The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun

where it is used of a stag. In Atlakvi?a the word used is hei?ingi, of similar meaning: see the commentary on the Lay of Gudrun, stanzas 37–48, where the verse in the Norse poem is cited.

II

This second text corresponds to verses much further on in Atlakvi?a, beginning at stanza 24, Hlo ?a Hogni... ‘Then Hogni laughed...’ The passage in the Lay of Gudrun is stanzas 127–130.

After line 19 my father evidently rejected a passage from his poem, since it is not repeated in the finished copy. The Old English poem takes up again, and concludes, with Atlakvi?a stanza 32, Lifanda gram..., ‘the living prince...’

?a hlog Hagena     ?e man heortan scear

of cwican cumbolwigan – cwanode lyt;

blodge on beode     to his bre?er g?f.

?a se gar-niflung     Gu?here spr?c:

‘Her is me heorte     Hagenan frecnan,

5

ungelic heortan     eargan Hellan;

bifa? heo lythwon     nu on beode li?,

efne swa lyt bifode     ?a on breoste l?g.

  Swa scealtu, ?tla,     ealdum ma?mum,

leohte life samod     beloren weor?an! ;

Her ?t anum me     is eal gelang

hord Niflunga,     nu Hagena ne leofa?:

a me twegra w?s     tweo on mode;

untweo is me,     nu ic ana beom.

Rin sceal r?dan     readum golde

15

wrohtweccendum,     wealcende flod

entiscum yrfe     Ealdniflunga;

blican on burnan     beagas wundene,

nealles on handum     Huna bearna!’

*

Leod lifigendne     on locan setton

20

Huna m?nigo.     Hringbogan snicon,

wyrmas gewri?ene     wagum on innan.

Slog ?a Gu?here     gramhycgende

hearpan on heolstre.     Hringde, dynede,

streng wi? fingre.     Stefn ut becwom

25

hea?otorht hlynnan     ?urh harne stan

feondum on andan.     Swa sceal folccyning

gold gu?frea     wi? gramum healdan.

Then Hagena laughed when they cut out the heart

from the living warrior – little did he wail;

on a dish, bleeding, to his brother they gave it.

Then spoke Gu?here, the spear-Niflung:

‘Here I have the heart of Hagena the brave,

5

unlike the heart of the craven Hella;

little does it quake now it lies on the dish,

even so little did it quake when it lay in the breast.

   So shall you, ?tla, be deprived

of the old treasures, of light and life together;