blackest darkness,
When I sorrowing sat by Sigurd.
Better by
far it seemed to me
Had the wolves taken my life,
Or I had been burnt as a birchen tree.
13. From the fell I journeyed five long days and nights,
Until the lofty hall of Half I recognized.
Seven half-years I with Thora stayed,
Hakon's daughter, in Denmark.
14. She for my solace wrought in gold
Southern halls, and Danish swans.
15. We had in pictures the game of warriors,
And in handiworks a prince's nobles;
Red shields, Hunnish heroes,
A sworded host, a helmed host, a prince's following.
16. Sigmund's ships from the land sailing,
With gilded heads, and carved prows.
We on our canvas wrought how
Sigar and Siggeir both contended southward in Fyen.
17. When Grimhild, the Gothic woman,
Heard how greatly I was afflicted,
She cast aside her needle-work, and her sons called
Oft and earnestly, that she might know,
Who for her son would their sister compensate,
Or for her consort slain the blood-fine pay?
18. Gunnar was ready gold to offer,
For the injuries to atone, and Hogni also.
She then inquired who would go
The steeds to saddle, the chariot to drive,
On horseback ride, the hawk let fly,
Arrows shoot from the yew bow?
19. Valdar and the Danes with Jarizleif,
Eymod the third with Jarizkar,
Then entered, to princes like.
Red mantles had the Langbard's men,
Corslets ornamented, towering helms;
Girded they were with falchions, brown were their
locks.
20. For me each one would choose precious gifts,
Precious gifts, and to my heart would speak,
If for my many woes they might
Gain my confidence, and I would in them trust.
21. Grimhild to me brought a potion to drink
Cold and bitter, that I my injuries might forget;
It was mingled with Urd's power,
With cold
sea-water, and with Son's blood.
22. In that horn were characters of every kind
Graven and red-hued; nor could I comprehend them:
The long lyng-fish2 of the Haddings' land,
An uncut ear of corn: the wild-beasts' entrance.
23. In that potion were many ills together,
An herb from every wood, and the acorn,
The fire-stead's dew,3 entrails of offerings,
Swine's liver seethed; for that deadens strife.
24. And then I forgot, when I had taken it,
All the king's words in the hall spoken.
There to my feet three kings came,
Before she herself sought to speak with me.
25. "Gudrun! I will give thee gold to possess,
Of all the riches much of thy dead father;
Rings of red gold, Hlodver's halls,
All the hangings left by the fallen king.
26. Hunnish maids, those who weave tapestry,
And in bright gold work, so that it may delight thee.
Over Budli's wealth thou alone shalt rule,
Adorned with gold, and given to Atli."
27. "I will not have any man,
Nor Brynhild's brother marry:
It beseems me not with Budli's son
To increase a race, or life enjoy."
28. "Take care not to pay the chiefs with hate;
For 'tis we who have been the aggressors:
So shouldst thou act as if yet lived
Sigurd and Sigmund, if sons thou bearest."
29. "Grimhild! I cannot in mirth indulge,
Nor, for my hero's sake, cherish a hope,
Since the bloodthirsty [wolf and] raven have together
Cruelly drunk my Sigurd's heart's blood."
30. "Him4 of all I have found to
be a king of noblest race,
And in much most excellent:
Him shalt thou have until age lays thee low,
Or mateless be, if him thou wilt not take."
31. "Cease to offer that cup of ills
So pertinaciously, that race to me:
He will Gunnar's destruction perpetrate,
And will cut out Hogni's heart.
I will not cease until the exulting
Strife-exciter's life I shall have taken."
32. Weeping Grimhild caught the words,
By which to her sons Gudrun foreboded evil,
And to her kindred dire misfortunes.
"Lands I will also give thee, people and
followers,
Vinbiorg and Valbiorg, if thou wilt accept them;
For life possess them, and be happy, daughter!"
33. "Him then I will choose among the kings,
And from my relatives reluctantly receive him.
Never will he be to me a welcome consort,
Nor my brothers' bale a protection to our sons."
34. Forthwith on horseback was each warrior to be seen;
But the Walish women were in chariots placed.
For seven days o'er a cold land we rode;
But the second seven, we beat the waves;
And the third seven, we reached dry land.
35. There the gate-wards of the lofty burgh
The latticed entrance opened, ere the court we
entered.
36. Atli waked me, but I seemed to be
Full of evil thoughts, for my kinsmen's death.
[Atli speaks]
37. "So me just now have the Norns waked,—
A grateful interpretation I fain would have.
Methought that thou, Gudrun! Giuki's daughter!
With a treacherous sword didst pierce me
through."
[Gudrun answers]
38. "Fire it forebodes, when one of iron dreams,
Arrogance and pleasure, a woman's anger.
Against evil I will go burn thee, cure and medicate
thee,
Although to me thou art hateful."
[Atli speaks]
39. "Seemed to me here in the garden that young
shoots had fallen,
Which I wished to let grow:
Torn up with their roots, reddened with blood,
To table
they were brought, and offered me to eat.
40. "Seemed to me that hawks flew from my hand,
Lacking their quarry, to the house of woes;
Seemed to me I ate their hearts with honey
Swollen with blood, with sorrowing mind.
41. "Seemed to me from my hand whelps I let slip;
Lacking cause of joy, both of them howled:
Seemed to me their bodies became dead carcases:
Of the carrion I was compelled to eat."
[Gudrun answers]
42. "There will warriors round thy couch converse,
And of the white-locked ones take off the head;
Death-doomed they are within a few nights, a little
ere day:
Thy court will eat of them."
[Atli speaks]
43. "Lie down I would not, nor sleep after,
Obstinate in
my fate—That I will execute!"
1 By Benjamin Thorpe
(1782-1870), 1866.
2 That is the long fish of the heath, or
Ung, a snake or serpent.
3 Soot.
4 Atli: Grimhild speaks.
