Adventure XIII: How they Fared to the Feast-tide

From the tale of their diligent toiling awhile refraineth the song,And telleth how Lady Kriemhild and all her handmaid-throngSet forth from the land of the Niblungs to the realms by Rhine tofare.Never such wealth of royal vesture did horses bear:For with many a casket and coffer they laded the sumpter-train.Amidst of friends and kinsmen rode Siegfried the hero-thane;And beside him the Daughter of Princes mid dreams of gladness rode:--Ah me, sore grief lay ambushed by the path that their horses trode!

But the little child of Siegfried, but Kriemhild's darling one,Safe in the home-land left they; of need must it so be done.Begotten for him of their journey was bitter affliction and sore.Strong father and lovely mother that child saw never more!Beside them went forth riding Siegmund the ancient king.Ah, had his heart foreboded what sorrow was doomed to springFor him of that festal high-tide, he had never looked thereon!Never from wrongs of kindred such bitter grief had he won!

Forerunners to tell of their coming betimes far onward they sent:Then riding forth to meet them all splendour-gleaming wentMany a friend of Uta and vassal of Gunther the King:With looking for that guest-meeting his heart was hungering.Then went he and spake unto Brunhild, where sat the Queen in herbower:--"When hither thou camest, how welcomed my sister thee in that hour?So will I the wife of Siegfried should be welcomed now of thee.""That will I gladly," she answered, "of right is she dear unto me."Thereunto the great King answered: "To-morrow betimes come they.If thou wilt fitly receive them, lay to thine hand straightway,Lest they peradventure prevent us ere we ride from our towered home;For guests so well-belovèd never to me have come."Forthwith she gave to the maidens and palace-dames her behestTo search out goodly raiment, of all their attire the best,Wherein her retinue-royal in the presence of guests might shine:And the same did they blithe-hearted, lightly may one divine.

Forth to the welcoming hasted all Gunther's liegemen withal;Yea, to ride with him to the greeting each man of his knights did hecall.There rode that Daughter of Princes in royal pomp to meetThose dear-loved guests far-travelled, and with gracious lips togreet.What heaped-up measure of honour in their hands to their guests didthey bring!Men thought that the Lady Brunhild had scarce such welcomingAt the hands of the Princess Kriemhild when she came toBurgundia-land.Friends became some, that were erstwhile strangers, by clasp of hand.By this came the band of warriors that rode at Siegfried's side.Men saw those ranks of heroes hitherward, thitherward rideThrough all the breadth of the lealand, a warrior-host untold:There was no space clear from their thronging, and the clouds of dustuprolled.

When the Lord of the Land Burgundian looked upon Siegfried's faceAnd the eyes of the old king Siegmund, what courtly and loving graceWas his as he cried, "Be welcome to me, to my friends and my kin!Well may we be glad-hearted at this your entering-in!""God guerdon you!" cried Siegmund, the old king honour-athirst."Since the day that my dear son Siegfried was won to your friend atthe first,Ever mine heart hath whispered, 'Their faces must thou too see'."Spake Gunther, "Mine heart rejoiceth for that day risen on me."Such was the welcome of Siegfried, right worthy of such a lord.With the love thereof and the honour were all hearts in accord:This Gernot and Giselher bettered with their knightly courtesy.No guests were welcomed ever, I ween, so lovingly.

Unto hand-clasp and embracing the wives of the two Kings came.Now fast were the saddles emptied, for many a comely dameBy heroes' hands down-holpen, stood on the meadow-green.Who joyed in the service of ladies, had work enow, I ween.To meet and to greet each other those winsome ladies stept,And for joy of their lovely presence full many a knight's heartleapt,And for joy of the gracious greeting of the glory of either land;For beside those comely maidens did many a good knight stand.Then did the hands kind-clasping each unto other cling:There was grace of courtly obeisance through that bright gathering,Sweet salutations of kisses 'twixt ladies passing fair:And the men of Gunther and Siegfried glad-hearted watched them there.

Then tarried they there no longer, but on to the city they rode.And the folk of the Land Burgundian by command of their LordforthshowedTo their guests their joy of the meeting by knightly courtesies;And through all the way they jousted to gladden the ladies' eyes.Hagen of Troneg and Ortwein made manifest that dayTo the eyes of all beholders what stalwart knights were they:Marshals they were of the tourney, and all men obeyed their behests;So of these much courtly service was rendered to those dear guests.There might ye hear shields ringing afront of the castle-gate,Spear-snapping and buckler-crashing: long time on his charger sateThe King mid his friends there watching, or ever within they passed.In many a knightly pastime the bright hours fleeted fast.

Unto the gate of the guest-hall rode they all joyously.Many a rich-wrought housing fashioned fair to seeFrom the saddles of lovely ladies swinging on either handHung to the ground. There waiting did the palace-pages stand.Unto their several chambers by these were the guests led on;And men marked how the eyes of Brunhild glanced ever and anonAskance at the Lady Kriemhild;--sooth, passing-fair she showed,As her bright cheeks' lilies and roses against the red gold glowed.All up through the streets of the city of Worms did the glad soundsringOf that merry company's thronging. His hest gave Gunther the KingUnto his marshal Dankwart to provide for all their need;And to fair-dight harbourage therefore those several guests did helead.

Spread was the feast in the castle and all the city through.Never were guests from a far land so ministered unto!Whatsoever one haply craved for, with joy unto him was it brought:So rich was the Lord of the kingdom that from none withheld theyaught.Lovingly all folk served them and ever ungrudgingly.The King in the great hall feasted, and amidst of his guests sat he;And to Siegfried the place of honour, even as of old, they gave,And with him passed in to the banquet warriors many and brave.Yea, noble knights twelve hundred in that mighty hall were seenWith him at the banquet seated. And ever Brunhild the QueenThought in her heart: "Never vassal hath been so wealthy as this!"Yet still did she bear him a kindness, and she grudged him nought ofhis bliss.

Mid the mirth of the summer evening as sat the King mid his guests,Dew-sprent with the ruddy wine-drops were many rich-wrought vests,As the cupbearers brimming the goblets from table to table wentIn ever-unfailing service tireless-diligent.In the olden courteous fashion whensoe'er was the banquet arrayed,From the board to their bowers of slumber escorted were matron andmaid.Whence came each guest soever, he seemed the King's chief care.In all lovingkindness and honour had each enough and to spare.

When ended now was the night-tide, and the light of the dayspringshone,Out of the sumpter-caskets full many a precious stoneCame flashing on rich-wrought raiment, as forth fair fingers broughtMany a royal vesture, through the scented chests as they sought.Ere day had fully broken, to the court before the hallCame knights and squires full many, and rang from wall to wallThe tourney-clash, ere matins before the King had been sung;And he thanked for their gallant riding those valiant knights andyoung.With strenuous blast the trumpets roared through the morning air,With pipes and drums replying; so mighty was the blareThat Worms the wide-built fortress with clamorous echoes rang.Then here, then there the bold knights upon their chargers sprang.Then in the Land Burgundian a glorious tourney beganWhere good knights thronged to the contest: was many a valiant manWhose young heart with glad courage was thrilled and filled to theheight:Ha! there under shield beheld they many a gallant knight.Adown from the casements gazing in fair adornings arrayedWere many a noble lady and many a lovely maid:They watched while the throngs of brave men played that knightlyplay.Yea, the King himself with his kinsmen rode the lists that day.

So fleeted the summer morning, and the hours seemed all too shortEre the chiming bells of the minster summoned them from the sport.Palfreys they brought for the ladies, and a river of splendour flowedThrough the streets as the valiant warriors behind the proud Queensrode.They lighted down on the greensward before the minster-gate.Still to her guests did Brunhild harbour nought of hate.Hosts, guests, passed crowned together beneath the wide-hung dome.--Soon all that love was sundered; sprang bitter afflictiontherefrom.When the chanting of mass was ended, forth of the doors againCame they in splendour and honour. Passed that gladsome trainOn to the banquet-royal: joy knew nor stint nor stayIn the flowing tide of pleasure--till dawned the eleventh day.

(C) Yet ever the Queen was musing: "Delay no longer will I!In such fashion will I contrive it, that Kriemhild must needs replyWherefore is tribute denied us by her lord thus year after year--Yet is the man but our vassal! From searching I cannot forbear!"(C) So she bided her time till the Devil whispered to her at the lastTo wither the festal glory, and pleasure with pain to blast.The serpent of jealousy coiling round her heart to the light mustcome;And therefrom through many a kingdom spread desolation and doom.