Tale XIX: How the Hegelings Went Home to Their Own Land

The kinsmen of King Hettel upon the sands had leftMany in death’s fast keeping; never knights bereftTheir homeward way had taken, hearts so sorry bringing.Thereafter lovely women for this, with weeping eyes, their hands were wringing.

Ortwin, the knight of Ortland, who to the fight had come,After such shame and losses, back to fair Hilda’s homeFeared to bring these tidings, his mother dear to sadden.She there was waiting daily, hoping her men would bring Gu-drun the maiden.

Wâ-te, fearing sorely, rode to Hilda’s land;The others dared not tell her of the loss on the Wulpensand.Ill in the storm of fighting, his strength her men had warded;Not lightly her forgiveness he hoped to gain, who thus her lord had guarded.

When the word was spoken that Wâ-te near had come,At once were men faint-hearted. Erewhiles when he came home,Back from the war-field riding, it was with war-horns braying.This he did at all times; but now they all were still, and nought were saying.

“Woe’s me!” said Lady Hilda, “what sorrows must we fear?The men of the aged Wâ-te shattered shields now bear;Slowly step the horses, with armor heavy-loaded.Some evil has befallen. Oh! say what harm to the king is now forboded?”

When thus the queen had spoken, but little time had passedEre to the aged Wâ-te crowds came up in haste,Who of friends and kinsfolk tidings now were seeking.Soon a tale he told them with which the hearts of all were well-nigh breaking.

Thus spake the Sturmisch Wâ-te: “Your loss I may not hide,Nor falsehood will I tell you; all in the fight have died.”The young and old together at this with fear were stricken.Ne’er was a throng more wretched; no other woes could one to theirs e’er liken.

“Alas! my bitter sorrow!” said King Hettel’s wife.“From me my lord is sundered, who there laid down his life,The great and mighty Hettel! My pride, how is it fallen!Lost are child and husband! Gu-drun I ne’er shall see, from me forever stolen.”

Then both knights and maidens with sharpest woe were torn;Their sorrow knew no healing. Loudly the queen forlornWas heard, throughout the palace, for her husband mourning.“Ah, wretched me,” cried Hilda, “that now to Hartmut’s side the luck is turning!”

Then spake the brave old Wâ-te: “My lady, end your moan:Home are they coming never, but when to men are grownThe youths within our kingdom, sad days will have an ending;To Ludwig and to Hartmut the like we’ll do, our wrath upon them spending.”

Then quoth the weeping lady: “Alas, that I must live!Whatever I am owning I would most gladly giveCould e’er my wrongs be righted. If but this were granted,That I, poor God-forsaken, might see Gu-drun again, naught else were wanted.”

Old Wâ-te spake to Hilda: “Lady, weep no more.’Tis best that we be sending, before twelve days are o’er,To gather all your warriors, who will help you gladlyTo plan a raid on the foeman; so with the Norman will it yet go badly.”

He said: “My Lady Hilda, list to what befell:Erewhile I took from pilgrims nine ships, and then set sail:These should again be given to those we ill have treated;That when new strifes we’re waging, a better luck to us may then be meted.”

The weeping Hilda answered: “’Tis best that this be done;Ever is it fitting that men for misdeeds atone.To steal the goods of pilgrims is a sin not lightly shriven:For every mark we’ve taken, to them three marks of silver shall be given.”

The ships were brought to the pilgrims, as the queen did say;Not one there was among them, when they sailed away,Who left a curse behind him. For wrongs they found a healing;And for Hilda, Hagen’s daughter, they harbored, when they left, no bitter feeling.

Upon the morrow early, thither to come was seenHerwic, the lord of Sealand; soon he found the queenWeeping for her husband, who in death was lying.She gave the knight a welcome, with hands she ever wrung, and deeply sighing.

Seeing the lady weeping, then, too, to weep beganThe young and lordly Herwic; soon spake that well-born man:“Their lives not all have given, who help to you are owing,And who would gladly grant it; though many by their death their love were showing.

“My arm shall never falter, nor heart from care be free,Till Hartmut feels my anger, who stole the maid from me,And dared from home to tear her, death to many dealing:Soon will I ride to his borders; then will I seize and hold his lands and dwelling.”

His men, though filled with sorrow, rode towards the town,Flocking to Matelan castle. The queen her hope made knownThat, whatsoe’er might happen, their fealty would not weaken;And, though the worst befell them, that she by them would never be forsaken.

To her the men from Friesland and those from Sturmland went,And from the Danish kingdom were warriors likewise sent;The knights of Morunc also, from the land of Waleis riding,Thither came with the Hegelings, to where the fair Queen Hilda was abiding.

Forthwith there came from Ortland, Ortwin, Hilda’s son;Then mourned they, as was fitting, his father dead and gone.Soon were all the warriors aside with their ladies speaking,And talking of the inroad the fighters strong one day would thence be making.

Then said the aged Wâ-te: “This can never beTill those who now are children fully-grown we see,And worthy to be swordsmen. Then, their fathers mourning,And of their kinsmen mindful, gladly will they with us to war be turning.”

Queen Hilda then made answer: “To wait for this were long;Meanwhile Gu-drun, my daughter, held by foemen strong,Must in a far-off kingdom be kept in bondage bitter;And I, poor queen and mother, shall know no bliss, and my heart will ne’er grow lighter.”

Then said the Danish Fru-te: “The maid we cannot freeUntil once more your kingdom shall full of warriors be.Then, for the struggle ready, we hence shall ride, unfearing;And so upon our foemen shall work the greatest ill with blows unsparing.”

To this Queen Hilda answered: “That day may God soon give;But I, unhappy woman, a weary life must live.Whoe’er of me is mindful, and of Gu-drun, poor maiden,Him will I trust most fully, knowing his heart for us with care is laden.”

They now their leave were taking; to them the lady spake:“May he be blest and happy who thought for me shall take.’Tis right that you, brave warriors, to fight for me are ready;Meanwhile for the coming inroad do all you can, and therein be you speedy.”

Wisely then spake Wâ-te, the warrior old and good:“Lady, we should be felling trees in the western wood.Since we to fight have chosen, our hopes upon it staking,The men of every princedom should forty well-built ships for us be making.”

“I too will bid,” quoth Hilda, “that near the deep sea-floodTwenty ships be builded, strong, and firm, and good;And have them fully ready —my hest shall well be heeded—To bear my friends and kindred to where they for the fight will soon be needed.”

Siegfried, lord of Moorland, while their leave they took,With kind and seemly bearing, thus to the women spoke:“You have to tell me only when our time to wait is ending;To sail shall I be ready, nor need you then for me be further sending.”

Then to the sorrowing women, before they spread the sail,The friendly guests, now leaving, bade a kind farewell.The hearts of knights and maidens deep in woe were sinking;Yet warlike deeds they plotted of which their Norman foes were never thinking.

When they at length had ridden back again to their land,Sadly they mourned their losses: then to the Wulpensand,For the sake of the dead, did Hilda bid that food be takenTo the priests for them there praying. The queen was wise, the dead were not forsaken.

There she bade to be builded a minster fair and wide;A house for the sick, and a cloister built they at its side,Near where the slain were buried. In many a land one hearethIts name, and of those there fallen: ‘The church of Wulpensand’ is the name it beareth.