Page 23

Part of the Second Lay of Helgi Hundings-Bane (1)

Helgi wedded Sigrun, and they begate sons together, but Helgi lived not to be old; for Dag, (2) the son of Hogni, sacrificed to Odin, praying that he might avenge his father. So Odin lent Dag his spear, and Dag met Helgi, his brother-in-law, at a place called Fetter-grove, and thrust him through with that spear, and there fell Helgi dead; but Dag rode to Sevafell, and told Sigrun of the news.

     DAG:
     Loth am I, sister
     Of sorrow to tell the,
     For by hard need driven
     Have I drawn on the greeting;
     This morning fell
     In Fetter-grove
     The king well deemed
     The best in the wide world,
     Yea, he who stood
     On the necks of the strong."

     SIGRUN:
     All oaths once sworn
     Shall bite thee sore,
     The oaths that to Helgi
     Once thou swarest
     At the bright white
     Water of Lightening, (3)
     And at the cold rock
     That the sea runneth over.

     May the ship sweep not on
     That should sweep at its swiftest,
     Though the wind desired
     Behind thee driveth!
     May the horse never run
     That should run at his most might
     When from thy foe's face
     Thou hast most need to flee!

     May the sword never bite
     That thou drawest from scabbard
     But and if round thine head
     In wrath it singeth!

     Then should meet price be paid
     For Helgi's slaying
     When a wolf thou wert
     Out in the wild-wood,
     Empty of good things
     Empty of gladness,
     With no meat for thy mouth
     But dead men's corpses!

     DAG:
     With mad words thou ravest,
     Thy wits are gone from thee,
     When thou for thy brother
     Such ill fate biddest;
     Odin alone
     Let all this bale loose,
     Casting the strife-runes
     'Twixt friends and kindred.

     Rings of red gold
     Will thy brother give thee,
     And the stead of Vandil
     And the lands of Vigdale;
     Have half of the land
     For thy sorrow's healing,
     O ring-arrayed sweetling
     For thee and thy sons!

     SIGRUN:
     No more sit I happy
     At Sevafell;
     At day-dawn, at night
     Naught love I my life
     Till broad o'er the people
     My lord's light breaketh;
     Till his war-horse runneth
     Beneath him hither,
     Well wont to the gold bit --
     Till my king I welcome.

     In such wise did Helgi
     Deal fear around
     To all his foes
     And all their friends
     As when the goat runneth
     Before the wolf's rage
     Filled with mad fear
     Down from the fell.

     As high above all lords
     Did Helgi beat him
     As the ash-tree's glory
     From the thorn ariseth,
     Or as the fawn
     With the dew-fell sprinkled
     Is far above
     All other wild things,
     As his horns go gleaming
     'Gainst the very heavens.

     HELGI:
     Now shalt thou, Hunding
     For the help of each man
     Get ready the foot-bath,
     And kindle the fire;
     The hounds shalt thou bind
     And give heed to the horses,
     Give wash to the swine
     Ere to sleep thou goest.

     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.