1.
It was early when Siguršr
sought Gjuki
the young Volsung,
who had done battle:
took in the troth
of two brothers,
the deed-bold gave
each other oaths.2.
They gave him the maiden
and many treasures,
young Gušrun,
Gjuki's daughter;
drank and deemed
many days together,
young Siguršr
and Gjuki's sons.3.
At last they fared to ask for Brynhildr,
so that Siguršr rode with them,
the young Volsungr, who knew how to do battle,
he would have had her for himself if he had been allowed to have her!4.
The southern warrior laid naked sword,
inlaid blade, between them,
he did not kiss the woman,
nor did the Hunnish king have her in arm:
he gave the freshly-young maid over to Gjuki's kinsman.5.
She never knew suffering in her life,
and no harm laid in her life-age,
ill which might be or were thought
- grim wyrds came between them!6.
She sat out alone in the day's evening,
she took to speaking out so clearly:
"I shall hold Siguršr, the freshly-young warrior,
in my arm, or else die!7.
"I spoke a word - I shale rue it after this:
his wife is Gušrun, and I Gunnar's -
ugly norns shaped defiant longing for us!"8.
She often went in, filled with ill,
with ice and glacial ice, every evening,
when Gušrun went to bed,
and Siguršr embraced her in the bedcover,
the Hunnish king loved his wife.9.
"Expectation of both happiness and husband went from me,
I must make my joy from a grim soul!"10.
From that hate she took to whetting herself for battle:
"You shall, Gunnarr, leave
my lands and myself -
I shall not love any among athelings!11.
"Then I shall fare there where I was before,
with the near descendants of my kin:
there shall I sit and sleep through life,
unless you let Siguršr die,
and the boar becomes better than others!12.
"We shall let the son fare with his father!
the young wolf shall not be fostered long!
to whom among men becomes revenge lighter
at settlements afterwards when the son lives?"13.
Gunnar became sad and hung his head,
drew soul around him, sat the whole day;
he altogether did not know
what were most seemly for him to win,
or were best for him to win,
to be deprived altogether of the Volsung,
and having sworn greatly to Siguršr.14.
He considered various things ever so long a time,
it had never happened before,
that a woman went from a king's power.
He called Hogni to speak of secrets
- there he had all his full trust -15.
"Brynhildr alone is better to me than all,
Bušli's bairn, she is the best of women;
first I should leave my life,
(rather) than part from that maid's treasures!16.
"Do you wish that we should betray the folk-leader for wealth?
Good is it to rule the Rhine's gold
and enjoying, possess the wealth
and sitting, delight in the blessing."17.
Hogni made one answer to that:
"It is not seemly for us to win thus,
to break sworn oaths with sword,
sworn oaths, trusts won!18.
"We two do not know more blessed men on earth,
while we four rule the folk,
and the Hunnish army-Baldr lives,
nor a mightier kinsmin on the earth,
if we long foster five sons,
our good kin might grow no greater!19.
"I know fully from where these paths come:
they are Brynhildr's over-mighty desire!"20.
"We two shall ready Guthormr for battle,
young, unwise brother!
he was outside of the sworn oaths,
sworn oaths, trusts won!"21.
Easy was it to egg on the one uninclined to delay:
a blade stood in Siguršr's heart.22.
The battle-eager rose to revenge in the hall
and cast after the one uninclined to delay:
Gramr flew strongly towards Guthormr
wonderfully bright iron, from the king's hand.23.
The foe fell down in two parts:
hands and head fell in one direction,
but the foot-part fell back in the stead.24.
Gušrun was sleeping in bed,
sorrowless, beside Siguršr,
but she wakened deprived of joy
when she bathed in the blood of Freyr's friend.25.
She wrung her hands so hard,
that the mighty-souled rose up by the bed.
"Weep not so grimly, Gušrun,
freshly-young bride - your brothers live!26.
"I have a young heir,
he cannot get far out of the foes' garth;
they who have (done) fatefully and unhappily
yet swiftly and recently took rede;27.
never, though you nourish seven, will ride
such sister's sons with them to the Thing.
I know wholly who came against me now:
Brynhildr alone ruled all bale!28.
"The maid loved me before any man -
but I never did ill to Gunnarr;
I kept sworn oaths to siblings,
otherwise I would have been called his woman's friend."29.
Life-breath flew from the woman, but life from the king:
she wrung her hands so hard,
that the cups spoke from it in the cupboard,
and the geese cried out at it in the dwelling.30.
Brynhildr, Bušli's daughter, laughed then,
a single time from all her soul,
when she, on (her) bed, was able to hear
the resounding weeping of Gjuki's daughter.31.
This spoke then Gunnarr, the young king:
"Hate-eager woman, at this you do not laugh
as gladly in your chamber as if you knew something good!
Why have you such a white appearance,
foster-mother of destruction? I think that you are fey!32.
"You would be most worthy of this, woman:
that Atli were hewed down before your eyes,
you saw your brother with bloody wounds,
bloody wounds, which you would have to bind over!"33.
"No man can call you coward, you have fully battled!
Atli looks little at your hate.
He shall ever bear
life after you and more strength.34.
"I shall say to you, Gunnarr - you know it fully yourself -
how you shortly became guilty of causes!
I was never overcome in youth,
fully supplied with wealth in my brother's house.35.
"I never willed that I should be wedded,
before the Gjukings rode to the garth,
three folk-kings on horses -
but that faring should not have been!36.
"I promised to him....
who sat on Grani's back with gold;
he was not like to you in eyes,
nor to look on in any part -
although you seemed to yourselves to be folk-kings!37.
"And Atli said that to me alone,
that in no way would he share his possessions,
gold nor lands, unless I let myself be given -
and no part of wealth's riches
which were given to me to have in early youth,
and wealth which was counted to me in early youth.38.
"Then my soul was in doubt over that,
whether I should do battle and fell the slain,
brave in a byrnie, for my brother's fault -
that would have been known among folks then,
and an affliction of courage to many men.39.
"We let our likenesses come together:
to receive treasures played more in my mind,
red rings of Sigmundr's bairn -
I did not want another man's wealth;40.
loved him alone, nor any others:
a turning soul did not dwell in the necklace-Skogul!
Atli shall find all this afterwords,
when he hears how my murder-faring was done.41.
Never should a frivolous woman
ever accompany another's husband.
This shall be revenge for my sorrows!"42.
Gunnarr, the hosts' leader, rose up,
and laid his arm around the woman's neck;
all the various (men) went,
from hale soul, to hinder her,43.
She thrust everyone there from her neck,
to keep anyone from hindering her long journey.44.
He took Hogni to speak of secrets:
"I wish to say that all go into the hall,
yours with mine - now is great need! -
to know if the woman's murder-faring (can) be hindered,
until that time when hindering comes:
then let us decide what is needed!"45.
Hogni made one answer to that:
"Let no man hinder her in the long journey,
from which may she never be born again!
She crept ill-shaped from mother's knee,
she was ever born for joylessness,
sorrow to many men!"46.
The unhappy one turned from speech,
from where the earth-of-necklaces dealt out treasures.47.
She looked on all her possessions,
slain bondsmaids and hall-women;
put on a gold byrnie - was grim in soul -
before she laid sword's edges against herself.48.
She sank to the pillows a second time,
and, blade-wounded, considered rede-giving:49.
"Now those who wish gold shall go
and receive of mine from me:
I give adorned jewelery to everyone,
tapestries and bed-clothing, bright weeds!"50.
All were silent, thought on these redes,
and all together made answer:
"No more shall die! We shall yet live!
Hall-women shall not do honour-deeds."51.
Then the linen-clad woman, from this thinking,
young in life-age, spoke words to that:
"I wish not that anyone unwilling or compelled
part for life-age for our sake!52.
"Although on your bones shall burn
fewer treasurses when forth you come,
nor Menja's good, when you visit me.53.
"Sit you down, Gunnarr! I shall say to you
your bright bride weens not to live.
your ship shall be all at sea,
although I have given up life-breath!54.
"Whatever you think, Gušrun shall soon be satisfied;
(though) the well-known woman, with the king, have
sorrowful memories of a husband dead.55.
"There is a maid born - raised by mother -
she shall be whiter than a bright day,
- Svanhildr - than a ray of the sun.56.
"You shall give Gušrun for a certain good,
scathe to the hero, to many warriors;
she will not be given at wish to a blessed husband:
Atli must come to have her,
my brother, born of Bušli.57.
"I remember greatly how you treated me,
then when you had painfully betrayed me,
robbed of will was I while I lived!58.
"You shall have pleasure from Oddrun,
though Atli shall hinder you;
you shall lie together under linen,
She will love you as I should have,
if good had been made for us in (our) shaping!59.
"Atli shall do ill to you,
shall lay you in narrow wyrm-garth.60.
"That shall be, and not long after becomes it
that Atli must part from life-breath,
his blessing and sons' lives,
because Gušrun shall besmirch him in bed,
with sharp edges, from wounded soul.61.
"It would be seemly for our sister Gušrun
to follow her first husband to death
if good rede were given to her,
or else she had a soul like mine!62.
"I speak slowly now - but she shall not
part from life-age for our sake:
high waves shall lift her up
to Jonakr's udal land.63.
"........................
.........sons of Jonakr;
she shall send Svanhildr from the land,
her maiden, and Siguršr's.64.
"Bikki's redes shall bite her,
because Jormundrkkr lives to harm -
then are all Siguršr's aett fared,
and many weepings to Gušrun.65.
"I shall bid one boon of thee
- it must be the last boon in the world! -:
Let thus be made a high-towering, broad heap of logs on the meadow,
that it be wide enough under us all,
who have died with Siguršr.66.
"Adorn the heap with tapestries and shields,
well-dyed Welsh cloths and many Welsh thralls;
burn the Hunnish one on my other side.67.
"Burn on the other side of the Hunnish one
my thralls, adorned with necklaces:
two at his head, and two hawks;
then all is divided fittingly.68.
"But between us lie the ring-decked metal,
edge-keen iron, as it lay before,
then when we both got into one bed
and were called then with the name of wedded.69.
"(It) shall yet not fall ringing on his heel,
the gleaming hall's ring-handled gate,
if my troop follows him hence
- our faring shall yet not be miserable!"70.
"For five bondsmaids follow him,
eight thralls of good kin,
my slave-companion and the dowry
which Bušli gave to his bairn.71.
"I have said much, I might say many things,
if the measurer gave me more room for speech!
Voice fades, wounds swell up -
I have said only truth! - so must I let be."
Note: This translation and others in this collection bearing this notice are the sole work of Stephan Grundy and are here with his permission. They are under his copyright. They are freely reproducible and quotable as long as this notice is attached if these are being reproduced or due credit is given to him for his translation if they are being quoted in another work.