His wife and lovely daughter now most rightly thought
That never to their kingdom had gifts for them been brought,
That were so rare and costly, by sellers or by traders.
Horant and Wâ-te also in sending gifts to court were now the leaders.
Sixty silken garments, the best that e’er were sold,
Up to the shore were carried, and forty wrought with gold.
They would have prized but lightly cloths from Bagdad even;
Of linen suits a hundred, the best they had, now to the king were given.
Beside the handsome clothing, made of silken stuff,
Of richest inner garments they also gave enough;
There might perhaps be forty, or more, if reckoned fully;
Could ever man buy praises, they by their costly gifts had gained them truly.
Twelve Castilian horses, all saddled, were brought, I trow;
Also many breastplates, and well-made helmets, too,
Men were bidden to carry; twelve bucklers likewise bore they,
Rimmed with golden edges. Kind were Hagen’s guests; free givers were they.
Then, too, with gifts came riding Horant the brave and bold;
Irold the strong came with him; this to the king was told:
’Twas said to him, moreover, that those now thither faring
Of lands were the lords and owners. This might well be seen by the gifts they were bearing.
After these came riding four and twenty men
Whom they were thither leading, well-bred were they, I ween;
Such also was their clothing, they seemed as if well fitted,
And now in truth were coming, that very day to be by Hagen knighted.
Then unto King Hagen one of his friends thus spake:
“The gifts the men now bring you ’tis best you deign to take:
Never must you leave them unthanked for all their treasure.”
Hagen lacked not riches, but yet his thanks he gave them without measure.
He said: “I thank you kindly, as I of right should do.”
Then he bade that his stewards to see the gifts should go;
And also that the clothing, piece by piece, be shown them.
Glad were they to see them, and wondered greatly as they gazed upon them.
Then said one of the stewards: “Hear now the truth I tell:
Chests there are of silver, and filled with gold as well,
With many costly jewels, rich and kingly even:
Marks fully twenty thousand the goods are worth, which they to you have given.”
Then the king thus answered: “Blessings on my guests!
I now will share with others the riches in these chests.”
Then to his knights was given whate’er of these they wanted;
To every one among them all that he might wish by the king was granted.
The king now seated near him both the two young men—
Irold and also Horant; he began to ask them then,
“Whence to his kingdom sailing, they to come had striven?
Gifts so rich and worthy have ne’er before by guests to me been given.”
Then spake the knightly Horant: “This shall you know full well;
My lord, now hear us kindly while we our sorrows tell.
Outlawed wanderers are we, and from our homes were driven;
A king most rich and mighty, to wreak his anger, woe to us hath given.”
Then spake again wild Hagen: “What may be his name,
From whose rich kingdom driven, outcasts you became?
You of wealth are owners, and, if not by his wits forsaken,
To keep such worthy lieges within his land he would some pains have taken.”
He asked “Who them had outlawed, and what name he bore?
Of what misdoings guilty, had they to this far shore
Made their flight in sorrow, to ask the help of strangers?”
To him then answered Horant: “To you will we make known our woes and dangers.
“He bears the name of ‘Hettel, Lord of the Hegeling land’;
Brave and mighty is he, and sways with a heavy hand.
We of all our happiness have been robbed and plundered;
Of right are we embittered, since from our land and home we now are sundered.”
To him spoke Hagen kindly: “This to your good shall turn;
I will in full repay you the losses that you mourn.
If I make myself a beggar, by thus so freely giving,
Yet from the king of the Hegelings you need not ask for help while I am living.
“If you, good knights,” he added, “here with me will stay,
With you will I share right gladly the lands I own to-day;
Such guerdon by King Hettel ne’er to you was given.
The wealth from you he has taken, that give I you, and more by tenfold even.”
“To stay with you we are ready,” then said Horant the Dane,
“But we fear that when King Hettel shall learn that we were seen
Within the Irish borders, he will find a way to reach us;
And I am ever dreading that we can nowhere live, and this he’ll teach us.”
Then to the band of wanderers the lordly Hagen said:
“Do what now I bid you, and a home for you is made.
Never will King Hettel dare for your harm to seek you
Within my land and kingdom; it were a wrong to me from hence to take you.”
He bade they should be sheltered, at once, within his town;
Then to his men and lieges he made his wishes known,
That now unto the wanderers all honor should be granted.
The water-weary sailors soon found the rest that they so long had wanted.
Then the townsmen freely did the king’s behest;
To do it they were ready: houses, the very best,
Forty, or even over, were empty left, to be taken
By the Danish sailors; their homes, by the king’s good lieges were willingly forsaken.
Up on the beach were carried the wares, full many a pile,
That in the ships lay hidden. Their owners thought, the while,
That they would rather struggle with storms upon the water,
Than to seek their luck and welfare in wooing Hilda, Hagen’s lovely daughter.
Hagen bade his followers: “Now ask these guests of mine
If they will deign most kindly to eat my bread and wine,
Till they, within my kingdom, on lands they hold are living.”
The Danish Fru-te answered: “To take your food would shame to us be giving.”
“If erst the great King Hettel had been to us so good,
That he both gold and silver would give to us for food,
We in our houses had them, and might of them be wasteful;
We e’en could stay our hunger, and feed thereon, if this to us were tasteful.”
’Twas bidden then by Fru-te that his booth should be set up.
To see for sale such riches men ne’er again could hope.
Never within their borders did any trader offer
Fine goods at such a bargain; they easily were sold before the day was over.
All could buy who wished them, gold and jewels rare.
The king, by greatest kindness, was to his guests made dear.
If any, without buying, still these treasures wanted,
The traders were so friendly that they, as gifts, the goods to many granted.
Whate’er of Wâ-te or Fru-te was said
