HKB
1843
"No, as thou dost love me," / Hagen straight replied; "If from this hall thou partest, / such ill may thee betide At hands of these bold warriors / and from the swords they bear, That I must haste to help thee, / though here our kinsmen's bane it were.
1844
"Soon as we two together / have joined with them in fight, A pair or two among them / will surely hasten straight Hither to this hall here, / and work such havoc sore Upon our sleeping brethren, / as must be mourned evermore."
1845
Thereto gave answer Volker: / "So much natheless must be, That they do learn full certain / how I the knaves did see, That the men of Kriemhild / hereafter not deny What they had wrought full gladly / here with foulest treachery."
1846
Straightway then unto them / aloud did Volker call: "How go ye thus in armor, / ye valiant warriors all? Or forth, perchance, a-robbing, / Kriemhild's men, go ye? Myself and my companion / shall ye then have for company."
1847
Thereto no man gave answer. / Wrathful grew his mood: "Fie, ye caitiff villains," / spake the hero good, "Would ye us so foully / have murdered while we slept? With knights so high in honor / full seldom thus hath faith been kept."
1848
Then unto Queen Kriemhild / were the tidings borne, How her men did fail their purpose: / 'twas cause for her to mourn. Yet otherwise she wrought it, / for grim she was of mood: Anon through her must perish / full many a valorous knight and good.
THIRTY-FIRST ADVENTURE
How they went to Mass
1849
"So cool doth grow my armor," / Volker made remark, "I ween but little longer / will endure the dark. By the air do I perceive it, / that soon will break the day." Then waked they many a warrior / who still in deepest slumber lay.
1850
When brake the light of morning / athwart the spacious hall, Hagen gan awaken / the stranger warriors all, If that they to the minster / would go to holy mass. After the Christian custom, / of bells a mickle ringing was.
1851
There sang they all uneven, / that plainly might ye see How Christian men and heathen / did not full well agree. Each one of Gunther's warriors / would hear the service sung, So were they all together / up from their night-couches sprung.
1852
Then did the warriors lace them / in so goodly dress, That never heroes any, / that king did e'er possess, More richly stood attired; / that Hagen grieved to see. Quoth he: "Ye knights, far other / here must your attire be.
1853
"Yea, know among you many / how here the case doth stand. Bear ye instead of roses / your good swords in hand, For chaplets all bejewelled / your glancing helmets good, Since we have well perceived / how is the angry Kriemhild's mood.
1854
"To-day must we do battle, / that will I now declare. Instead of silken tunic / shall ye good hauberks wear, And for embroidered mantle / a trusty shield and wide, That ye may well defend you, / if ye must others' anger bide.
1855
"My masters well beloved, / knights and kinsmen true, 'Tis meet that ye betake you / unto the minster too, That God do not forsake you / in peril and in need, For certain now I make you / that death is nigh to us indeed.
1856
"Forget ye not whatever / wrong ye e'er have done, But there 'fore God right meekly / all your errors own; Thereto would I advise you, / ye knights of high degree, For God alone in heaven / may will that other mass ye see."
1857