Tale XXXII: How They All Went to Their Homes
Now with the friendly Hegelings none would tarry more.Soon on the way to Alzabie they Herwic’s sister bore,Shouting all for gladness that they the maid were bringing;While, on their watery pathway, with proud and happy hearts, the knights were singing.
Queen Hilda gave, at parting, a kind farewell to them.Tho’ rich were Herwic’s followers when first to her they came,Yet gifts she gave full many to them, when homeward faring.When one is seen so lavish, the name of a wonder-worker is he rightly bearing.
Gu-drun then spake to her mother: “May blessings on you be!Mourn not for the fallen; by both my lord and meShall love to you be given: no more you need be feelingHeaviness or sorrow; your woes shall Herwic’s kindness now be healing.”
To her Queen Hilda answered: “Dearest daughter mine,If you would make me happy, henceforth must friends of thineCome to the land of the Hegeling thrice to see me yearly;Else must I greatly sorrow, and never can bear the loss I feel so nearly.”
Then said Gu-drun, the high-born: “Mother, it shall be done.”At once, with smiles and weeping, and glances backward thrown,She left the castle of Matelan, with many a friendly maiden.Her sorrows now were ended: nought before did ever maids so gladden.
Hither men brought horses, saddled and fitly bred,To bear her hence with her maidens; these their keepers led:Light were all the breastplates, and golden-red each bridle.I ween the ladies wished not longer far from home to linger idle.
Many, with hair down-flowing, and decked with gold, rode there;Methinks from tears and sorrow none could then forbear,Who must at last from Ortrun and from her maids be parted.Should Ortrun be unhappy, Gu-drun would then be sad and heavy-hearted.
Ortrun, betrothed to Ortwin, then her thanks did giveTo fair Gu-drun, the queenly, that she had granted leaveTo hold the Norman kingdom to Hartmut, her knightly brother:“Gu-drun, may God reward you! my cares are gone, I ne’er shall know another.”
To her mother Hilda, also, Ortrun her thanks did say,That she in Ortland’s kingdom the crown should wear one day,Together with King Ortwin, and there be called his lady.Then said to her Queen Hilda that she to grant her this was ever ready.
Ortwin then and Herwic each to the other swore,With strong and steady friendship, that they forevermoreWould sway with right and honor the lands to them belonging,And ever would be earnest to seize and slay whoe’er was either wronging.
Words in this poem
- pathway n.
- A footpath; a beaten track; any path or course. Also used figuratively.
- homeward a.
- Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.
- rightly adv.
- Straightly; directly; in front. [AS. richtlice.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- heaviness n.
- The state or quality of being heavy in its various senses; weight; sadness; sluggishness; oppression; thickness.
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- gladden v. t.
- To make glad; to cheer; to please; to gratify; to rejoice; to exhilarate. [See Glad, v. t.]
- saddled a.
- Having a broad patch of color across the back, like a saddle; saddle-backed.
- ween v. i.
- To think; to imagine; to fancy. [OE. wenen, AS. w, fr. w hope, expectation, opinion; akin to D. waan, OFries. w, OS. & OHG. wan, G. wahn delusion, Icel. van hope, expectation, Goth. w, and D. w]
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- methinks v.
- It seems to me; I think. See Me. [AS. þyncan to seem, me þynceedh, me þuhte, OE. me thinketh, me thoughte; akin to G. dünken to seem, denken to think, and E. think. See Me, and Think.]
- queenly a.
- Like, becoming, or suitable to, a queen. [AS. cwenlic feminine.]
- knightly a.
- Of or pertaining to a knight; becoming a knight; chivalrous; as, a knightly combat; a knightly spirit. [AS. cnihtlic boyish.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Tale XXXII: How They All Went to Their Homes is in the public domain. This text is taken from Kudrun, Project Gutenberg ebook #46109, the Mary Pickering Nichols translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Anonymous, Tale XXXII: How They All Went to Their Homes, in Kudrun (1889), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #46109, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kudrun/tale-xxxii-how-they-all-went-to-their-homes.html, id L26462.
Form and metre
Tale XXXII: How They All Went to Their Homes is 40 lines in 10 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 8 of its 10 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic hexameter.
See other poems in iambic hexameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABB moreA · boreA · bringingB · singingB
- 3 AABB beA · meA · feelingB · healingB
- 4 AABB mineA · thineA · yearlyB · nearlyB
- 5 AAAA doneA · thrownA · maidenA · gladdenA
- 6 AABB bredA · ledA · bridleB · idleB
- 7 AABB thereA · forbearA · partedB · heartedB
- 8 AABB giveA · leaveA · brotherB · anotherB
- 9 AABB sayA · dayA · ladyB · readyB
- 10 AABB sworeA · forevermoreA · belongingB · wrongingB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic hexameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Now with the friendly Hegelings none would tarry more. | 13 | ···/˘·····/˘· |
| Soon on the way to Alzabie they Herwic’s sister bore, | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| Shouting all for gladness that they the maid were bringing; | 13 | /˘··/˘·····/˘ |
| While, on their watery pathway, with proud and happy hearts, the knights were singing. | 19 | ···/˘˘/····/˘····/˘ |
| Queen Hilda gave, at parting, a kind farewell to them. | 13 | ·/˘··/˘···/·· |
| Tho’ rich were Herwic’s followers when first to her they came, | 14 | ·····/˘˘······ |
| Yet gifts she gave full many to them, when homeward faring. | 14 | ·····/˘···/˘/˘ |
| When one is seen so lavish, the name of a wonder-worker is he rightly bearing. | 21 | ·····/˘····/˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Gu-drun then spake to her mother: “May blessings on you be! | 14 | ······/˘·/˘··· |
| Mourn not for the fallen; by both my lord and me | 12 | ····/˘······ |
| Shall love to you be given: no more you need be feeling | 14 | ·····/˘·····/˘ |
| Heaviness or sorrow; your woes shall Herwic’s kindness now be healing.” | 17 | /˘˘·/˘·····/˘··/˘ |
| To her Queen Hilda answered: “Dearest daughter mine, | 12 | ···/˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| If you would make me happy, henceforth must friends of thine | 13 | ·····/˘//···· |
| Come to the land of the Hegeling thrice to see me yearly; | 15 | ······/˘˘····/˘ |
| Else must I greatly sorrow, and never can bear the loss I feel so nearly.” | 19 | ···/˘/˘·/˘·······/˘ |
| Then said Gu-drun, the high-born: “Mother, it shall be done.” | 13 | ·······/˘···· |
| At once, with smiles and weeping, and glances backward thrown, | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘/˘· |
| She left the castle of Matelan, with many a friendly maiden. | 17 | ···/˘·····/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Her sorrows now were ended: nought before did ever maids so gladden. | 17 | ·/˘··/˘····/˘··/˘ |
| Hither men brought horses, saddled and fitly bred, | 12 | /˘··/˘/˘·/˘· |
| To bear her hence with her maidens; these their keepers led: | 13 | ······/˘··/˘· |
| Light were all the breastplates, and golden-red each bridle. | 13 | ····/··/˘··/˘ |
| I ween the ladies wished not longer far from home to linger idle. | 17 | ···/˘··/˘····/˘/˘ |
| Many, with hair down-flowing, and decked with gold, rode there; | 13 | /˘···/˘······ |
| Methinks from tears and sorrow none could then forbear, | 12 | ˘/···/˘···˘/ |
| Who must at last from Ortrun and from her maids be parted. | 14 | ············/˘ |
| Should Ortrun be unhappy, Gu-drun would then be sad and heavy-hearted. | 18 | ····˘/˘·······/˘/˘ |
| Ortrun, betrothed to Ortwin, then her thanks did give | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| To fair Gu-drun, the queenly, that she had granted leave | 13 | ·····/˘···/˘· |
| To hold the Norman kingdom to Hartmut, her knightly brother: | 15 | ···/˘/˘····/˘/˘ |
| “Gu-drun, may God reward you! my cares are gone, I ne’er shall know another.” | 18 | ····˘/·········˘/˘ |
| To her mother Hilda, also, Ortrun her thanks did say, | 14 | ··/˘/˘/˘······ |
| That she in Ortland’s kingdom the crown should wear one day, | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| Together with King Ortwin, and there be called his lady. | 14 | ˘/˘··/˘·····/˘ |
| Then said to her Queen Hilda that she to grant her this was ever ready. | 18 | ·····/˘·······/˘/˘ |
| Ortwin then and Herwic each to the other swore, | 12 | /˘·······/˘· |
| With strong and steady friendship, that they forevermore | 13 | ···/˘/˘······ |
| Would sway with right and honor the lands to them belonging, | 14 | ·····/˘····˘/˘ |
| And ever would be earnest to seize and slay whoe’er was either wronging. | 17 | ·/˘··/˘······/˘/˘ |
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