The Lament of Oddrun

THERE was a king hight Heidrik, and his daughter was called Borgny, and the name of her lover was Vilmund. Now she might nowise be made lighter of a child she travailed with, before Oddrun, Atli’s sister, came to her, — she who had been the love of Gunnar, Giuki’s son. But of their speech together has this been sung:

I have heard tell
 In ancient tales
 How a may there came
 To Morna-land,
 Because no man
 On mould abiding
 For Heidrik’s daughter
 Might win healing.

 All that heard Oddrun,
 Atli’s sister,
 How that the damsel
 Had heavy sickness,
 So she led from stall
 Her bridled steed,
 And on the swart one
 Laid the saddle.

 She made her horse wend
 O’er smooth ways of earth,
 Until to a high-built
 Hall she came;
 Then the saddle she had
 From the hungry horse,
 And her ways wended
 In along the wide hall,
 And this word first
 Spake forth therewith:

 “What is most famed,
 Afield in Hunland,
 Or what may be
 Blithest in Hunland?”

 QUOTH THE HANDMAID

“Here lieth Borgny,
 Borne down by trouble,
 Thy sweet friend, O Oddrun,
 See to her helping!”

 ODDRUN SAID

“Who of the lords
 Hath laid this grief on her,
 Why is the anguish
 Of Borgny so weary?”

 THE HANDMAID SAID

“He is hight Vilmund,
 Friend of hawk-bearers,
 He wrapped the damsel
 In the warm bed-gear
 Five winters long
 Without her father’s wotting.”

 No more than this
 They spake methinks;
 Kind sat she down
 By the damsel’s knee;
 Mightily sang Oddrun,
 Eagerly sang Oddrun,
 Sharp piercing songs
 By Borgny’s side:

 Till a maid and a boy
 Might tread on the world’s ways,
 Blithe babes and sweet
 Of Hogni’s bane:
 Then the damsel forewearied
 The word took up,
 The first word of all
 That had won from her:

 “So may help thee
 All helpful things,
 Fey and Freyia,
 And all the fair Gods,
 As thou hast thrust
 This torment from me!”

 ODDRUN SAID

“Yet no heart had I
 For thy helping,
 Since never wert thou
 Worthy of helping,
 But my word I held to,
 That of old was spoken
 When the high lords
 Dealt out the heritage,
 That every soul
 I would ever help.”

 BORGNY SAID

“Right mad art thou, Oddrun,
 And reft of thy wits,
 Whereas thou speakest
 Hard words to me
 Thy fellow ever
 Upon the earth
 As of brothers twain,
 We had been born.”

 ODDRUN SAID

“Well I mind me yet,
 What thou saidst that evening,
 Whenas I bore forth
 Fair drink for Gunnar;
 Such a thing, saidst thou,
 Should fall out never,
 For any may
 Save for me alone.”

 Mind had the damsel
 Of the weary day
 Whenas the high lords
 Dealt out the heritage,
 And she sat her down,
 The sorrowful woman,
 To tell of the bale,
 And the heavy trouble.

 “Nourished was I
 In the hall of kings —
 Most folk were glad —
 ‘Mid the council of great ones:
 In fair life lived I,
 And the wealth of my father
 For five winters only,
 While yet he had life.

 “Such were the last words
 That ever he spake,
 The king forewearied,
 Ere his ways he went;
 For he bade folk give me
 The gold red-gleaming,
 And give me in Southlands
 To the son of Grimhild.

 “But Brynhild he bade
 To the helm to betake her,
 And said that Death-chooser
 She should become;
 And that no better
 Might ever be born
 Into the world,
 If fate would not spoil it.

 “Brynhild in bower
 Sewed at her broidery,
 Folk she had
 And fair lands about her;
 Earth lay a-sleeping,
 Slept the heavens aloft
 When Fafnir’s-bane
 The burg first saw.

 “Then was war waged
 With the Welsh-wrought sword
 And the burg all broken
 That Brynhild owned;
 Nor wore long space,
 E’en as well might be,
 Ere all those wiles
 Full well she knew.

 “Hard and dreadful
 Was the vengeance she drew down,
 So that all we
 Have woe enow.
 Through all lands of the world
 Shall that story fare forth
 How she did her to death
 For the death of Sigurd.

 “But therewithal Gunnar
 The gold-scatterer
 Did I fall to loving
 And she should have loved him.
 Rings of red gold
 Would they give to Atli,
 Would give to my brother
 Things goodly and great.

 “Yea, fifteen steads
 Would they give for me,
 And the load of Grani
 To have as a gift;
 But then spake Atli,
 That such was his will,
 Never gift to take
 From the sons of Giuki.

 “But we in nowise
 Might love withstand,
 And mine head must I lay
 On my love, the ring-breaker;
 And many there were
 Among my kin,
 Who said that they
 Had seen us together.

 “Then Atli said
 That I surely never
 Would fall to crime
 Or shameful folly:
 But now let no one
 For any other,
 That shame deny
 Where love has dealing.

 “For Atli sent
 His serving-folk
 Wide through the murkwood
 Proof to win of me,
 And thither they came
 Where they ne’er should have come,
 Where one bed we twain
 Had dight betwixt us.

 “To those men had we given
 Rings of red gold,
 Naught to tell
 Thereof to Atli,
 But straight they hastened
 Home to the house,
 And all the tale
 To Atli told.

 “Whereas from Gudrun
 Well they hid it,
 Though better by half
 Had she have known it.
 “Din was there to hear
 Of the hoofs gold-shod,
 When into the garth
 Rode the sons of Giuki.

 “There from Hogni
 The heart they cut,
 But into the worm-close
 Cast the other.
 There the king, the wise-hearted,
 Swept his harp-strings,
 For the mighty king
 Had ever mind
 That I to his helping
 Soon should come.

 “But now was I gone
 Yet once again
 Unto Geirmund,
 Good feast to make;
 Yet had I hearing,
 E’en out from Hlesey,
 How of sore trouble
 The harp-strings sang.

 “So I bade the bondmaids
 Be ready swiftly,
 For I listed to save
 The life of the king,
 And we let our ship
 Swim over the sound,
 Till Atli’s dwelling
 We saw all clearly.

 “Then came the wretch
 Crawling out,
 E’en Atli’s mother,
 All sorrow upon her!
 A grave gat her sting
 In the heart of Gunnar,
 So that no helping
 Was left for my hero.

 “O gold-clad woman,
 Full oft I wonder
 How I my life
 Still hold thereafter,
 For methought I loved
 That light in battle,
 The swift with the sword,
 As my very self.

 “Thou hast sat and hearkened
 As I have told thee
 Of many an ill-fate,
 Mine and theirs —
 Each man liveth
 E’en as he may live —
 Now hath gone forth
 The greeting of Oddrun.”