1087
“Come back with us, if only it were for your child’s sake:
You surely will not, lady, the babe an orphan make.
When once your son a man is he’ll comfort your sad mood;
Meanwhile you’ll have the service of many heroes good.”
1088
She spake: “Sir Siegmund, truly I cannot with you ride.
Whate’er may happen to me here must I still abide
Among my friends and kinsfolk, and mourn with me they will.”
The good knights at this answer began to take it ill.
1089
With one accord they answer’d: “Then must we fain confess
That for the first time, truly, our hearts knew bitterness,
Since you indeed are willing here with our foes to bide:
On such a grievous journey did heroes never ride.”
1090
Said she: “Ye may, God-speeding, without foreboding fare:
Safe-conduct shall be given— of that I’ll have a care—
From here to Siegmund’s country. As for my darling child,
Unto ye knights I trust him, and to your mercies mild!”
1091
When they were well persuaded that thence she would not go,
The lieges all of Siegmund did weep for very woe.
How full of bitter sorrow was Siegmund when his leave
He took of dame Kriemhilda! Then knew he how to grieve.
1092
“Woe be on these great doings,” the noble king quoth he:
“An ending worse of pleasure there ne’er again can be
To king or to his kinsfolk, than this to us has been.
No more shall we henceforward in Burgundy be seen.”
1093
Then loud, that all might hear them, the men of Siegfried spake:
“Yet once again the journey may we to this land make,
When we shall have discover’d who laid our master low.
They’ll have among his kinsfolk stout enemies enow!”
1094
And so he kiss’d Kriemhilda; and mournfully did say,
Whenas he saw for certain she had a mind to stay:
“Now will we unrejoicing go home unto our land.
My sorrow for the first time now do I understand.”
1095
From Worms without an escort unto the Rhine they rode;
Well might they, notwithstanding, be confident of mood,
That if they should of foemen an onset have to ward,
The hands of stalwart Niblungs would serve them for a guard.
1096
Leave did they take of no man ere they set forth to ride.
But Giselher and Gernot were presently espied
All kindly coming t’wards him: his sorrow made them grieve,
As soon these gallant heroes did bring him to believe.
1097
For then the princely Gernot right courteously said:
“Be God in Heaven my witness! that Siegfried now is dead
Is through no fault on my part, nor have I heard men tell
Who wish’d him any evil: so can I mourn him well.”
1098
Then had they a safe-conduct at Giselher’s own hand:
And carefully he led them in time, from out the land.
The king and all his warriors to Netherland got home.
How little could their kindred rejoice to see them come!
1099
And what befell them after I cannot rightly say.
And still one heard Kriemhilda bewailing day by day
That none could give her comfort, in either heart or mood,
But Giselher, who only was true to her and good.
1100
The beauteous Brunhilda still arrogantly sat:
Howe’er Kriemhilda fretted she took no thought for that,
And never more in goodwill did turn to her again.
Erelong the dame Kriemhilda did wring her heart with pain.
Adventure XIX
How the Nibelung Hoard Was Brought to Worms
1101
Now when the noble Kriemhild a widow thus was made
Count Eckewart was with her, and in the land he stay’d
With all his men, and daily he served her without fail,
And helped his lady often his master to bewail.
1102
At Worms, hard by the minster, they built for her a hall:
’Twas very wide and lofty, and richly deck’d withal.
There, with her own attendants, all joylessly sat she.
She loved the church’s service and went there willingly.
1103
From where her love lay buried, she seldom was away;
With sorrow-laden spirit she went there every day.
She prayed to God Almighty to keep his soul aright.
And faithfully and often bewailéd was the knight.
1104
Uté and all her women to cheer her aye were fain;
Yet was the heart within her so sorely smit with pain,
However they might comfort she took not any heed.
She had for her belovéd such all-surpassing need,
1105
As for a well-loved husband no other wife ere found.
Thus might one see how virtues in her did much abound.
Unto her end she mourn’d him, as long as she had life,
And soon a mighty vengeance took valiant Siegfried’s wife!
1106
So after all this sorrow— ’tis truth—she did abide
Until the fourth year’s halving from when her husband died;
Nor all this time ’twixt Gunther and her did speech arise,
Nor did she once on Hagen, her enemy, set eyes.
1107
Then Hagen spake, of Tronjé: “Could you not so contrive
That you might with your sister in friendly fashion live?
That so unto this country might come the Niblung gold:
If but the queen were friendly, your gain were manifold.”
1108
He said: “We must attempt it; my brothers are with her;
We’ll beg them so to urge her that she be friendlier,
Until at last prevail we that she thereto agree.”
Quoth Hagen: “I misdoubt me that that will ever be.”
1109
He presently bade Ortwein unto her court to go
Likewise the margrave Gere: and both of them did so.
And Giselher the youthful and Gernot, too, they brought,
Who straightway Dame Kriemhilda in friendly wise besought.
1110
To her the valiant Gernot of Burgundy then said:
“Too long hast thou, O Lady, bewail’d thy Siegfried dead!
The king to you will swear that by him he was not slain.
Still day by day one hears thee so bitterly complain.”
1111
Said she: “None doth accuse him: ’twas Hagen’s hand that slew;
And where he might be stricken from me alone he knew.
How could I have believed that such hate to him he bore?
More care would I have taken”— the Queen said furthermore—
1112
“Ere any word of mine had his noble life betray’d:
Then little cause for weeping should I, poor wife, have had.
No more can I have kindness for those who this have done.”
Then Giselher besought her, the brave and comely one.
1113
“To greet the king I’m willing,” she did at last declare:
With his best friends before her one saw him soon appear.
But Hagen durst at no time within her presence go
His guiltiness well knew he; ’twas he who wrought her woe.
1114
Since she her hate to Gunther was willing to forswear,
’Twould better have beseem’d him to kiss her then and there.
Were’t not that by his counsel her sorrows had been made,
He might have met Kriemhilda with boldness undismay’d.
1115
Ne’er was a reconcilement, when friend by friend was met,
More tearfully accomplish’d: her sorrow rankled yet.
Save only one amongst them, she pardon’d every one:
He ne’er were slain, if Hagen the murder had not done.
1116
Not very long thereafter they brought it so about
That unto dame Kriemhilda the mighty hoard came out
Of Niblung-land,
