The Rhinegold Part II - Siegfried - Hero of the Nibelungen Saga

Once upon a time there was a king,
There was a king on the Rhine,
He loved nothing so little
As strife, grief and pain.
His swords rumbled
For a treasure in the land
And almost succumbed
Before their own hand.

Then he said to the nobles:
"What good is all gold to you,
If you with your skulls
Should you buy the hoard?
Let the plague end,
Sink it in the Rhine:
Until the last day
May it be hidden there."

Then the proud lowered it
Down into the flood;
It has probably melted,
Since then it has rested there.
Dissolved in the waves
Of the stream that rolls over it,
Makes the grapes swell
And shine like gold.

That everyone would think
How good this king,
So that no suffering would bring him
For his great courage.
So we descended
The sorrow in the Rhine
And drink happily and cheerfully
From his golden wine.

II.

A knight well-born in beautiful Swabia
The tale of the wise king was well known,
Who had the hoard sunk in the flood of the Rhine:
How he would track him down he pondered for a long time in his courage.

"Underneath lay a wishing-piece of gold;
If I were to acquire the hoard, it would have to be my own:
Who would be master of the whip, I know that well,
He wouldn't buy her for all the imperial lands."

On his warhorse with armor, shield and sword
The proud sword worthy left his homeland:
He wanted to ride to Lochheim near Worms on the Rhine,
Where the treasures should be buried in the flood.

The worthy hero exchanged his knightly garb
With a fisherman's clothes that he found on the shore,
The helmet with the beret, his faithful steed
With a good little boat that floated merrily on the waves.

His weapon was the rudder, the pole was his spear:
So he cruises around on the waves many a day
And he fished for the hoard; the time was not long for him;
He recovered from work by drinking and singing.

Around the old Wormes and deeper around the Rhine
Until the mountains sink, a good wine grows:
Its color is very similar to the Nibelungen gold,
That melted in the flood rolls in the veins of the vines.

He drank it every day, both late and early,
When he took a rest from the strain of work.
He was so pure and clear, he was so bright and good,
He strengthened his senses and increased his strength and courage.

He also hears tales sung by the swordsman,
From Alberich the Dwarf, who looked after the hoard,
Of high courtship, of Siegfried's death,
Of Kriemhild's gruesome revenge and the Nibelung's distress.

Then the sword took the helm again
And searched for the hoard on the wine-green beach.
With picks and shovels he penetrated to the bottom,
With nets and with poles: hardships were made known to him.

From the goodness of the wine he received enough strength,
That he bore the day's hardships cheerfully.
His song burst forth with proud fullness from his throat,
That it was sung again from all the mountains.

So he sailed ever further down the green Rhine,
Searching for the hoard with high song and wine.
At the big hole near Bingen his voice first swelled,
Hey! How loud singing echoed at the Lurlei!

But he found no trace of gold in the depths,
Not in the riverbed, but only in the cup did it glitter.
Then the honest swordsman said: "Now it dawns on me:
I went to look for the hoard: the great hoard, that is the wine.

"He has retained from ancient times the strength,
That he inspires the knights to great deeds.
From the Schachten mountains comes his fire spirit,
Who teaches the stupid singer great deeds.

"He entrusted me with a song from old times,
How he first saw the hidden depths of the waves;
How Siegfried was slain for the gain of filthy gold
And how Kriemhild, the noble queen, smelled her suffering.

"I let my little ship sail, the greed for gold flees,
The hoard became wine, the wine became a song for me,
The song that one likes to sing after a thousand years
And that is echoing on everyone’s tongue these days.

"I went to seek the hoard, my song, that is the hoard,
The wave did not bury him, he lives on immortally."
He set his little ship afloat and sang his song in the land:
This was known before all kings, before all emperors.

It was sung loudly throughout the land,
Has risen anew in this late time.
Now you may understand an old saying:
"The Song of the Nibelungs, that is the Nibelung hoard."

KS

* * * * *

The Nibelungenlied.
First adventure.
How Kriemhild dreamed.

Many wonderful things are reported in the tales of old times 1
Of cheap heroes, of great boldness,
Of joy and festivities, of tears and lamentations,
You may now hear of wonders from the battles of bold warriors.

There grew up in Burgundy such noble maidens, 2
That there could be nothing more beautiful in all the lands.
She was called Kriemhild and became a beautiful woman,
For the many swordsmen had to lose life and limb.

The loving love brought no shame to anyone; 3
Many warriors courted her, but no one was angry with her.
It was beautiful beyond measure to see the noble maiden;
The maiden's courtly manners would be an ornament to all women.

Three kings, noble and rich, looked after her, 4
Gunther and Gernot, the unparalleled heroes,
And Geiselher the young, a chosen swordsman;
She was their sister, the princes had to take care of her.

The gentlemen were mild and of high birth, 5
Immeasurably bold according to their strength, the heroes praiseworthy.
Their country was named after the Burgundians;
They continued to perform great miracles in Etzel's land ever since.

In Worms on the Rhine the Lords dwelt in their power. 6
Many proud knights from their lands served
With glorious honors all her life time,
Until they died miserably through the quarrel of two noble women.

Ute was the name of her mother, the rich queen, 7
And Dankrat their father, who for their gain
The inheritance left in death, formerly a strong man,
Who also won many great honors in his youth.

The three kings were, as I have declared, 8
Strong and of high courage; they were subject to them
Even the best warriors, of whom it has been said,
Of great strength and boldness, undaunted in all disputes.

That was from Tronje Hagen, and his brother, 9
Dankwart the Quick, of Metz Lord Ortewein,
The two Margraves Gere and Eckewart,
Volker von Alzei, all strength well preserved,

Rumold the chef, a precious sword, 10
Sindold and Hunold: the gentlemen had to take care
Of court and honor, subject to the kings.
They still had many heroes, which I cannot name all of them.

Dankwart was a marshal; so the nephew was his 11
Steward of the King, Lord Ortewein of Metz.
Sindold was a tavernkeeper, a hunting swordsman,
And Chamberlain Hunold: they were able to cultivate high honors.

From the court's honor from its wide power, 12
Of their high worthiness and of knighthood,
As they practiced the Lords with joy all their lives,
Truly no one can give you full information about this.

In her high honors, Kriemhild dreamed, 13
She raised a falcon, strong, beautiful and wild;
Two eagles grabbed her so that she could see it:
No greater suffering could have happened to you on this earth.

She told her mother the dream, Mrs. Uten: 14
They didn't know how to interpret it as the good one:
"The falcon you raise is a noble man:
May God protect him, otherwise he will soon be finished."

"What do you tell me about the man, my dear mother? 15
I will always be without love;
I will remain so beautiful until my death,
That I may never gain trouble from manly love."

"Don't tell me so completely," the mother said, 16
"Should you ever be happy on earth,
This happens through manly love: you become a beautiful woman,
May God grant you the body of a good knight."

"Let the speech remain, my dear mother. 17
It has taught many women the appearance,
How love with suffering is worth it in the end;
I will avoid them both, so I shall be sure to be spared!"

Kriemhild, in her courage, kept herself free from love. 18
So many a good day passed by,
That she knew no one she liked as a husband,
Until she won a worthy warrior with honor.

This was the same falcon that that dream offered her, 19
Her mother told her that because of his early death
How she gave her closest relatives bloody rewards!
Through this one death, many a mother's son died.

* * * * *
Second adventure.
By Siegfried.

There grew up in the Netherlands a noble king's child, 20
His father was called Siegmund, his mother Siegelind,
In a mighty fortress, widely known,
Down by the Rhine, it was called Xanten.

I'll tell you about the sword, how beautiful it became. 21
He was always well protected from all shame.
The bold man soon became strong and of high renown:
Hey! what great honors he won on this earth!

Siegfried was called the noble swordsman. 22
He tested many of the heroes in high-spirited courage.
His strength leads him to many foreign lands:
Hey! what quick swords he found among the Burgundians!

Before the bold swordsman fully grew into manhood, 23
He had done such wonders with his hand,
Something you can sing and say again and again;
We have to keep quiet about him a lot these days.

In his best times, in his younger days 24
Many miracles could be said of Siegfried,
How honor blossomed in him and how beautiful he was to behold:
That is why many of the fair women thought of him in love.

He was raised with the diligence that befitted him; 25
What discipline and custom gave him his own mind!
This became an ornament to his father's land,
That people found him so wonderful in all things.

He was now grown up enough to go to court. 26
People liked to see him; many women and girls found him beautiful
We wish he would come there forever;
The knight was well aware that many people were fond of him.

Rarely was the child allowed to ride without a guardian. 27
His mother Siegelind told him to adorn himself with clothes;
The wise men who knew honor also used to say:
Therefore he would like to win both the people and the country,

Now he was so strong that he carried weapons: 28
Whatever he needed, he was given enough.
He was already thinking about wooing many a beautiful child;
They would have honored the handsome Siegfried.

Then his father Siegmund made it known to his fief, 29
He wanted to celebrate a court feast with dear friends.
Then the story was brought to the land of other kings.
He gave horses and clothes to the locals and guests.

Whoever one might find, who, according to the parents' type 30
Knights should become the noble squires tender
They invited people to the country for a festive celebration,
Where they received the sword at the same time as Siegfried.

One could say wonders about the court feast. 31
Siegmund and Siegelind won that day
Much honor through the gifts that her hand bestowed:
Therefore, many strangers were seen riding into the country to join them.

Four hundred swordsmen should be dressed 32
With the young king. Many beautiful maidens
If you saw him busy at work, everyone was fond of him.
The women put many precious stones into the gold,

They wanted to sew braids on the clothes 33
To the young, proud warrior; it had to happen this way.
The innkeeper had seats built for many a bold man
At the solstice where Siegfried won Ritter's position.

Then many a rich servant went to a cathedral 34
And many of the noble knights. The ancients did right,
That they served the boys as they had done,
They were entertained and happy to see it.

When a mass was sung in honor of God, 35
Then a great urge arose from the people,
Since they became knights according to the custom of knighthood
With such high honors, it would not happen again so easily.

They hurried wherever they found many harnessed horses. 36
Then the knight's game became so loud in Siegmund's court,
So that one could hear Pallas and Saal roaring.
The high-spirited swordsmen began to make a joyful noise.

Many a shout sounded from old and young, 37
That the breaking of the shafts reached the air.
The splinters could be seen flying all the way up to the hall.
The women and men watched the entertainment.

The innkeeper begged them to stop. The horses were taken away; 38
One could also see many strong shields broken there
And many of the precious stones felled on the grass
From the bright shield's clasps: they had been shattered by blows.

Then the guests sat down wherever they were advised, 39
to the table, where fatigue relieved them of many fine foods
And the very best wine, which was carried in abundance.
There was plenty of honor offered to both locals and foreigners.

So much entertainment they found all day, 40
The traveling servants had no rest:
They served for the gift that was found there in abundance;
Her praise became an ornament to King Siegmund's entire land.

Then the prince gave Siegfried, the young man, 41
The land and the castles, as he himself had done.
He gave his comrades with a gentle hand:
So she was happy about the journey that took her to the country.

The court feast lasted until the seventh day. 42
Sieglind the rich one cultivated the old custom,
That she distributed red gold for the love of her son:
She could well deserve the kindness people showed to him.

By then, there were no poor travelers left in the country. 43
Clothes and horses flew from their hands,
As if they had no more than one day to live.
Never before had one seen servants so kind.

The festivities ended with inexpensive honors. 44
One heard the rich say after a while,
That they would gladly be subject to the boy;
That was not what Siegfried, that brave man, wanted.

As long as they were still alive, Siegmund and Siegelind, 45
Did not want to wear the crown of the two dear child;
But he wanted to turn all the power gloriously,
The brave and well-built swordsman feared those in the land.

No one could scold him: since he took up arms, 46
He rarely rested, the hero was praiseworthy.
He only sought to argue and his strong hand
Made him well known at all times in foreign realms.

* * * * *
Third adventure.
How Siegfried came to Worms.

The Lord was rarely troubled by any heartache. 47
He heard news of how a beautiful maid
With the Burgundians, it would be well done,
From which he soon gained much joy and also much sorrow.

Her beauty was heard far and wide, 48
And their high spirits were also at the same time
Often known to the heroes by the virgins:
This invited many guests to King Gunther's country.

As many as one saw wooing her love, 49
Kriemhild in her own mind did not say yes to this,
That she wanted one as her beloved man:
He was still a stranger to her, but she soon became subject to him.

Then Sieglinde's child thought of high love: 50
All the other wooing was a wind against him.
He might well deserve a woman so chosen:
Soon the noble Kriemhild was married to the bold Siegfried.

His friends and those in his fief advised him, 51
If he had always desired love as his goal,
This is how he should advertise that he should not be ashamed of the choice.
Then the noble Siegfried said: "So I will take Kriemhild,

"The noble royal daughter of Burgundy, 52
About her great beauty. I know that well,
No emperor would be so powerful if he had the intention of courting
This rich queen was not fit for his love."

King Siegmund heard such a tale. 53
His people said: Thus it was made known to him
His child's will. He was extremely sorry,
That he wanted to woo this beautiful maiden.

The queen, the noble Siegelind, also heard about it: 54
She had to be very worried about her child,
Because she knew Gunther and those in his army
They tried very hard to spoil the advertising for the sword.

Then the bold Siegfried spoke: "My dear father, 55
I always wanted to be without noble women's love,
If I weren't allowed to advertise, I'd be free to my heart's content."
Whatever someone said, he always stuck to it.

"You cannot be advised against it," the king said, 56
"So I am glad of your will with all my heart
And I will help you to do it as best I can;
But King Gunther has many arrogant men.

"And if it were none other than Hagen the Sword, 57
He can, in his high spirits, cultivate his pride,
So that I very much fear that we may become tired of
If we want to woo this lovely maiden."

"How this might endanger us!" Siegfried began: 58
"What I cannot ask for in good faith,
If I want to acquire anything else with my strong hand,
I want to force him to do as much for the people as for the country."

"I am sorry for your words," said King Siegmund, 59
"For if this tale were to be known there on the Rhine,
You would never be allowed to ride into King Gunther's land.
I've known Gunther and Gernot for a long time.

"No one can acquire the maid by force," 60
Said King Siegmund, "That is well told me;
But if you want to ride with knights into the land,
The friends we have will be sent to them in a hurry."

"I don't feel like that," Siegfried remembered, 61
"That heroes should follow me to the Rhine
For the sake of a military expedition: I would be sorry,
Should I force this lovely maiden?

"I will acquire it with my own hand alone. 62
I want to go to King Gunther's land with twelve companions;
You should help me with this, Father Siegmund."
Then his sword was given to him with clothes of grey and also of colour.

Then his mother Siegelind heard this tale too; 63
She began to mourn her dear child:,
She feared to lose it through those in Gunther's army.
The noble king's daughter wept greatly over this.

Siegfried the Sword went wherever he saw her. 64
He spoke kindly to his mother:
"Woman, you shall not weep for my sake:
I want to be without worries before all the Weigands.

"Now help me on my journey to Burgundy, 65
That such a garment adorns me and my heroes,
How such proud swords may bear with honor:
For this I always want to thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"I can't advise you against it," said Mrs. Siegelind, 66
So I will help you on your journey, my only child,
With the best clothes ever worn by a knight,
You and your sword: you shall have enough."

Then Siegfried, the young man, bowed to her in thanks. 67
He said: "I will not take any more companions for the journey
When the heroes are twelve, provide them with clothing.
I would like to know what is happening with Kriemhild."

Beautiful women sat there night and day, 68
That one of them rarely cultivated leisure rather
Until they had finished Siegfried's state.
He was now determined not to give up on his journey.

His father told him to decorate his knightly robe, 69
With which he wanted to clear King Siegmund's land.
Their light tanks were also ready
And their sturdy helmets, their shields beautiful and broad.

Now they saw the journey to the Burgundians approaching. 70
Both woman and man began to worry about her,
Whether they should ever come back to the country.
They ordered the weapons and the garments to be hemmed up.

Their horses were beautiful, their riding gear golden red; 71
If someone dived higher, it was unnecessary,
As the swordsman Siegfried and those subject to him.
Now he asked for leave to go to the Burgundians.

The king and queen gave it to him with sorrow. 72
He comforted them both with loving kindness
And said: "You shall not weep for my sake:
May you always be without worry about my life."

The knights were sorry, and many a maiden wept; 73
They probably suspected in their hearts that after the time
Still had to pay heavily through dear friends' death.
They had reason to complain, they were truly in need.

On the seventh morning to Worms on the beach 74
The bold ones were already riding; all their garments
Was of red gold, her riding gear well-ordered;
The horses that Siegfried joined walked gently with them.

Their shields were new, light and broad, 75
And beautiful their helmets, as with the escort
Siegfried the Bold rode into Gunther's land.
Never again have heroes been seen in such magnificent garments.

The ends of the swords fell upon the spurs; 76
The chosen knights carried sharp spears.
The one Siegfried wore was two spans wide;
He had enough grim sharpness on his edges.

Gold-colored bridles led them by the hand; 77
The breast strap was made of silk: that is how they came into the country.
Then they stared at the people everywhere:
Gunther's men ran to receive them.

The brave warriors, knights and servants, 78
Ran to meet the Lord, so it was right and proper,
And welcomed these guests in their masters' land;
Their horses and shields were taken from their hands.

Then they wanted to pull the horses to their rest; 79
But Siegfried, the bold guest, spoke immediately:
"Let us stand the horses for a short time:
We will soon ride from here; I am quite ready for that.

"Nor shall our shields be carried from here; 80
Where I find the king, can someone tell me,
Gunther the rich from Burgundy?"
Then someone who knew it well told him.

"If you want to find the king, that can be done very easily: 81
In that wide hall I saw him
Among his heroes; go up to him,
So you may find many a wonderful man in him."

Now the tales had already been told to the king, 82
That at court knights would be undaunted:
They wore bright armor and splendid robes;
No one in the Burgundian lands recognizes her.

The king was surprised where 83 had come from
The magnificent warriors in the dress of light shine
And with such good shields, so new and so broad;
King Gunther was sorry that no one told him this.

In reply to the King of Metz, Mr. Ortewein gave; 84
He may well have been strong and bold:
"Since we do not recognize them, someone is told to go
To my uncle Hagen: you shall let him see them.

"He knows the kingdoms and all foreign lands; 85
If he recognizes the masters, he makes them known to us."
The king had him and those in his fief brought:
There he was seen going to court in splendor with knights.

Why had the king sent for him, Hagen asked? 86
"Foreign swords are seen in my house,
Nobody may recognize: have you in a foreign country
Have you seen her yet? That makes me acquainted with Hagen."

"I will," said Hagen. He walked to the window, 87
Then he let his eyes wander after the guests.
He was pleased with her equipment and all her clothing;
But they were strangers to him in the Burgundian land.

He said, wherever the warriors came from to the Rhine, 88
They want to be princes or princely messengers themselves.
"Their horses are beautiful, and their apparel is good;
No matter where they rode from, they are heroes of high spirits."

So Hagen spoke: "As far as I can understand, 89
I have never seen Siegfried in my life,
So I want to believe, whatever the case,
That it is he, the swordsman, who walks so magnificently there.

"He brings new tales to this land: 90
The bold Nibelungs struck the hero's hand,
The rich king's sons Schilbung and Nibelung;
He performed great miracles with the swing of his strong arm.

"When the hero rode alone without any help, 91
If he found a mountain, I would always hear
At King Niblung's hoard many a bold man;
They were completely foreign to him until he heard about them here.

"The hoard of King Nibelung was brought forth 92
From a hollow mountain: now hear wonders say,
How the Niblung subjects wanted to divide it.
Siegfried the Sword saw this and began to wonder.

"He came so close to them that he saw the heroes 93
And the swords again. One of them said:
"Here comes the mighty Siegfried, the hero from the Lowlands."
Strange adventures he found with the Nibelungs.

"Schilbung and Nibelung welcomed the hero well. 94
The noble princes unanimously asked young,
That the bold man might share the treasure with them:
This they desired, until finally he began to promise it.

"He saw so much rock, as we hear it said, 95
A hundred carts that don’t want to carry it,
Even more of the red gold of Nibelungenland:
All this was to be shared by the bold hand of Siegfried.

"They gave him King Niblung's sword as a reward: 96
They were given very bad service,
Siegfried the Sword should do it for them well.
He could not accomplish it: they had angry courage.

"So he must leave the treasures undivided. 97
Then the swordsmen in the two kings’ fiefdom passed him:
With her father's sword, which was called Balmung,
The bold one denied them the treasure and the Nibelungenland

"They had twelve brave men as friends, 98
The strong giants were: what could it do to them?
In her anger Siegfried's hand slew her
And he forced seven hundred warriors from the land of the Nibelungs.

"With the good sword, called Balmung. 99
Overwhelmed by terror, many a young swordsman
Especially before the sword and before the bold man:
They made the land and its castles subject to him.

"He also killed both of the rich kings. 100
He then came into great distress through Albrichen:
He wanted to avenge his masters all too easily,
Before he found great strength in Siegfried.

"The strong dwarf could not stand up to him with arguments. 101
Like wild lions they ran to the mountain,
Where he won the invisibility cloak from Albrichen:
There was the hoard's master Siegfried, the terrible man.

"Those who dared to fight were all slain. 102
He had the treasure carried back to the mountain,
From whom the Niblung subjects had taken it.
Alberich the Strong won the office of chamberlain.

"He must swear oaths to him, he must serve him as his servant, 103
He was justly at his service in all kinds of matters."
Thus spoke Hagen of Tronje: "The hero has done this;
So no hero ever again gained great power.

"I know of another adventure from him: 104
The hero's hand struck a dragon;
When he bathed in the blood, his skin became like horns.
No weapon can harm him like that: that was often seen in him.

"One should receive him well, the best advice is that, 105
So that we do not deserve the swift warrior's hatred.
He is so bold, look at him kindly:
He has performed many miracles with his powers."

Then the mighty king said: "Surely, you speak the truth: 106
Now see how proud he stands before the danger of battle,
This bold swordsman and those in his fiefdom!
We will go down to meet him, to the hero."

"You may," said Hagen, "with all due respect: 107
He is of noble birth, the son of a rich king;
He also gave birth, I think, to the Lord Christ,
It was no small matter he was riding around for."

Then the lord of the land said: "Now he is welcome to us. 108
He is bold and noble, I have heard that well;
He should also enjoy this in Burgundy."
Then King Gunther went where he found Siegfried.

The innkeeper and his knights received the man, 109
That little was lacking in the greeting he won;
The sword bowed before them
He was seen standing with his warriors in large groups.

"I am surprised by this story," said the innkeeper to hand, 110
"From whence, noble Siegfried, you came to this land
Or what are you looking for at Worms on the Rhine?"
Then the guest said to the king: "This shall be plain to you.

"I have heard it said in my father's land, 111
At your court, I would have liked to know,
The boldest warriors, I have often heard,
That ever a king won: that is why I came here.

"So I also hear you acknowledge a great deal of manliness, 112
No king has ever been seen so bold.
Many people in this country boast of this;
Now I can't get over it until I find out the truth.

"I am also a hero and shall wear the crown: 113
I would like to add that they say of me,
That I rightfully owned the people as well as the land.
I pledge my head and my honor against it.

If you are as bold as the legend tells you, 114
So I don't ask, is anyone nice or sorry?
I will force from you what belongs to you,
I will subject the land and the castles to my sword."

The king was amazed and all his people around, 115
When they heard his strange request,
That he intended to take his people and land.
His swordsmen heard this and became angry.

"How could I deserve this," said Gunther the Sword, 116
Which my father was able to cultivate with honor for a long time,
That we would lose this because of someone's superior strength?
That would be a poor proof that we also cultivate knighthood!"

"I will not give up on it," the bold man interrupted, 117
"By your powers may your land be pacified,
I will now manage it; but also the inheritance is mine,
If you acquire it by strength, it shall be subject to you.

"Your inheritance as well as mine we will strike at once, 118
And whoever of us can overcome the other,
Everything should serve that purpose, both the people and the country."
Hagen and Gernot zuhand contradicted this.

"So we are not in our senses," said Gernot, 119
"After new land gains, that someone should be dead
In the hands of heroes lie: rich is our land,
That which rightly obeys us, is better suited to no one."

His friends stood there in grim courage. 120
Mr Ortewein from Metz was also there.
He said: "I am sorry for the atonement from the bottom of my heart:
The mighty Siegfried calls you into battle without any reason.

"Even if you and your brothers do not stand up to him, 121
And even if he had a whole royal army with him,
So I wanted to fight for it, that the strong hero
So, high arrogance, quite rightly put aside."

The hero of the Low Countries was furious about this: 122
"Your hand shall not presume against me:
I am a rich king, you are in royal possession;
Your twelve might not be able to stand up to me in battle."

After swords, Mr. Ortewein called out fiercely from Metz: 123
He could truly be Hagen's sister's son of Tronje;
The king was sorry that he had remained silent for so long.
Then Gernot spoke for peace, a knight bold and ready.

"Leave your anger alone," he began to Ortwein, 124
"Noble Siegfried has never done such a thing to us;
We will part amicably, I strongly advise that,
And have him as a friend; it truly befits us more."

Then the strong Hagen said, "We are rightly sorry 125
and all your swords, that he may ever fight
ridden to the Rhine: what didn't he do?
My gentlemen would never have treated him so badly."

Then Siegfried, the mighty hero, spoke again: 126
"If what I have said displeases you, Mr. Hagen,
So I will let you see how the hands of my
Remember to be so powerful among the Burgundians."

"I hope to turn this around," said Gernot. 127
He forbade all his swords to speak
In her arrogance, which he would be sorry for.
Then Siegfried also thought of the much more glorious maiden.

"How is it fitting for us to argue with you?" Gernot said again.
"However many of the heroes died,
Such an unequal quarrel would bring us little honor."
Siegfried, King Siegmund’s son, had the answer ready:

Why does Hagen and Ortewein hesitate, 129
That he does not rush to quarrel with his friends,
Of which he has so many among the Burgundians?"
They failed to answer, that was Gernot's advice.

"You shall be welcome," said Geiselher the child, 130
"And your companions who are here with you:
We want to serve you, I and my friends."
The guests were then given King Gunther’s wine.

Then the host of the land said: "Everything that belongs to us, 131
If you ask for it honorably, it is not forbidden to you;
We want to share our goods and blood with you."
Then Siegfried the swordsman felt a little softer.

Then they allowed them to keep all their armor; 132
They looked for hostels, the best they could find:
Siegfried's squires were given good shelter.
The stranger was welcomed in Burgundy afterwards.

He was given great honor on some days, 133
More than a thousand times than I could tell you;
His boldness deserved it, believe it.
He was rarely seen by anyone who was not well-disposed towards him.

If the kings and their fiefdoms indulge in amusement, 134
So he was always the best, no matter what happened.
No one could follow him, so great was his power,
Whether they threw the stone or shot the shaft.

According to courtly custom, women also had 135
The bold knights look on, enjoying their leisure:
The hero of the Netherlands was always a favorite;
He had turned his mind to high love.

The beautiful women at court inquired about the tale, 136
Who would be the proud foreign hero.
"He is so beautifully built, so rich is his clothing!"
Then many of them said: "This is the hero of the Low Countries."

Whatever one wanted to start, he was ready to do it; 137
He wore in his mind a loving maiden,
And only him the beauty he had never seen before,
And who secretly expect a lot of good things from him.

When the game of arms began in the courtyard, 138
Knights as well as squires, it always looked
Kriemhild from the windows, the noble king's daughter;
From then on she no longer needed any other entertainment.

And if he knew that he saw those whom he carried in his heart, 139
He would always have enough entertainment from that.
If you notice his eyes, I certainly believe
He wished for no other joy here on earth.

When he stood with the knights in the courtyard, 140
As is still the custom in all countries for entertainment,
How then stood the Sieglinden child so lovingly,
That many women were secretly fond of him.

He also sometimes thought: "How is this going to happen, 141
That I may see the noble maiden with my eyes,
Whom I love with all my heart, as I have long done?
It is still completely foreign to me; I think of it with sadness."

Whenever the rich kings rode into their land, 142
So the knights had to help them all.
Siegfried also rode with them: the women were sorry about that;
He also suffered from her love at times.

So he lived with the gentlemen, that is all true, 143
In King Gunther's land a full year,
That he did not see the lovely one in all this time,
Through which much love and also much suffering soon happened to him.