Part 27

"Give back from the door," cried Volker, "and let these enter in! Ha, but the prize that they look for not a man of them all shall win! One and all shall they perish--ay, and that full soon. With death shall they earn their guerdon, Queen Kriemhild's golden boon!" Into the hall of slaughter those men high-hearted pressed, But soon did many a warrior stoop to the earth his crest. Fast, fast by the lightning sword-strokes of its warders were they slain. Well fought the dauntless Gernot, well Giselher the thane. Into the great hall thronged they, a thousand men and four; Then flashed and flickered above them the dancing glaives of war, Till at last by the grim guests slaughtered one and all they lay. Well may bards sing the wonders of Burgundia's vengeance-day!

Then suddenly died the tumult, there was silence in that hall, Save the sound of the blood-streams pouring through the channels in the wall And rushing without down the rain-shutes, the blood of knightly foes Slain by the men of Rhineland with their swords' resistless blows. Then sat them down war-weary the sons of Burgundia-land: Dropped was the massy buckler and the sword from the red right hand. Yet standing before the doorway did the valiant minstrel stay, And watched, if haply a foeman would yet draw near for the fray.

Sorely the King lamented, and the Queen, with bitter cry; Sisters and wives were wailing in bereavement's agony. Ah, death, I ween, full surely against them an oath had sworn, For many a warrior's life-thread by the guests was yet to be shorn.

XXXVI. How the Queen bade set fire to the Hall

{P. 285}

"Unlace ye now your helmets," spake Hagen Troneg's lord. "I and my comrade Volker will again keep watch and ward; And if yon vassals of Etzel once more the onset essay, Straightway will I warn my masters with all the speed I may." Then loosed was the band of his helmet by many a warrior good; And they sat them down on the corpses that lay there in their blood, Which had come by the hands Burgundian to their death, and cumbered the floor, The while with bitter hatred the Hunfolk scowled at the door.

Ere the evening shadows had fallen, the King by hest and prayer, With Kriemhild the Queen, had persuaded that with hope of fortune fair The Huns should essay the onset again: in huge array They stood, full twenty thousand in ordered ranks for the fray. Then a wilder battle-tempest against the King's guests swept. Dankwart, the brother of Hagen, the mighty warrior, leapt From beside his lords to the foemen to meet them afront of the hall. They deemed him verily death-doomed, yet scatheless he won through all. Long lasted that stubborn conflict till the shadows darkened down; And the guests still stood unflinching like heroes of renown Against the hosts of Etzel through that long summer day. Ha, what unnumbered heroes in death before them lay!

In the fair midsummer season was that mighty murder wrought, When Kriemhild for her heart's anguish revenge so dearly bought On her own nearest kinsfolk and on many guiltless men, By reason whereof King Etzel knew never joy again. (C) But so grim and great a murder had she purposed not at the first: Nay, in the strife's beginning one thought in her breast she nursed, {P. 286} That Hagen alone by her vengeance to a bloody end should come:-- But therein was the Foul Fiend working to fashion for all one doom.

The day was past: the heroes were now in evil strait. Weary and famished, it seemed them swift death were a better fate Than long to linger in torment of hunger and thirst and pain. Wherefore the knights high-hearted for a truce with their foes were fain. They asked that the King might meet them before the feast-hall door. Then the heroes with armour-soilure blackened, and red with gore, Strode forth of the hall, and amidst them stood the Princes three: But their haggard eyes found nowhere one glance of sympathy.

And now stand Etzel and Kriemhild that place of death before-- Theirs is the whole land, therefore waxeth their host evermore-- Then spake the King to the King's guests: "Say, what would ye of me? Haply for peace ye petition? Hardly this may be After the wrongs ye have done me, and your ruthless work of death. Ye shall not in any wise win it so long as I draw breath. My child whom ye have murdered, and all my friends laid low-- Look ye for peace and forgiveness for these? In sooth, not so!"

"Enforced," made answer Gunther, "were we by a grievous wrong. Within their lodging murdered were all mine henchman-throng, Murdered by thine own heroes!--whereby had I earned such meed? I came to thee trustful-hearted, I held thee a friend indeed!" Then spake of the Princes Burgundian the youngest, Giselher: "Ye warriors of King Etzel which be yet alive, give ear. What have ye against me, heroes? What have I done unto you, I, who to this land journeyed with loving heart and true?" "_Thy love!_" they replied: "our castles are filled by reason thereof With mourning, and all our country! We well could have spared thy love, Hadst thou never journeyed hither from Worms beyond the Rhine! The whole land lieth orphaned through thee and those brethren of thine!"

{P. 287}

Then in mighty indignation Gunther the hero cried: "Would ye suffer this deadly hatred even now to be laid aside In peace with the homeless warriors, for us and for you it were well. For no guilt of ours is the anger of Etzel the King so fell." The King to the guests gave answer: "Not yet made equal they are, Your sufferings and Etzel's--the bitter travail of war, The scathe and the deadly insult that ye have loaded on me-- For these no man of you living cometh forth into liberty!"

To the King made answer Gernot the stalwart and valorous: "At the least may God incline thee to do one grace unto us: Slay us indeed, the homeless; but let us forth unto you From this prison into the open: for your honour this should ye do. Whatsoever then may betide us, be it quickly over and done. Ye have hosts of men unwounded: if they dare one and all set on, They shall give to the battle-weary death and a soon-won rest. How long shall we knights linger thus grievously distressed?"

Now the warriors of King Etzel would lightly have done them the grace That the heroes forth of the feast-hall should come to the open space. But so soon as Kriemhild heard it, in anguish of wrath she cried Against it; and unto the homeless was this last boon denied. "Nay, noble knights," she pleaded, "the thing ye incline unto Ye never will grant, if ye hearken to faithful counsel and true, To let these murder-lusters set foot forth of the hall! If ye do it, many your kinsmen in the pit of death shall fall. If only three were living, my brethren, Uta's sons, And to free air of heaven came forth those mighty ones, To cool their scalding harness, ye were lost!--not lightly I warn; For verily braver heroes on earth were never born."

Spake Giselher the young Prince: "O fairest sister mine, In an evil hour did I trust thee, at whose word I passed over Rhine {P. 288} A bidden guest to thy country--nay rather to this sore strait! What have I done to the Hunfolk to earn me this evil fate? Unto thee have I kept troth ever; never I wronged thee in aught. Unto Etzel's palace riding I came with this one thought That to me thou wert loving-hearted, O sister cherished of me. Now show unto us thy mercy: ah, surely so it must be!"

"I show unto you no mercy: no mercy to me was shown! Unto me hath Hagen of Troneg foul wrong and ruthless done, And for this is there no atonement, so long as I yet have life; And for this must ye all pay forfeit!" So spake King Etzel's wife. "Yet--yet if Hagen only for hostage to me ye give, Not utterly will I deny you, I will haply let you live, Forasmuch as ye be my brethren; sons of my mother ye are: So will I commune of pardon with these my men of war."

"Now God in Heaven forbid it!" Gernot indignantly cried. "Though yet we numbered a thousand, we would all die side by side-- We who are yet thy kinsmen!--ere one man of us all Shall be rendered up for a hostage: that shame shall never befall." "So then we must needs all perish," did the young Prince Giselher say; "Yet none shall hinder our dying like knights in our war-array. If any be fain to fight us, ready here we stand. No friend I forsake, betraying the troth of my right hand!" Then spake the valiant Dankwart; in the word was his true heart shown: "Verily Hagen my brother standeth not here alone. We asked of them peace: their denial thereof shall work them woe! Yea, by my troth, to their sorrow they yet shall find it so."

Then spake that Daughter of Princes: "O heroes valiant and strong Go forward unto the stairway, and avenge us of our wrong; And to you will I aye be beholden, even as is meet and right, And the insolent outrage of Hagen will I to the full requite. {P. 289} Let none of all their warriors tarry without the door; And I will cause yon feast-hall to be fired at its corners four: So shall I have meet vengeance for all mine anguish of heart!" Swiftly the warriors of Etzel set them to play their part. Them that without were standing they drave back through the door With swords and with hail of javelins: loud rang the battle-roar. Yet in all that stress the princes and liegemen were sundered not: From loyal faith to each other never they swerved one jot.

Then the wife of Etzel commanded to set the hall aflame. Now on the heroes the torment of a fiery furnace came. The house was enwrapped in the leaping flames by a great wind blown. Never, I ween, such anguish by a leaguered host was known! Within were there voices crying: "Woe's me for this horror of pain! Better that dead we were lying in the storm of battle slain! God upon us have mercy!--how utterly are we lost! Grimly the Queen is wreaking her vengeance on all this host!" Cried a voice yet again through the hot reek: "Here must we meet our doom! Unto such a festal high-tide did the false King bid us come? Thirst in this flaming furnace so sore tormenteth me, That fainteth my life and faileth in this mine agony!"

Then shouted Hagen of Troneg: "O noble knights and good, Whoso by thirst is tormented, here let him drink of the blood. In heat thus fiercely scorching better than wine it is: In this our strait moreover may we find none better than this." Then a certain knight which heard him went unto one of the dead; He bowed him down to the death-gash, he loosed the helm from his head; He drank of the blood fresh-flowing, and deep and long he quaffed Of a cup theretofore untasted, and sweet to his lips was the draught. "God guerdon thee, Lord Hagen," the weary warrior cried, "For this good drink I have gotten, who took thy counsel for guide! Never hath cupbearer poured me more soul-refreshing wine. So long as I live am I bounden to thee for this rede of thine." {P. 290} Now when his fellows heard it, that counsel seemed them good, And behold, there was many another that likewise drank of the blood: Therefrom in the frames of the warriors was strength and life renewed; By many a wife on the morrow in the death of her lord was it rued.

From the roof great fragments flaming fell heavily all round; But their heads with the shields they warded, and dashed the brands to the ground. The rolling smoke and the scorching tormented them full sore: Never, I ween, unto heroes befell such pain before. Then again spake Hagen of Troneg: "Stand ye close to the wall: Suffer ye not the firebrands on your helmet-bands to fall, But beneath your feet do ye trample and quench in blood the flame. Unto an evil high-tide at Kriemhild's bidding we came!"

Amid such tribulation the night drew on to an end. And ever the valiant minstrel kept guard with Hagen his friend, Before the palace-portal on his shield-rim resting a hand, Aye watching against new onslaughts from the men of Etzel's land. (C) Much it advantaged the heroes that the hall was vaulted o'er: By reason thereof, in the morning there lived so many the more. Albeit on them at the windows more hotly the flame-tongues played, Unflinching did they withstand them as valour and honour bade.

Then spake the viol-minstrel: "Now go we into the hall. These Huns shall deem peradventure that their enemies one and all Be dead through the fiery torment wherewith we have been beset; But I ween there be some that in grapple of fight shall close with them yet." Then of the Princes Burgundian the youngest, Giselher, spake: "Lo now, a cold wind riseth: the day shall, I trow, soon break. May God in Heaven vouchsafe us that a happier day may dawn! To an ill high-tide by the bidding of my sister were we drawn!" Spake after a space another: "Now I discern the day. Then, seeing nought else remaineth, and for us there is but one way, E'en make you ready, my masters, as needeth to be done. At the least will we die with honour, seeing escape is none."

{P. 291}

Now thought, as he well might, Etzel that the guests by this were dead, Forspent with battle-travail and with flames encompassèd; Yet there six hundred warriors still dauntless stood at bay. No king on earth had ever better knights than they. Now the watchers that spied on the strangers full well by this were ware That many a guest was living, what grievous scathe soe'er And torment had been suffered by the kings and their warrior-band. They beheld in the blackened feast-hall a goodly company stand. Then one brought word unto Kriemhild that yet lived many a foe. "Nay," cried the Queen in amazement, "never can this be so-- Never, that one man living through such a fire could come! Nay, I must needs think rather that all have found one doom."

Full fain would Princes and liegemen yet have been spared to live, Had any been moved by mercy that boon at the last to give. There was none: they could find no daysman in all the Hunfolk's land: Therefore did they for their slaying avenge them with willing hand. A sudden greeting received they in the first of the morning-red, Even a furious onslaught, that the heroes were hardly bestead. With javelins flying before it rolled up that battle-flood; Yet ever the knights unquailing with ranks unbroken stood.

Now were the hosts of Etzel high-wrought and eager-souled, For they looked to win the guerdon of Kriemhild's lavished gold; And they burned to prove them loyal in fulfilling their King's command-- But for many an one doom waited, swift death was hard at hand. Of her gifts and her promises marvels now might the minstrel sing. She bade men bear upon bucklers the gold bright-glittering; And on all that desired and would take it freely did she bestow. Never was wealth so lavished to spur men against a foe.

So a mighty array of warriors all-armed to the door drew near. Then cried the viol-minstrel: "O yea, yet are we here! {P. 292} Never so gladly beheld I heroes come to the fight As these which have taken the treasure of the King to do us despite." Then many a stern voice shouted: "Ye heroes, come more nigh! Make ye an end of us quickly, seeing we needs must die! Here shall ye find none waiting save them whom death is to win!" Soon were the bucklers heavy with the spears that quivered therein.

What shall I more say?--hundreds twelve, with toil and strain Of mightiest sword-strokes battled to break through once and again; But with gaping wounds the defenders cooled their fiery mood. By none could their strife be parted: rushed in torrents the blood Out of the death-deep gashes: fast, fast men fell and died. Lamentation for dear friends perished shrieked up on every side. So fought they, till all those champions of Etzel the mighty fell, And nought was heard but the wailing of them that loved them well.

XXXVII. How the Margrave Rüdiger was slain

That morn had the homeless heroes like battling giants warred. And now came into the courtyard of the palace Gotlind's lord; And he saw what fearful havoc had been wrought unto Hun and to guest. Wept Rüdiger the true-hearted with sorrow-burdened breast. "Alas and alas," cried the hero, "that I live this day to see! And none can now put an ending to this calamity! Fain would I make reconcilement, but now no word of peace Will the King hear, seeing that ever doth the mischief done him increase." Then Rüdiger the noble sent unto Dietrich of Bern, If perchance some little relenting he might win from Etzel the stern. But the Lord of Bern sent answer: "The doom who now may stay? No man will King Etzel suffer to stand between him and the prey."

{P. 293}

Then a certain man of the Hunfolk saw Rüdiger making dole With weeping eyes; for long time had he stood there bitter of soul. And spake to the Queen that scorner: "Behold him idly stand Whom Etzel and thou have exalted above all else in the land! Lordships he hath and vassals; to him all minister. Wherefore be castles so many committed to Rüdiger, Those stately towers that he holdeth now of the King our Lord? No knightly blow hath he stricken in this war-storm with his sword. Meseemeth he recketh little what here unto us may betide, So himself be full of substance and his greed be satisfied. Men vaunt him a champion braver than any in all our array: Little enow hath he proved it in this our evil day!"

In sorrow and wrath the hero, the man of the loyal heart, Glared on the Hunnish mocker who hurled that slander-dart. He thought: "For this thou payest! A craven am I, saidst thou? In the presence of kings too loudly hast thou told thy story now!" He clenched his fist in his anger; full on the scoffer he ran, And with such might resistless he smote that Hunnish man, That down to the earth he dashed him, and dead at his feet did he lie. But the sorrow of King Etzel was made but the more thereby. "Away with thee, vile caitiff!" did the good knight Rüdiger cry. "Trouble enow and anguish of soul before had I! What hast thou to do to taunt me that here I have struck no blow? Of a truth to hate yon strangers reason have I enow. Yea, now were I striving against them to the uttermost of my might, Were it not that I was escort hither to prince and knight. Yea, it was I that convoyed them to my lord Etzel's land; Therefore I may not against them uplift my wretched hand." Then to the Lord of the Marches did Etzel the great King say: "Rüdiger, noble hero, how hast thou helped us to-day? Good sooth, in the land have perished more than enough of my folk: No more murders are needed! Thou hast stricken an evil stroke." {P. 294} But the noble knight made answer: "He angered my spirit sore; For he taunted me with mine honours and my wealth's unstinted store, With the gifts that with hand ungrudging thou hast heaped upon me, O King! Of a truth to the reckless liar was his scoff an evil thing!"

Drew nigh that Daughter of Princes, which also had seen it done, That deed which the hero's anger had wrought on the hapless Hun. Bitterly did she lament it, many a tear she shed; And unto Rüdiger spake she: "Wherein have we merited That to me and the King yet further thou shouldst multiply sorrow and pain? Thou hast, O Rüdiger, promised unto us, yea, once and again, That thou wouldst venture thine honour, yea, and thy life for us. Oft have I heard knights yield thee the prize of the valorous. Of the oath-plight now I remind thee that thou swarest by thy right hand, When, chosen of knights, thou didst woo me to be queen of Etzel's land, That thou wouldst render me service even to our life's end. Never--ah me all-hapless!--had I such need of a friend!"

"O Queen, no whit I deny it, an oath unto thee did I take That my life and my very honour I would venture for thy sake. But to peril my soul's salvation!--that have I never sworn. It was I that brought to this high-tide those princes nobly-born." "Rüdiger," said she, "bethink thee of that thy plighted troth, How that in all mine affliction--thou didst promise and seal it by oath-- Aye wouldst thou be mine avenger, in my wrongs wouldst stand by my side." Made answer the Lord of the Marches: "Never yet hath my word been belied!"

Then did the great King Etzel set him withal to entreat; And they knelt in supplication, they twain, at the hero's feet. Then was the noble Margrave 'neath a burden of sorrow bowed, And the loyal knight in anguish of spirit cried aloud: "Woe's me, the God-forsaken, that I live to see this day! All my manhood's honour must I now cast away, {P. 295} All loyal faith God-given, and all my knightly renown! Ah God in Heaven, why rather may death not smite me down? Which deed soever I turn from, to take the other on me, I play the part of a traitor, I act all evilly. Though I take the part of neither, still will the world cry shame. Oh that He now would guide me, from whose fashioning hands I came!"

They hung upon him so sorely, the King and Kriemhild his wife, That doomed was many a warrior to cast away his life By Rüdiger's right hand smitten, yea, the hero's self must die. Now hearken ye to the story of the woe he won thereby. Well knew he that scathe and sorrow unmixed should be all his gain. Of a truth unto Etzel and Kriemhild had he denied full fain Herein to fulfil their pleasure. A dark thought haunted his breast, That the world would hold him accursèd if he slew one single guest.

Then spake once more unto Etzel that hero battle-bold: "Lord King, take back, I pray thee, all things that of thee I hold, My lordships and my castles--I will keep nor wealth nor lands. Forth on my feet into exile will I fare with empty hands. (C) Stripped bare of all my possessions thy land will I leave--to be free! Only my wife and my daughter will I lead by the hand with me. I choose this, rather than passing to meet death perjured-souled. In an evil hour to thy service did I bind me to earn thy gold!" But answer made King Etzel: "Who then shall mine helper be? Behold, thy land and thy vassals, all these I committed to thee To the end that thou mightest avenge me on whoso should do me despite. Do this, and next unto Etzel shalt thou reign in kingly might."

But Rüdiger made answer: "How can I do this thing? Unto mine house I bade them with friendly welcoming, With meats and with drinks love-lavished their feast did I array, And I gave to them gifts at parting--shall I fall on them now and slay? {P. 296} What if the world misdeem me, and say that Rüdiger quailed? At the least in all true service to them have I never failed. If now I should fall upon them, that were a deed most vile. I should sorely rue the friendship knit up with these erewhile. I gave to wife my daughter unto Giselher the thane: On earth no worthier bridegroom for my dear child could I gain, Nor in knightly spirit nor honour, nor in faith, nor in this world's good. Never was prince thus youthful so chivalrous of mood."