Guthrunarkvitha II, En Forna

      King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and
Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:

  1. A maid of maids	my mother bore me,
  Bright in my bower,	my brothers I loved,
  Till Gjuki dowered	me with gold,
  Dowered with gold,	and to Sigurth gave me.

  So Sigurth rose	o’er Gjuki’s sons
  As the leek grows green	above the grass,
  Or the stag o’er all	the beasts doth stand,
  Or as glow-red gold	above silver gray.

  2. Till my brothers let me	no longer have
  The best of heroes	my husband to be;
  Sleep they could not,	or quarrels settle,
  Till Sigurth they	at last had slain.

  3. From the Thing ran Grani	with thundering feet,
  But thence did Sigurth	himself come never;
  Covered with sweat	was the saddle-bearer,
  Wont the warrior’s 	weight to bear.

  4. Weeping I sought	with Grani to speak,
  With tear-wet cheeks	for the tale I asked;
  The head of Grani	was bowed to the grass,
  The steed knew well	his master was slain.

  5. Long I waited		and pondered well
  Ere ever the king	for tiding I asked.
  -lacuna-

  6. His head bowed Gunnar,	but Hogni told
  The news full sore	of Sigurth slain:
  “Hewed to death	at our hands he lies,
  Gotthorm’s slayer,	given to wolves.

  7. “On the southern road	thou shalt Sigurth see,
  Where hear thou canst	the ravens cry;
  The eagles cry	as food they crave,
  And about thy husband	wolves are howling.”
  “Why dost thou, Hogni,	such a horror
  Let me hear,		all joyless left?
  Ravens yet	thy heart shall rend
  In a land that never	thou hast known.”

  8. Few the words	of Hogni were,
  Bitter his heart	from heavy sorrow:
  “Greater, Guthrun,	thy grief shall be
  If the ravens so	my heart shall rend.”

  9. From him who spake		I turned me soon,
  In the woods to find	what the wolves had left;
  Tears I had not,	nor wrung my hands,
  Nor wailing went,	as other women,
  (When by Sigurth	slain I sat).

  10. Never so black	had seemed the night
  As when in sorrow	by Sigurth I sat;
  The wolves - lacuna -
  - lacuna -

  11. - lacuna-
  Best of all	methought ‘twould be
  If I my life	could only lose,
  Or like to birch-wood		burned might be.

  12. From the mountain forth	five days I fared,
  Till Hoalf’s hall	so high I saw;
  Seven half-years	with Thora I stayed,
  Hakon’s daughter,	in Denmark then.

  13. With gold she broidered,	to bring me joy,
  Southern halls		and Danish swans;
  On the tapestry wove we	warrior’s deeds,
  And the hero’s thanes	 	on our handiwork;
  (Flashing shields	and fighters armed,
  Sword-throng, helm-throng, 	the host of the king.)

  14. Sigmund’s ship	by the land was sailing,
  Golden the figure-head,	gay the beaks;
  On board we wove	the warriors faring,
  Sigar and Siggeir,	south to Fjon.

  15. Then Grimhild asked,		the Gothic queen,
  Whether willingly	would I - lacuna -
  - lacuna -

  16. Her needlework cast she	aside, and called
  Her sons to ask,	with stern resolve,
  Who amends to their sister	would make for her son,
  Or the wife requite	for her husband killed.

  17. Ready was Gunnar	gold to give,
  Amends for my hurt,	and Hogni too;
  Then would she know	who now would go,
  The horse to saddle,	the wagon to harness,
  (The horse to ride,	the hawk to fly,
  And shafts from bows	of yew to shoot.)

  18. (Valdar, king		of the Danes, was come,
  With Jarizleif, Eymoth,	and Jarizskar).

  19. In like princes		came they all,
  The long-beard men,	with mantles red,
  Short their mail-coats,	mighty their helms,
  Swords at their belts,	and brown their hair.

  20. Each to give me	gifts was fain,
  Gifts to give,	and goodly speech,
  Comfort so	for my sorrows great
  To bring they tried,	but I trusted them not.

  21. A draught did Grimhild	give me to drink,
  Bitter and cold;	I forgot my cares;
  For mingled therein	was magic earth,
  Ice-cold sea,		and the blood of swine.

  22. In the cup were runes	of every kind,
  Written and reddened,	I could not read them;
  A heather-fish		from the Haddings’ land,
  An ear uncut,		and the entrails of beasts.

  23. Much evil was brewed	within the beer,
  Blossoms of trees,	and acorns burned,
  Dew of the hearth,	and holy entrails,
  The liver of swine,-	all grief to allay.
  Then I forgot,		when the draught they gave me,
  There in the hall,	my husband’s slaying;
  On their knees the kings	all three did kneel,
  Ere she herself	to speak began:

  24. “Guthrun, gold	to thee I give,
  The wealth that once	they father’s was,
  Rings to have,		and Hlothver’s halls,
  And the hangings all	that the monarch had.

  25. “Hunnish women,	skilled in weaving,
  Who gold make fair	to give thee joy,
  And the wealth of Buthli	thine shall be,
  Gold-decked one,	as Atli’s wife.”

  Guthrun spake:
  26. “A husband now	I will not have,
  Nor wife of Brynhild’s 	brother be;
  It beseems me not	with Buthli’s son
  Happy to be,	and heirs to bear.”

  27. “Seek not on men	to avenge thy sorrows,
  Though the blame at first	with us hath been;
  Happy shalt be	as if both still lived,
  Sigurth and Sigmund,		if sons thou bearest.”

  Guthrun spake:
  28. “Grimhild, I may not		gladness find,
  Nor hold forth hopes		to heroes now,
  Since once the raven		and ravening wolf
  Sigurth’s heart’s-blood	hungrily lapped.”

  Grimhild spake:
  29. “Noblest of birth	is the ruler now
  I have found for thee,		and foremost of all;
  Him shalt thou have		while life thou hast,
  Or husbandless be	if him thou wilt choose not.”

  Guthrun spake:
  30. “Seek not so eagerly	me to send
  To be a bride	of yon baneful race;
  On Gunnar first	his wrath shall fall,
  And the heart will he tear	from Hogni’s breast.”
  Weeping Grimhild	heard the words
  That fate full sore	for her sons foretold,
  (And mighty woe	for them should work;)
  “Lands I give thee,	with all that live there,
  (Vingjorg is thine,	and Valbjorg too,)
  Have them forever,	but here me, daughter.”

  31. So must I do	as the kings besought,
  And against my will	for my kinsmen wed;
  Ne’er with my husband	joy I had,
  And my sons by my brothers’	fate were saved not.

  32. -lacuna-
  I could not rest	till of life I had robbed
  The warrior bold,	the maker of battles.

  33. Soon on horseback	each hero was,
  And the foreign women	in wagons faring;
  A week through lands	so cold we went,
  And a second week	the waves we smote,
  (And a third through lands	that water lacked).

  34. The warders now	on the lofty walls
  Opened the gates,	and in we rode.

   - break -

  35. Atli woke me,		for ever I seemed
  Of bitterness full	for my brothers’ death.

  Atli spake:
  36. “Now from sleep	the Norns have waked me
  With visions of terror,-	to thee will I tell them;
  Methought thou, Guthrun,	Gjuki’s daughter,
  With poisoned blade	didst pierce my body.”

  Guthrun spake:
  37. “Fire a dream		of steel shall follow
  And willful pride	one of woman’s wrath;
  A baneful sore	I shall burn from thee,
  And tend and heal thee,	though hated thou art.”

  Atli spake:
  38. “Of plants I dreamed,		in the garden drooping,
  That fain would I have	full high to grow;
  Plucked by the roots,		and red with blood,
  They brought them hither,	and bade me eat.

  39. “I dreamed my hawks		from my hand had flown,
  Eager for food,	to an evil house;
  I dreamed their hearts		with honey I ate,
  Soaked in blood,	and heavy my sorrow.

  40. “Hounds I dreamed	from my hand I loosed,
  Loud in hunger	and pain they howled;
  Their flesh methought	was eagles’ food,
  And their bodies now		I needs must eat.”

  Guthrun spake:
  41. “Men shall soon	of sacrifice speak,
  And off the heads	of beasts shall hew;
  Die they shall		ere day has dawned,
  A few nights hence,	and the folk shall have them.”

  Atli spake:
  42. “On my bed I sank,	nor slumber sought,
  Weary with woe,-	full well I remember.”
  - lacuna -




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