Читать книгу The Nibelungenlied - Anonymous - Страница 23

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How Siegfried fought with the Saxons

139

Now come wondrous tidings / to King Gunther's land,

By messengers brought hither / from far upon command

Of knights unknown who harbored / against him secret hate.

When there was heard the story, / at heart in sooth the grief was great.

140

Of these I now will tell you: / There was King Luedeger

From out the land of Saxons, / a mighty warrior,

And eke from land of Denmark / Luedegast the king:

Whene'er they rode to battle / went they with mighty following.

141

Come were now their messengers / to the land of Burgundy,

Sent forth by these foemen / in proud hostility.

Then asked they of the strangers / what tidings they did bring:

And when they heard it, straightway / led them to court before the king.

142

Then spake to them King Gunther: / "A welcome, on my word.

Who 'tis that send you hither, / that have I not yet heard:

Now shall ye let me know it," / spake the monarch keen.

Then dreaded they full sorely / to see King Gunther's angry mien.

143

"Wilt them, O king, permit us / the tidings straight to tell

That we now have brought thee, / no whit will we conceal,

But name thee both our masters / who us have hither sent:

Luedegast and Luedeger, /—to waste thy land is their intent.

144

"Their hate hast thou incurréd, / and thou shalt know in sooth

That high enraged against thee / are the monarchs both.

Their hosts they will lead hither / to Worms upon the Rhine;

They're helped by thanes full many—/ of this put off all doubts of thine.

145

"Within weeks a dozen / their march will they begin;

And if thy friends be valiant, / let that full quick be seen,

To help thee keep in safety / thy castles and thy land:

Full many a shield and helmet / shall here be cleft by warrior's hand.

146

"Or wilt thou with them parley, / so let it quick be known,

Before their hosts so mighty / of warlike men come down

To Worms upon Rhine river / sad havoc here to make,

Whereby must death most certain / many a gallant knight o'ertake."

147

"Bide ye now the meanwhile," / the king did answer kind,

"Till I take better counsel; / then shall ye know my mind.

Have I yet warriors faithful, / from these I'll naught conceal,

But to my friends I'll straightway / these warlike tidings strange reveal."

148

The lordly Gunther wondered / thereat and troubled sore,

As he the message pondered / in heart and brooded o'er.

He sent to fetch grim Hagen / and others of his men,

And bade likewise in hurry / to court bring hither Gernot then.

149

Thus at his word his trusted / advisers straight attend.

He spake: "Our land to harry / foes all unknown will send

Of men a mighty army; / a grievous wrong is this.

Small cause have we e'er given / that they should wish us aught amiss."

150

"Our swords ward such things from us," / Gernot then said;

"Since but the fated dieth, / so let all such lie dead.

Wherefore I'll e'er remember / what honor asks of me:

Whoe'er hath hate against us / shall ever here right welcome be."

151

Then spake the doughty Hagen: / "Methinks 'twould scarce be good;

Luedegast and Luedeger / are men of wrathful mood.

Help can we never summon, / the days are now so few."

So spake the keen old warrior, / "'Twere well Siegfried the tidings knew."

152

The messengers in the borough / were harbored well the while,

And though their sight was hateful, / in hospitable style

As his own guests to tend them / King Gunther gave command,

Till 'mongst his friends he learnéd / who by him in his need would stand.

153

The king was filled with sorrow / and his heart was sad.

Then saw his mournful visage / a knight to help full glad,

Who could not well imagine / what 'twas that grieved him so.

Then begged he of King Gunther / the tale of this his grief to know.

154

"To me it is great wonder," / said Siegfried to the king,

"How thou of late hast changéd / to silent sorrowing

The joyous ways that ever / with us thy wont have been."

Then unto him gave answer / Gunther the full stately thane:

155

"'Tis not to every person / I can the burden say

That ever now in secret / upon my heart doth weigh:

To well-tried friends and steady / are told our inmost woes."

—Siegfried at first was pallid, / but soon his blood like fire up-rose.

156

He spake unto the monarch: / "To thee I've naught denied.

All ills that now do threaten / I'll help to turn aside.

And if but friends thou seekest, / of them the first I'll be,

And trow I well with honor / till death to serve thee faithfully."

157

"God speed thee well, Sir Siegfried, / for this thy purpose fair:

And though such help in earnest / thy arm should render ne'er,

Yet do I joy at hearing / thou art so true to me.

And live I yet a season, / right heartily repaid 'twill be.

158

"Know will I also let thee / wherefore I sorrowing stand.

Through messengers from my foemen / have tidings reached my land

That they with hosts of warriors / will ride my country o'er;

Such thing to us did never / thanes of any land before."

159

"Small cause is that for grieving," / said then Siegfried;

"But calm thy troubled spirit / and hearken to my rede:

Let me for thee acquire / honor and vantage too,

And bid thou now assemble / for service eke thy warriors true.

160

"And had thy mighty enemies / to help them now at hand

Good thanes full thirty thousand, / against them all I'd stand,

Had I but one good thousand: / put all thy trust in me."

Then answered him King Gunther: / "Thy help shall full requited be."

161

"Then bid for me to summon / a thousand of thy men,

Since I now have with me / of all my knightly train

None but twelve knights only; / then will I guard thy land.

For thee shall service faithful / be done alway by Siegfried's hand.

162

"Herein shall help us Hagen / and eke Ortwein,

Dankwart and Sindold, / those trusted knights of thine;

And with us too shall journey / Volker, the valiant man;

The banner he shall carry: / bestow it better ne'er I can.

163

"Back to their native country / the messengers may go;

They'll see us there right quickly, / let them full surely know,

So that all our castles / peace undisturbed shall have."

Then bade the king to summon / his friends with all their warriors brave.

164

To court returned the heralds / King Luedeger had sent,

And on their journey homeward / full joyfully they went.

King Gunther gave them presents / that costly were and good,

And granted them safe convoy; / whereat they were of merry mood.

165

"Tell ye my foes," spake Gunther, / "when to your land ye come,

Than making journeys hither / they better were at home;

But if they still be eager / to make such visit here,

Unless my friends forsake me, / cold in sooth shall be their cheer."

166

Then for the messengers / rich presents forth they bore,

Whereof in sooth to give them / Gunther had goodly store:

And they durst not refuse them / whom Luedeger had sent.

Leave then they took immediate, / and homeward joyfully they went.

167

When to their native Denmark / the messengers returned,

And the king Luedegast / the answer too had learned,

They at the Rhine had sent him, /—when that to him was told,

His wrath was all unbounded / to have reply in words so bold.

168

'Twas said their warriors numbered / many a man full keen:

"There likewise among them / with Gunther have we seen

Of Netherland a hero, / the same that Siegfried hight."

King Luedegast was grievéd, / when he their words had heard aright.

169

When throughout all Denmark / the tidings quick spread o'er,

Then in hot haste they summoned / helpers all the more,

So that King Luedegast, / 'twixt friends from far and near,

Had knights full twenty thousand / all furnished well with shield and spear.

170

Then too his men did summon / of Saxony Luedeger,

Till they good forty thousand, / and more, had gathered there,

With whom to make the journey / 'gainst the land of Burgundy.

—At home likewise the meanwhile / King Gunther had sent forth decree

171

Mighty men to summon / of his own and brothers twain,

Who against the foemen / would join the armed train.

In haste they made them ready, / for right good cause they had.

Amongst them must thereafter / full many a noble thane lie dead.

172

To march they quick made ready. / And when they thence would fare,

The banner to the valiant / Volker was given to bear,

As they began the journey / from Worms across the Rhine;

Strong of arm grim Hagen / was chosen leader of the line.

173

With them there rode Sindold / and eke the keen Hunold

Who oft at hands of Gunther / had won rewards of gold;

Dankwart, Hagen's brother, / and Ortwein beside,

Who all could well with honor / in train of noble warriors ride.

174

"King Gunther," spake then Siegfried, / "stay thou here at home;

Since now thy knights so gallant / with me will gladly come,

Rest thou here with fair ladies, / and be of merry mood:

I trow we'll keep in safety / thy land and honor as we should.

175

"And well will I see to it / that they at home remain,

Who fain would ride against thee / to Worms upon the Rhine.

Against them straight we'll journey / into their land so far

That they'll be meeker minded / who now such haughty vaunters are."

176

Then from the Rhine through Hesse / the hosts of knights rode on

Toward the land of Saxons, / where battle was anon.

With fire and sword they harried / and laid the country waste,

So that both the monarchs / full well the woes of war did taste.

177

When came they to the border / the train-men onward pressed.

With thought of battle-order / Siegfried the thanes addressed:

"Who now shall guard our followers / from danger in the rear?"

In sooth like this the Saxons / in battle worsted never were.

178

Then said they: "On the journey / the men shall guarded be

By the valiant Dankwart, /—a warrior swift is he;

So shall we lose the fewer / by men of Luedeger.

Let him and Ortwein with him / be chosen now to guard the rear."

179

Spake then the valiant Siegfried: / "Myself will now ride on,

And against our enemies / will keep watch in the van,

Till I aright discover / where they perchance may be."

The son of fair Queen Siegelind / did arm him then immediately.

180

The folk he left to Hagen / when ready to depart,

And as well to Gernot, / a man of dauntless heart.

Into the land of Saxons / alone he rode away,

And by his hand was severed / many a helmet's band that day.

181

He found a mighty army / that lay athwart the plain,

Small part of which outnumbered / all those in his own train:

Full forty thousand were they / or more good men of might.

The hero high in spirit / saw right joyfully the sight.

182

Then had eke a warrior / from out the enemy

To guard the van gone forward, / all arméd cap-a-pie.

Him saw the noble Siegfried, / and he the valiant man;

Each one straight the other / to view with angry mien began.

183

Who he was I'll tell you / that rode his men before,

—A shield of gold all shining / upon his arm he bore—

In sooth it was King Luedegast / who there the van did guard.

Straightway the noble Siegfried / full eagerly against him spurred.

184

Now singled out for combat / him, too, had Luedegast.

Then full upon each other / they spurred their chargers fast,

As on their shields they lowered / their lances firm and tight,

Whereat the lordly monarch / soon found himself in sorry plight.

185

After the shock their chargers / bore the knights so fast

Onward past each other / as flew they on the blast.

Then turned they deftly backward / obedient to the rein,

As with their swords contested / the grim and doughty fighters twain.

186

When Siegfried struck in anger / far off was heard the blow,

And flew from off the helmet, / as if 'twere all aglow,

The fiery sparks all crackling / beneath his hand around.

Each warrior in the other / a foeman worth his mettle found.

187

Full many a stroke with vigor / dealt eke King Luedegast,

And on each other's buckler / the blows fell thick and fast.

Then thirty men discovered / their master's sorry plight:

But ere they came to help him / had doughty Siegfried won the fight.