In came Gudrun
with ghastly eyes,
darkly mantled,
dire of purpose.
‘Wake thou, woeful!
Wake from dreaming!’
In his breast the knife
she bitter drave it.
151
‘Grimhild’s daughter
ghastly-handed,
hounds should tear thee
and to hell send thee!
Stoned and branded
at the stake living
thou shouldst burn and wither
thou born of witch!’
152
Gudrun mocked him,
gasping left him.
‘The doom of burning
is dight for thee!
On pyre the corpse is,
prepared the faggot!
so Atli passeth
earth forsaking.’
153
Fires she kindled,
flames she brandished;
the house was roaring,
hounds were yelping.
Timbers crumbled,
trees and rafters;
there sank and died
slaves and maidens.
154
Smoke was swirling
over sleeping town,
light was lifted
over land and tree.
Women were weeping,
wolves were yammering,
hounds were howling
in the Hun-kingdom.
155
Thus Atli ended
earth forsaking,
to the Niflungs’ bane
the night was come;
of Volsung, Niflung,
of vows broken,
of woe and valour
are the words ended.
*
156
While world lasteth
shall the words linger,
while men are mindful
of the mighty days.
The woe of Gudrun
while world lasteth
till end of days
all shall hearken.
157
Her mind wavered,
her mood grew cold;
her heart withered
and hate sickened.
Life she hated,
yet life took not,
witless wandering
in the woods alone.
158
Over wan rivers,
over woods and forests,
over rocks she roamed
to the roaring sea.
In the waves she cast her,
the waves spurned her;
by the waves sitting
she woe bemoaned.
159
‘Of gold were the days,
gleaming silver,
silver gleaming
ere Sigurd came.
A maid was I then,
