Adventure
XIX
How the Nibelung Hoard Was Brought to Worms
Now when the noble Kriemhild
a widow thus was made
Count Eckewart was with her,
and in the land he stay’d
With all his men, and daily
he served her without fail,
And helped his lady often
his master to bewail.
At Worms, hard by the minster,
they built for her a hall:
’Twas very wide and lofty,
and richly deck’d withal.
There, with her own attendants,
all joylessly sat she.
She loved the church’s service
and went there willingly.
From where her love lay buried,
she seldom was away;
With sorrow-laden spirit
she went there every day.
She prayed to God Almighty
to keep his soul aright.
And faithfully and often
bewailèd was the knight.
Uté and all her women
to cheer her aye were fain;
Yet was the heart within her
so sorely smit with pain,
However they might comfort
she took not any heed.
She had for her belovèd
such all-surpassing need,
As for a well-loved husband
no other wife ere found.
Thus might one see how virtues
in her did much abound.
Unto her end she mourn’d him,
as long as she had life,
And soon a mighty vengeance
took valiant Siegfried’s wife!
So after all this sorrow—
’tis truth—she did abide
Until the fourth year’s halving
from when her husband died;
Nor all this time ’twixt Gunther
and her did speech arise,
Nor did she once on Hagen,
her enemy, set eyes.
Then Hagen spake, of Tronjé:
“Could you not so contrive
That you might with your sister
in friendly fashion live?
That so unto this country
might come the Niblung gold:
If but the queen were friendly,
your gain were manifold.”
He said: “We must attempt it;
my brothers are with her;
We’ll beg them so to urge her
that she be friendlier,
Until at last prevail we
that she thereto agree.”
Quoth Hagen: “I misdoubt me
that that will ever be.”
He presently bade Ortwein
unto her court to go
Likewise the margrave Gere:
and both of them did so.
And Giselher the youthful
and Gernot, too, they brought,
Who straightway Dame Kriemhilda
in friendly wise besought.
To her the valiant Gernot
of Burgundy then said:
“Too long hast thou, O Lady,
bewail’d thy Siegfried dead!
The king to you will swear that
by him he was not slain.
Still day by day one hears thee
so bitterly complain.”
Said she: “None doth accuse him:
’twas Hagen’s hand that slew;
And where he might be stricken
from me alone he knew.
How could I have believed that
such hate to him he bore?
More care would I have taken”—
the Queen said furthermore—
“Ere any word of mine had
his noble life betray’d:
Then little cause for weeping
should I, poor wife, have had.
No more can I have kindness
for those who this have done.”
Then Giselher besought her,
the brave and comely one.
“To greet the king I’m willing,”
she did at last declare:
With his best friends before her
one saw him soon appear.
But Hagen durst at no time
within her presence go
His guiltiness well knew he;
’twas he who wrought her woe.
Since she her hate to Gunther
was willing to forswear,
’Twould better have beseem’d him
to kiss her then and there.
Were’t not that by his counsel
her sorrows had been made,
He might have met Kriemhilda
with boldness undismay’d.
Ne’er was a reconcilement,
when friend by friend was met,
More tearfully accomplish’d:
her sorrow rankled yet.
Save only one amongst them,
she pardon’d every one:
He ne’er were slain, if Hagen
the murder had not done.
Not very long thereafter
they brought it so about
That unto dame Kriemhilda
the mighty hoard came out
Of Niblung-land, and safely
was to the Rhine conveyed.
It was her wedding dowry,
and rightly hers was made.
’Twas Gernot who went for it,
and with him Giselher
And eighty-hundred liegemen,
who had commands from her
To go and fetch the treasure
from where it lay unseen,
Since Alberich its keeper,
with trusty friends, had been.
Now when they saw the Rhine-men
coming the hoard to take,
The ever-valiant Albrich
unto his comrades spake:
“We dare not keep the treasure
withholden from her power,
Seeing the noble lady
can claim it as her dower.
“Yet never would the matter
have come to such a pass,
Had we not had,” said Albrich,
“the evil luck, alas!
The goodly cap of darkness
with Siegfried’s self to lose:
Which fair Kriemhilda’s husband
was ever wont to use.
“Now evil unto Siegfried
hath happen’d since the day
That from our hands the hero
the Tarnhelm took away,
And all this land by conquest
did to his service bind.”
Then went the treasure-keeper
straightway the keys to find.
At the hill-foot were waiting
the Queen Kriemhilda’s men
And sundry of her kinsmen;
the treasure bore they then
Down to the lake-shore, lading
their vessel with the same:
Then o’er the waves they took it
and up the Rhine-stream came.
Now may you of this treasure
a wondrous story hear:
It took a dozen wagons
it from the mount to bear;
Four days and nights they ceased not
to carry it away;
And each must make the journey,
so laden, thrice a day.
Naught else but gold and jewels
within this treasure lay;
And had one taken from it
what would the whole world pay,
’Twould not have seem’d to eyesight
of one mark’s value quit.
Ay! Not without some reason
did Hagen covet it.
The gem of all lay lowest—
a little rod of gold.
Whoever understood it
he might the mastery hold
In all the world’s dominions,
o’er every race of men.
Of Albrich’s kinsmen many
did follow Gernot then.
As soon as they had carried
the hoard to Gunther’s land,
And thus the queen had taken
the whole into her hand,
The storerooms and the towers
were full as they could hold.
Never of such vast treasure
the marvel hath been told.
And even were the treasure
increased a thousand fold,
And she once more might Siegfried
in health and strength behold,
Gladly to him would Kriemhild
have empty-handed gone:
For never could a hero
a truer wife have won.
Now that she had the treasure,
she brought unto the land
Full many a stranger-warrior;
in truth the lady’s hand
Her bounty gave so largely,
the like had ne’er been known.
This queen had many virtues:
that all the folk did own.
To poor men and to wealthy
she now began to give
So much, that Hagen argued:
if she perchance should live
For long enough, ’twas likely
so many would she win
To stay there in her service,
that ’twould go ill with him.
King Gunther said: “Her own are
her body and estate;
What she shall do with either
how then can I dictate?
Nay, hardly could I compass
that she became thus kind.
So let both gold and silver
go as she hath a mind.”
But to the king said Hagen:
“No prudent man and wise
Would leave to such a woman
a treasure of this size.
In gifts we’ll see her spend it
and squander the whole store,
And then the bold Burgundians
may rue it evermore.”
Then answer’d him king Gunther:
“To her an oath I swore
That I to her would never
do any evil more;
And that will I abide by,
for she my sister is.”
But thereunto said Hagen:
“Let me be blamed for this.”
The oaths that they had taken
they reckon’d all for naught.
And from the widow’s keeping
the mighty hoard they brought,
And quietly did Hagen
of all the keys get hold.
Wroth was her brother Gernot
when he the truth was told.
Then spake the noble Giselher:
“Hagen a deal of ill
Hath done unto my sister:
reckon with him I will.
And were he not my kinsman,
’twould stand him in his life.”
Then once again to weeping
fell Siegfried’s widow’d wife.
Then up and spake Lord Gernot:
“Ere we be troubled aye
By reason of this treasure,
we’ll take it all away
And sink it in the Rhine-stream;
then will it no man’s be.”
To Giselher her brother
then went she woefully.
She spake: “Belovèd brother,
thou must take thought for me;
Of both my life and substance
the guardian thou shouldst be.”
Then spake he to the lady:
“This will I undertake
When we have home returned:
we have a ride to take.”
The king and all his kinsmen
now left their land behind—
The best of all were taken
that one therein could find—
None stay’d save Hagen only;
that did he for the hate
He bore unto Kriemhilda;
with purpose did he wait.
Before the mighty king came
back to his home again,
Hagen had meanwhile managed
the treasure great to gain.
Down in the Rhine at Lochheim
he sank it bodily.
He hoped yet to enjoy it:
but that was not to be.
The princes came back shortly,
and with them many a man.
Of her great loss Kriemhilda
to make complaint began,
And all her maids and ladies:
great was their grief, in sooth.
Ready with faithful service
was Giselher the youth.
They one and all said: “Hagen
hath done us a foul wrong.”
Then from the princes’ anger
he kept aloof for long,
Till he regain’d their favour;
and so they left him free:
Yet never to Kriemhilda
could he more hateful be.
Before Hagen of Tronjé
had hidden thus the hoard,
They made a pact together
and with strong oaths assured,
That it should remain hidden
as long as each should live:
None for himself should take it,
nor to another give.
So now again with sorrow
her heart was desolate:
First for her husband’s murder,
and now that her estate
Had all been taken from her.
Thus she became a prey
Unto her grief for ever
until her dying day.
After the death of Siegfried,
as verily appears,
With many troubles burthen’d
she dwelt for thirteen years;
And all the while could never
forget the warrior dead.
She aye was faithful to him:
that all the people said.