The Nibelungenlied
104
Then spake the mighty monarch: / " Be he right welcome here.
Keen is he and noble, / of fame known far and near.
So shall he be fair treated / in the land of Burgundy. "
Down then went King Gunther, / and Siegfried with his men found he.
105
The king and his knights with him / received so well the guest,
That the hearty greeting / did their good will attest.
Thereat in turn the stranger / in reverence bowed low,
That in their welcome to him / they did such courtesy bestow.
106
" To me it is a wonder, " / straightway spake the host,
" From whence, O noble Siegfried, / come to our land thou dost,
Or what here thou seekest / at Worms upon the Rhine. "
Him the stranger answered: / " Put thou away all doubts of thine.
107
" I oft have heard the tiding / within my sire's domain,
How at thy court resided / — and know this would I fain —
Knights, of all the keenest, / — 'tis often told me so —
That e'er a monarch boasted: / now come I hither this to know.
108
" Thyself have I heard also / high praised for knightly worth;
'Tis said a nobler monarch / ne'er lived in all the earth.
Thus speak of thee the people / in all the lands around.
Nor will I e'er give over / until in this the truth I've found.
109
" I too am warrior noble / and born to wear a crown;
So would I right gladly / that thou of me shouldst own
That I of right am master / o'er people and o'er land.
Of this shall now my honor / and eke my head as pledges stand.
110
" And art thou then so valiant / as hath to me been told,
I reck not, will he nill he / thy best warrior bold,
I'll wrest from thee in combat / whatever thou may'st have;
Thy lands and all thy castles / shall naught from change of masters save. "
111
The king was seized with wonder / and all his men beside,
To see the manner haughty / in which the knight replied
That he was fully minded / to take from him his land.
It chafed his thanes to hear it, / who soon in raging mood did stand.
112
" How could it be my fortune, " / Gunther the king outspoke,
" What my sire long ruled over / in honor for his folk,
Now to lose so basely / through any vaunter's might?
In sooth 'twere nobly showing / that we too merit name of knight! "
113
" Nowise will I give over, " / was the keen reply.
" If peace through thine own valor / thy land cannot enjoy,
To me shall all be subject: / if heritage of mine
Through thy arm's might thou winnest, / of right shall all hence-forth be thine.
114
" Thy land and all that mine is, / at stake shall equal lie.
Whiche'er of us be victor / when now our strength we try,
To him shall all be subject, / the folk and eke the land. "
But Hagen spake against it, / and Gernot too was quick at hand.
115
" Such purpose have we never, " / Gernot then said,
" For lands to combat ever, / that any warrior dead
Should lie in bloody battle. / We've mighty lands and strong;
Of right they call us master, / and better they to none belong. "
116
There stood full grim and moody / Gernot's friends around,
And there as well amongst them / was Ortwein to be found.
He spake: " This mild peace-making / doth grieve me sore at heart,
For by the doughty Siegfried / attacked all undeserved thou art.
117
" If thou and thy two brothers / yourselves to help had naught,
And if a mighty army / he too had hither brought,
I trow I'd soon be able / to make this man so keen
His manner now so haughty / of need replace by meeker mien. "
118
Thereat did rage full sorely / the hero of Netherland:
" Never shall be measured / 'gainst me in fight thy hand.
I am a mighty monarch, / thou a king's serving-knight;
Of such as thou a dozen / dare not withstand me in the fight. "
119
For swords then called in anger / of Metz Sir Ortwein:
Son of Hagen's sister / he was, of Tronje's line.
That Hagen so long was silent / did grieve the king to see.
Gernot made peace between them: / a gallant knight and keen was he.
120
Spake he thus to Ortwein: / " Curb now thy wrathful tongue,
For here the noble Siegfried / hath done us no such wrong;
We yet can end the quarrel / in peace, — such is my rede —
And live with him in friendship; / that were for us a worthier deed. "
121
Then spake the mighty Hagen: / " Sad things do I forebode
For all thy train of warriors, / that this knight ever rode
Unto the Rhine thus armed. / 'Twere best he stayed at home;
For from my masters never / to him such wrong as this had come. "
122
But outspake Siegfried proudly, / whose heart was ne'er dismayed:
" An't please thee not, Sir Hagen, / what I now have said,
This arm shall give example / whereby thou plain shall see
How stern anon its power / here in Burgundy will be. "
123
" Yet that myself will hinder, " / said then Gernot.
All his men forbade he / henceforth to say aught
With such unbridled spirit / to stir the stranger's ire.
Then Siegfried eke was mindful / of one most stately maid and fair.
Then spake the mighty monarch: / " Be he right welcome here.
Keen is he and noble, / of fame known far and near.
So shall he be fair treated / in the land of Burgundy. "
Down then went King Gunther, / and Siegfried with his men found he.
105
The king and his knights with him / received so well the guest,
That the hearty greeting / did their good will attest.
Thereat in turn the stranger / in reverence bowed low,
That in their welcome to him / they did such courtesy bestow.
106
" To me it is a wonder, " / straightway spake the host,
" From whence, O noble Siegfried, / come to our land thou dost,
Or what here thou seekest / at Worms upon the Rhine. "
Him the stranger answered: / " Put thou away all doubts of thine.
107
" I oft have heard the tiding / within my sire's domain,
How at thy court resided / — and know this would I fain —
Knights, of all the keenest, / — 'tis often told me so —
That e'er a monarch boasted: / now come I hither this to know.
108
" Thyself have I heard also / high praised for knightly worth;
'Tis said a nobler monarch / ne'er lived in all the earth.
Thus speak of thee the people / in all the lands around.
Nor will I e'er give over / until in this the truth I've found.
109
" I too am warrior noble / and born to wear a crown;
So would I right gladly / that thou of me shouldst own
That I of right am master / o'er people and o'er land.
Of this shall now my honor / and eke my head as pledges stand.
110
" And art thou then so valiant / as hath to me been told,
I reck not, will he nill he / thy best warrior bold,
I'll wrest from thee in combat / whatever thou may'st have;
Thy lands and all thy castles / shall naught from change of masters save. "
111
The king was seized with wonder / and all his men beside,
To see the manner haughty / in which the knight replied
That he was fully minded / to take from him his land.
It chafed his thanes to hear it, / who soon in raging mood did stand.
112
" How could it be my fortune, " / Gunther the king outspoke,
" What my sire long ruled over / in honor for his folk,
Now to lose so basely / through any vaunter's might?
In sooth 'twere nobly showing / that we too merit name of knight! "
113
" Nowise will I give over, " / was the keen reply.
" If peace through thine own valor / thy land cannot enjoy,
To me shall all be subject: / if heritage of mine
Through thy arm's might thou winnest, / of right shall all hence-forth be thine.
114
" Thy land and all that mine is, / at stake shall equal lie.
Whiche'er of us be victor / when now our strength we try,
To him shall all be subject, / the folk and eke the land. "
But Hagen spake against it, / and Gernot too was quick at hand.
115
" Such purpose have we never, " / Gernot then said,
" For lands to combat ever, / that any warrior dead
Should lie in bloody battle. / We've mighty lands and strong;
Of right they call us master, / and better they to none belong. "
116
There stood full grim and moody / Gernot's friends around,
And there as well amongst them / was Ortwein to be found.
He spake: " This mild peace-making / doth grieve me sore at heart,
For by the doughty Siegfried / attacked all undeserved thou art.
117
" If thou and thy two brothers / yourselves to help had naught,
And if a mighty army / he too had hither brought,
I trow I'd soon be able / to make this man so keen
His manner now so haughty / of need replace by meeker mien. "
118
Thereat did rage full sorely / the hero of Netherland:
" Never shall be measured / 'gainst me in fight thy hand.
I am a mighty monarch, / thou a king's serving-knight;
Of such as thou a dozen / dare not withstand me in the fight. "
119
For swords then called in anger / of Metz Sir Ortwein:
Son of Hagen's sister / he was, of Tronje's line.
That Hagen so long was silent / did grieve the king to see.
Gernot made peace between them: / a gallant knight and keen was he.
120
Spake he thus to Ortwein: / " Curb now thy wrathful tongue,
For here the noble Siegfried / hath done us no such wrong;
We yet can end the quarrel / in peace, — such is my rede —
And live with him in friendship; / that were for us a worthier deed. "
121
Then spake the mighty Hagen: / " Sad things do I forebode
For all thy train of warriors, / that this knight ever rode
Unto the Rhine thus armed. / 'Twere best he stayed at home;
For from my masters never / to him such wrong as this had come. "
122
But outspake Siegfried proudly, / whose heart was ne'er dismayed:
" An't please thee not, Sir Hagen, / what I now have said,
This arm shall give example / whereby thou plain shall see
How stern anon its power / here in Burgundy will be. "
123
" Yet that myself will hinder, " / said then Gernot.
All his men forbade he / henceforth to say aught
With such unbridled spirit / to stir the stranger's ire.
Then Siegfried eke was mindful / of one most stately maid and fair.
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