Part 19 (1/2)

But she stands and may scarce move forward, and a red flush lighteth her face As her eyes seek out Queen Brynhild in the height of the golden place.

But lo, as a swan on the sea spreads out her wings to arise From the face of the darksome ocean when the isle before her lies, So Brynhild arose from her throne and the fas.h.i.+oned cloths of blue When she saw the Maid of the Niblungs, and the face of Gudrun knew; And she gathers the laps of the linen, and they meet in the hall, they twain, And she taketh her hands in her hands and kisseth her sweet and fain: And she saith: ”Hail, sister and queen! for we deem thy coming kind: Though forsooth the hall of Brynhild is no weary way to find: How fare the kin of the Niblungs? is thy mother happy and hale, And the ancient of days, thy father, the King of all avail?”

”It is well with my house,” said Gudrun, ”and my brethren's days are fair, And my mother's morns are joyous, and her eves have done with care; And my father's heart is happy, and the Niblung glory grows, And the land in peace is lying 'neath the lily and the rose: But love and the mirth of summer have moved my heart to come To look on thy measureless beauty, and seek thy glory home.”

”O be thou welcome!” said Brynhild; ”it is good when queen-folk meet.

Come now, O goodly sister, and sit in my golden seat: There are lovely hours before us, and the half of the summer day; And what is the night of summer that eve should drive thee away?”

So they sat, they twain, in the high-seat; and the maidens bore them wine, And they handled Dwarf-wrought treasures with their fingers fair and fine, And lovely they were together, and they marvelled each at each: Yet oft was Gudrun silent, and she faltered in her speech, As they matched great Kings and their war-deeds, and told of times that were, And their fathers' fathers' doings, and the deaths of war-lords dear.

And at last the twain sat silent, and spake no word at all, And the western sky waxed ruddy, for the sun drew near its fall; And the speech of the murmuring maidens, and the voice of the toil of folk, Died out in the hall of Brynhild as the garden-song awoke.

Then Brynhild took up the word, and her voice was soft as she said: ”We have told of the best of King-folk, the living and the dead; But hast thou heard, my sister, how the world grows fair with the word Of a King from the mountains coming, a great and marvellous lord, Who hath slain the Foe of the G.o.ds, and the King that was wise from of old; Who hath slain the great Gold-wallower, and gotten the ancient Gold; And the hand of victory hath he, and the overcoming speech, And the heart and the eyes triumphant, and the lips that win and teach?”

Then met the eyes of the women, and Brynhild's word died out, And bright flushed Gudrun's visage, and her lips were moved with doubt.

But again spake Brynhild the wise: ”He is come of a marvellous kin, And of men that never faltered, and goodly days shall he win: Yea now to this land is he coming, and great shall be his fame; He is born of the Volsung King-folk, and Sigurd is his name.”

Then all the heart laughed in her, but the speech of her lips died out, And red and pale waxed Gudrun, and her lips were moved with doubt, Till she spake as a Queen of the Earth: ”Sister, the day grows late, And meseemeth the watch of the earl-folk looks oft from the Niblung gate For the gleam of our golden wains and the dust-cloud thin and soft; But nought shall they now behold them till the moon-lamp blazeth aloft.

Farewell, and have thanks for thy welcome and thy glory that I have seen, And I bid thee come to the Niblungs while the summer-ways are green, That we thine heart may gladden as thou gladdenedst ours today.”

And she rose and kissed her sweetly as one that wendeth away: But Brynhild looked upon her and said: ”Wilt thou depart, And leave the word unspoken that lieth on thine heart?”

Then Gudrun faltered and spake: ”Yea, hither I came in sooth, With a dream for thine eyes of wisdom, and a prayer for thine heart of ruth: But young in the world am I waxen, and the scorn of folk I fear When I speak to the ears of the wise, and a maiden's dream they hear.”

”I shall mock thee nought,” said Brynhild; ”yet who shall say indeed But my heart shall fear thee rather, nor help thee in thy need?”

Then spake the daughter of Giuki: ”Lo, this was the dream I dreamed: For without by the door of the Niblungs I sat in the morn, as meseemed; Then I saw a falcon aloft, and a glorious bird he was, And his feathers glowed as the gold, and his eyes as the sunlit gla.s.s: Hither and thither he flew about the kingdoms of Kings, And fear was borne before him, and death went under his wings: Yet I feared him not, but loved him, and mine eyes must follow his ways, And the joy came into my heart, and hope of the happy days: Then over the hall of the Niblungs he hung a little s.p.a.ce And stooped to my very knees, and cried out kind in my face; And fain and full was my heart, and I took him to my breast, And I cherished him soft and warm, for I deemed I had gotten the best.”

So speaketh the Maid of the Niblungs, and speech her lips doth fail, And she gazeth on Brynhild's visage, and seeth her waxen pale, As she saith: ”'Tis a dream full goodly, and nought hast thou to fear; Some glory of Kings shall love thee and thine heart shall hold him dear.”

Again spake the daughter of Giuki: ”Not yet hast thou hearkened all: For meseemed my breast was reddened, as oft by the purple and pall, But my heart was heavy within it, and I laid my hand thereon, And the purple of blood enwrapped me, and the falcon I loved was gone.”

Yet pale was the visage of Brynhild, and she said: ”Is it then so strange That the wedding-lords of the Niblungs their lives in the battle should change?

Thou shalt wed a King and be merry, and then shall come the sword, And the edges of hate shall be whetted and shall slay thy love and thy lord, And dead on thy breast shall he fall: and where then is the measureless moan?

From the first to the last shalt thou have him, and scarce shall he die alone.

Rejoice, O daughter of Giuki! there is worse in the world than this: He shall die, and thou shalt remember the days of his glory and bliss.”

”I woke, and I wept,” said Gudrun, ”for the dear thing I had loved: Then I slept, and again as aforetime were the gates of the dream-hall moved, And I went in the land of shadows; and lo I was crowned as a queen, And I sat in the summer-season amidst my garden green; And there came a hart from the forest, and in n.o.ble wise he went, And bold he was to look on, and of fas.h.i.+on excellent Before all beasts of the wild-wood; and fair gleamed that glorious-one, And upreared his s.h.i.+ning antlers against the very sun.

So he came unto me and I loved him, and his head lay kind on my knees, And fair methought the summer, and a time of utter peace.

Then darkened all the heavens and dreary grew the tide, And medreamed that a queen I knew not was sitting by my side, And from out of the din and the darkness, a hand and an arm there came, And a golden sleeve was upon it, and red rings of the Queen-folk's fame: And the hand was the hand of a woman: and there came a sword and a thrust And the blood of the lovely wood-deer went wide about the dust.

Then I cried aloud in my sorrow, and lo, in the wood I was, And all around and about me did the kin of the wild-wolves pa.s.s.

And I called them friends and kindred, and upreared a battle-brand, And cried out in a tongue that I knew not, and red and wet was my hand.

Lo now, the dream I have told thee, and nought have I held aback.

O Brynhild, what wilt thou tell me of treason and murder and wrack?”

Long Brynhild stood and pondered and weary-wise was her face, And she gazed as one who sleepeth, till thus she spake in a s.p.a.ce: ”One dream in twain hast thou told, and I see what I saw e'en now, But beyond is nought but the darkness and the measureless midnight's flow: Thy dream is all areded; I may tell thee nothing more: Thou shalt live and love and lose, and mingle in murder and war.

Is it strange, O child of the Niblungs, that thy glory and thy pain Must be blent with the battle's darkness and the unseen hurrying bane?

Do ye, of all folk on the earth, pray G.o.d for the changeless peace, And not for the battle triumphant and the fruit of fame's increase?

For the rest, thou mayst not be lonely in thy welfare or thy woe, But hearts with thine heart shall be tangled: but the queen and the hand thou shalt know.