1237

Alpharides gave no reply to the king but, as if deaf, turned from him to the other, saying: "I have words for you, Hagen. Stay a bit! What, I ask, has suddenly changed so faithful a friend such that he, who in his recent departure seemed hardly able to be pried away from my embrace, will, though in no way wronged, voluntarily seek to attack me? I admit I had hoped, though wrongly, that, if you were able to discover that I was returning from my exile, you would come then personally to greet me, and would entertain me in restful hospitality, though against my will, and would wish peacefully to take me back to the kingdom of my father. And, thinking this, I was concerned as to where to bring your gifts. Yes, though I went through unfamiliar lands, I said to myself: 'I fear none of the Franks so long as Hagen lives.'

1252

"I beg you now by our childhood games. Recover your senses. Remember those games, which we with one heart were accustomed to play and share our experience, games in which we spent those earliest years of our lives. Where did that famous harmony we had go? It used always to remain in both war and peace, never knowing the traps of temptation.¹ Indeed, it made you forget your father's face, and my great fatherland grew vile as I lived with you. Can it really be true that you have wiped from your mind the oath that we so often affirmed? I beseech you. End this wickedness, do not provoke battle! Let us keep our pact untroubled through the ages. If you agree to this, this very moment you will leave enriched with praise; I shall fill your shield with ruddy gold."

1264

To this Hagen produced these words with his face set grim and so expressed his open anger: "You practice force first, Walter, and only later do you play the wise man. You ended our pact, when you saw that I was there and yet killed so many of my comrades, and even my kinsmen. You can not deny that you knew then that I was there. Since even if my face was hidden, yet you saw my arms which you know well, and you could recognize the man by his gear. Perhaps, I might bear the rest, if this one grief were not with me—uniquely dear, ruddy, charming, and precious was the tender little blossom whom you reaped with your sickle's blade. This is the deed by which you first made void that pact of our youth, and so I want no treasure in return for that pledge. I want to learn in battle whether you have courage by yourself, and from your hands I seek vengeance for my nephew. Behold! Either I approach my death, or I shall do something memorable."

1280

He spoke and, jumping, threw himself from the back of his horse; Gunther too, and the hero Walter did the same no more slowly—all of them ready to make war on foot. Each stood and guarded himself, looking out for the blow to come; their martial limbs shook in anticipation beneath their shields.

1285

It was the second hour of the day when these three joined. The arms of two conspire against one. First of all, Hagen collects his strength and aims his apple wood² spear, breaking the peace. But as it flies, terrible with a great whirlwind and shreaking sound, Alpharides, seeing he can not receive it, cleverly deflects the blow by tilting his shield. As it meets the shield, the spear bounces off as if it were polished marble, and it violently stabs the hill, sinking into the ground up to the nails.³ Then with great heart but little strength haughty Gunther throws his ash shaft, which flies and sticks in the bottom of Walter's shield. But, as soon as he shakes it, the weakling iron falls out of the scratched wood. At this sign, the Franks, though gloomy and confused in their hearts, soon strip war from its sheath; their grief turns to anger; and, covering themselves with their shields, they try to attack the Aquitanian.

1302

But he vigorously knocked them away with a sweep of his spear and frightened them with both his countenance and his weapons as they rushed at him. Now King Gunther considered a foolish undertaking, thinking how he might quietly and secretly approach to recover his spear, thrown in vain and fallen to the ground—lying, in fact, by the hero's feet where he dislodged it. So he thought, since, armed with only their short swords, they could not close hand-to-hand with him, for he kept whirling his outstretched spear around. Therefore, he gave a sign to his vassal with his eyes, encouraging him to edge forward so that with his defense he might complete his plan.

1313

There was no delay. Hagen went forth and challenged their enemy, and the king, hiding his bejeweled sword in its scabbard, unencumbered his hand for a quick act of theft.⁴ But need I say more? He leaned forward, put his hand on the spear, gripped it, and gradually drew it away from Walter—asking too much from fortune. But the mighty hero, in as much as he was always quite alert in war and very observant of all but the briefest moment, saw him leaning down, sensed what he was doing, and did not allow it, but pushed aside Hagen—who stood in the way to deflect his upraised blow—, jumped on the spear shaft being snatched away, held it with his foot, and yelled at the king caught in his thievery so that now his knees gave way under the stricken spear. And he would have sent him straight to hungry Orcus, if Hagen, the mighty warrior, had not quickly run to his aid, defended his lord with opposing shield, and brought the bare blade of his cruel sword against the face of his foe.

1331

So, while Walter avoided Hagen's blow, Gunther got back up, trembling, and stood there in a stupor, scarcely returned from death. There was no delay, no rest. They renewed bitter war.

1334

Now the two rush at the man together, now they take turns. And, while he rains fiercer blows on the one who advances, from the other side the second immediately approaches and hinders his swings, not unlike when a Numidian bear⁵ is hunted, stands surrounded by dogs, bristles on his limbs,⁶ and, covering⁷ his head, growls and squeezes the Umbrian⁸ hounds that come too close, making them whine miserably; then the rabid Molossians bark from this side and that, and the dread beasts fear to come closer.⁹ In such a way the conflict flowed on till the ninth hour. And threefold trouble wore on them all—fear of death, the very toil of battle, and the burning heat of the sun. Meanwhile, a certain thing began to creep upon the hero's mind, and he suppressed these words within his heart: "If fortune does not change her path, they will tire me out and deceive me with their vain sport."¹⁰

1350

Right then he raised his voice and called to Hagen: "O Christ's thorn,¹¹ you sprout such foliage that you can prick. You jest and dance and try to trick me with your wit. But now I will make room so that you may not be slow to come closer. Look! Show me your strength—I know it's very great! I am sick of suffering such great toil in vain. He spoke and, leaping up, whirled his spear at him, and it drove through his shield, weighing it down, and tore through a bit of his hauberk, slicing a tiny piece off his great body. Indeed, he had stood gleaming, girt in marvelous arms.¹²

1360

But like a man,¹³ Walter, threw his spear, unsheathed his sword, and ran threateningly to attack the king; he pried his shield away on the right, made a mighty and amazing blow, and cut off the king's leg, knee and all, just below his thigh.¹⁴ Gunther fell then on top of his shield at Walter's feet. His retainer grew bloodlessly pale, at the fall of his lord. Alpharides lifted the bloody blade again, burning to inflict the final wound on the fallen man. But it chanced that, heedless of his own pain, Hagen, like a man,¹⁵ bending his helmeted head, opposed it to the blow. The hero could not check his hand at the end of its swing, but the helm made long ago and finely forged received the attack and sent sparks into the air. Stunned at the hard helm, the sword burst asunder.¹⁶ Oh pain! With a clang it flew apart sparkling in the air and the grass all around.¹⁷ The warrior, as he saw the fragments of the broken brand,¹⁸ grew indignant and raged wildly with exceeding anger; and, unable to stand his hilt without the burden of its iron, though outstanding for its skillful metal work, he tossed it aside and spurned the sad memorial.

1381

While he extended his hand in mighty effort, Hagen quite happily removed it with a prompt swipe. The hand was falling as the mighty swing continued its arc...the hand once feared by many races, nations, and tyrants, the hand which once gleamed before innumerable trophies. But the exceptional man, not knowing how to yield to misfortune, capable in his sound mind of overcoming the pains of the flesh, did not despair, nor did he cast down his face, but stuck the bloody stump in his shield and then snatched up in his unharmed hand the half-sword, with which we have said that he girded his right side,¹⁹ taking severe vengeance from his foe on the spot. He struck Hagen and cut out his right eye, severing his temple, slicing off his lips, and knocking six teeth from his mouth. The battle was over when this business was done.

1397

Each man's wound and harsh panting convinced him to put down his weapons. Who could leave here unharmed, where two great-spirited heroes equal both in strength and in fervor of mind stood in the thunderstorm of war? After it was finished, each of them was marked. There lay king Gunther's foot, there Walter's hand, and here the still quivering eye of Hagen. In just such a way²⁰ they divided the Avarish bracelets!²¹

1405

The two of them sat together—the third was still lying down—and they wiped the torrential river of blood off the flowers. In the mean time, Alpharides called back the