The Story of the Volsungs Part 21

A bondmaid of Sigrun went in the evening-tide by Helgi's mound, and there saw how Helgi rode toward it with a great company; then she sang--

BONDMAID: It is vain things' beguilling That methinks I behold, Or the ending of all things, As ye ride, O ye dead men, Smiting with spurs Your horses' sides?

Or may dead warriors Wend their ways homeward?

THE DEAD: No vain things' beguiling Is that thou beholdest, Nor the ruin of all things; Though thou lookest upon us, Though we smite with spurs Our horses' sides; Rather dead warriors May wend their ways homeward.

Then went the bondmaid home, and told Sigrun, and sang--

BONDMAID: Go out, Sigrun From Sevafell, If thou listest to look on The lord of thy people!

For the mound is uncovered Thither is Helgi come, And his wounds are bleeding, But the king thee biddeth To come and stay That stream of sorrow.

So Sigrun went into the mound to Helgi, and sang--

SIGRUN: Now am I as fain Of this fair meeting, As are the hungry Hawks of Odin, When they wot of the slaying Of the yet warm quarry, Or bright with dew See the day a-dawning.

Ah, I will kiss My king laid lifeless, Ere thou castest by Thy blood-stained byrny.

O Helgi, thy hair Is thick with death's rime, With the dew of the dead Is my love all dripping; Dead-cold are the hands Of the son of Hogni; How for thee, O my king, May I win healing?

HELGI: Thou alone, Sigrun Of Sevafell, Hast so done that Helgi With grief's dew drippeth; O clad in gold Cruel tears thou weepest, Bright May of the Southlands, Or ever thou sleepest; Each tear in blood falleth On the breast of thy lord, Cold wet and bitter-sharp Swollen with sorrow.

Ah, we shall drink Dear draughts and lovely, Though, we have lost Both life and lands; Neither shall any Sing song of sorrow, Though in my breast Be wounds wide to behold: For now are brides In the mound abiding; Kings' daughters sit By us departed.

Bow Sigrun arrayed a bed in the mound, and sang--

SIGRUN: Here, Helgi, for thee A bed have I dight, Kind without woe, O kin of the Ylfings!

To thy bosom, O king, Will I come and sleep soft, As I was wont When my lord was living.

HELGI: Now will I call Naught not to be hoped for Early or late At Sevafell, When thou in the arms Of a dead man art laid, White maiden of Hogni, Here in the mound: And thou yet quick, O King's daughter!

Now needs must I ride On the reddening ways; My pale horse must tread The highway aloft; West must I go To Windhelm's bridge Ere the war-winning crowd Hall-crower (4) waketh.

So Helgi rode his ways: and the others gat them gone home to the house.

But the next night Sigrun bade the bondwoman have heed of the mound. So at nightfall, thenas Sigrun came to the mound, she sang:

SIGRUN: Here now would he come, If to come he were minded; Sigmund's offspring From the halls of Odin.

O me the hope waneth Of Helgi's coming; For high on the ash-boughs Are the ernes abiding, And all folk drift Toward the Thing of the dreamland.

BONDMAID: Be not foolish of heart, And fare all alone To the house of the dead, O Hero's daughter!

For more strong and dreadful In the night season Are all dead warriors Than in the daylight.

But a little while lived Sigrun, because of her sorrow and trouble.

But in old time folk trowed that men should be born again, though their troth be now deemed but an old wife's dotting. And so, as folk say, Helgi and Sigrun were born again, and at that tide was he called Helgi the Scathe of Hadding, and she Kara the daughter of Halfdan; and she was a Valkyrie, even as is said in the Lay of Kara.

ENDNOTES: (1) Only that part of the song is given which completes the episodes of Helgi Hunding's-bane; the earlier part of the song differs little from the Saga.

(2) Hogni, the father of Dar and Sigrun, had been slain by Helgi in battle, and Helgi had given peace to, and taken oaths of Dag.

(3) One of the rivers of the under-world.

(4) Hall-crower, "Salgofnir": lit. Hall-gaper, the c.o.c.k of Valhall.

PART OF THE LAY OF SIGRDRIFA (1)

Now this is my first counsel, That thou with thy kin Be guiltless, guileless ever, Nor hasty of wrath, Despite of wrong done-- Unto the dead good that doeth.

Lo the second counsel, That oath thou swearest never, But trusty oath and true: Grim tormenting Gripes troth-breakers; Cursed wretch is the wolf of vows.

This is my third rede, That thou at the Thing Deal not with the fools of folk; For unwise man From mouth lets fall Worser word than well he wotteth.

Yet hard it is That holding of peace When men shall deem thee dastard, Or deem the lie said soothly; But woeful is home-witness, Unless right good thou gettest it.

Ah, on another day Drive the life from out him, And pay the liar back for his lying.

Now behold the fourth rede: If ill witch thee bideth, Woe-begatting by the way, Good going further Rather than guesting, Though thick night be on thee.

Far-seeing eyes Need all sons of men Who wend in wrath to war; For baleful women Bide oft by the highway, Swords and hearts to soften.

And now the fifth rede: As fair as thou seest Brides on the bench abiding, Let not love's silver Rule over thy sleeping; Draw no woman to kind kissing!

For the sixth thing, I rede When men sit a-drinking Amid ale-words and ill-words, Dead thou naught With the drunken fight-staves For wine stealeth wit from many.

Brawling and drink Have brought unto men Sorrow sore oft enow; Yea, bane unto some, And to some weary bale; Many are the griefs of mankind.

For the seventh, I rede thee, If strife thou raisest With a man right high of heart, Better fight a-field Than burn in the fire Within thine hall fair to behold.

The eighth rede that I give thee: Unto all ill look thou, And hold thine heart from all beguiling; Draw to thee no maiden, No man's wife bewray thou, Urge them not unto unmeet pleasure.

This is the ninth counsel: That thou have heed of dead folk Whereso thou findest them a-field; Be they sick-dead, Be they sea-dead, Or come to ending by war-weapons.

Let bath be made For such men fordone, Wash thou hands and feet thereof, Comb their hair and dry them Ere the coffin has them; Then bid them sleep full sweetly.

This for the tenth counsel: That thou give trust never Unto oaths of foeman's kin, Be'st thou bane of his brother, Or hast thou felled his father; Wolf in young son waxes, Though he with gold be gladdened.

For wrong and hatred Shall rest them never, Nay, nor sore sorrow.

Both wit and weapons Well must the king have Who is fain to be the foremost.

The last rede and eleventh: Until all ill look thou.

And watch thy friends' ways ever Scarce durst I look For long life for thee, king: Strong trouble ariseth now already.

ENDNOTES: (1) This continues the first part of the lay given in Chapter XX of the Saga; and is, in fact, the original verse of Chapter XXI.

THE LAY CALLED THE SHORT LAY OF SIGURD.

Sigurd of yore, Sought the dwelling of Giuki, As he fared, the young Volsung, After fight won; Troth he took From the two brethren; Oath swore they betwixt them, Those bold ones of deed.