Brot af Sigurðarkviðu

Old Norse

Normalized Old Norse · Guðni Jónsson edition · Source ↗

Stanza 1Eldr nam at æsask en jörð at skjalfa ok hár logi við himni gnæfa; fár treystisk þar fylkis rekka eld at ríða né yfir stíga.

Stanza 2Sigurðr Grana sverði keyrði; eldr sloknaði fyrir öðlingi, logi allr lægðisk fyrir lofgjörnum, bliku reiði er Reginn átti

Brynhildr kvað:

Stanza 3"Sigurðr vá at ormi, en þat síðan mun engum fyrnask, meðan öld lifir; en hlýri þinn hvárki þorði eld at ríða né yfir stíga."

Stanza 4Út gekk Sigurðr andspjalli frá, hollvinr lofða, ok hnipnaði, svá at ganga nam gunnarfúsum sundr of síður serkr járnofinn.

Högni kvað:

Stanza 5"[hvat hefir Sigurðr til] saka unnit, er þú fræknan vill fjörvi næma?"

Gunnar kvað:

Stanza 6"Mér hefir Sigurðr selda eiða, eiða selda, alla logna; þá vélti hann mik, er hann vera skyldi allra eiða einn fulltrúi."

Högni kvað:

Stanza 7"Þik hefir Brynhildr böl at gerva heiftar hvattan harm at vinna; fyrman hon Guðrúnu góðra ráða, en síðan þér sín at njóta."

Stanza 8Sumir ulf sviðu, sumir orm sniðu, sumir Gotþormi af gera deildu; áðr þeir mætti meins of lystir á horskum hal hendr of leggja.

Stanza 9Soltinn varð Sigurðr sunnan Rínar; hrafn af meiði hátt kallaði: "Ykkr mun Atli eggjar rjóða, munu vígskáum of viða eiðar."

Stanza 10Úti stóð Guðrún Gjúka dóttir, ok hon þat orða

alls fyrst of kvað:

"Hvar er nú Sigurðr, seggja dróttinn, er frændr mínir fyrri ríða?"

Stanza 11Einn því Högni andsvör veitti: "Sundr höfum Sigurð sverði höggvinn; gnapir æ grár jór yfir gram dauðum."

Stanza 12Þá kvað þat Brynhildr Buðla dóttir: "Vel skuluð njóta vápna ok landa; einn mundi Sigurðr öllu ráða, ef hann lengr litlu lífi heldi.

Stanza 13Væri-a þat sæmt, at hann svá réði Gjúka arfi ok Gota mengi, er hann fimm sonu at folkræði, gunnarfúsa, getna hafði."

Stanza 14Hló þá Brynhildr - bær allr dunði - einu sinni af öllum hug: "Lengi skuluð njóta landa ok þegna, er þér fræknan gram falla létuð."

Stanza 15Þá kvað þat Guðrún Gjúka dóttir: "Mjök mælir þú miklar firnar; gramir hafi Gunnar, götvað Sigurðar; heiftgjarns hugar hefnt skal verða."

Stanza 16Fram var kvelda, fjölð var drukkit, þá var hvívetna vilmál talið, sofnuðu allir, er i sæing kómu, einn vakði Gunnarr öllum lengr.

Stanza 17Fót nam-at hræra, fjölð nam-at spjalla, hitt herglötuðr hyggja téði, hvat þeir í bölvi báðir sögðu hrafn ey ok örn, er þeir heim riðu.

Stanza 18Vaknaði Brynhildr Buðla dóttir, dís skjöldunga, fyr dag litlu: "Hvetið mik eða letið mik - harmr er unninn - sorg at segja eða svá láta."

Stanza 19Þögðu allir við því orði, fár kunni þeim fljóða látum, er hon grátandi gerðisk at segja þat er hlæjandi hölða beiddi:

Stanza 20"Hugða ek mér, Gunnarr, grimmt í svefni, svalt allt í sal, ætta sæing kalda; enn þú, gramr, riðir glaums andvani, fjötri fatlaðr, í fjánda lið; svá mun öll yður ætt Niflunga afli gengin, eruð eiðrofa.

Stanza 21Mant-at-tu, Gunnarr, til görva þat, er þit blóði í spor báðir rennduð; nú hefir þú hánum þat allt illu launat, er hann fremstan þik finna vildi.

Stanza 22Þá reyndi þat, er riðit hafði móðigr á vit mín at biðja, hvé herglötuðr hafði fyrri eiðum haldit við inn unga gram.

Stanza 23Benvönd of lét, brugðinn gulli, margdýrr konungr á meðal okkar; eldi váru eggjar útan görvar, en eitrdropum innan fáðar."

Frá dauða Sigurðar

Hér er sagt í þessi kviðu frá dauða Sigurðar, ok víkr hér svá til sem þeir dræpi hann úti, en sumir segja svá, at þeir dræpi hann inni í rekkju sinni sofanda. En þýðverskir menn segja svá, at þeir dræpi hann úti í skógi, ok svá segir í , at Sigurðr ok Gjúkasynir hefði til þings riðit, þá er hann var drepinn. En þat segja allir einnig, at þeir sviku hann í tryggð ok vógu at hánum liggjanda ok óbúnum.

English translation

Henry Adams Bellows · First published 1923 · Source & commentary ↗

Hogni spake:

Stanza 1"(What evil deed | has Sigurth) done, That the hero's life | thou fain wouldst have?"

Gunnar spake:

Stanza 2"Sigurth oaths | to me hath sworn, Oaths hath sworn, | and all hath broken; He betrayed me there | where truest all His oaths, methinks, | he ought to have kept."

Hogni spake:

Stanza 3"Thy heart hath Brynhild | whetted to hate, Evil to work | and harm to win, She grudges the honor | that Guthrun has, And that joy of herself | thou still dost have."

Stanza 4They cooked a wolf, | they cut up a snake, They gave to Gotthorm | the greedy one's flesh, Before the men, | to murder minded, Laid their hands | on the hero bold.

Stanza 5Slain was Sigurth | south of the Rhine; From a limb a raven | called full loud: "Your blood shall redden | Atli's blade, And your oaths shall bind | you both in chains."

Stanza 6Without stood Guthrun, | Gjuki's daughter,

Hear now the speech | that first she spake:

"Where is Sigurth now, | the noble king, That my kinsmen riding | before him come?"

Stanza 7Only this | did Hogni answer: "Sigurth we | with our swords have slain; The gray horse mourns | by his master dead."

Stanza 8Then Brynhild spake, | the daughter of Buthli: "Well shall ye joy | in weapons and lands; Sigurth alone | of all had been lord, If a little longer | his life had been.

Stanza 9"Right were it not | that so he should rule O'er Gjuki's wealth | and the race of the Goths; Five are the sons | for ruling the folk, And greedy of fight, | that he hath fathered."

Stanza 10Then Brynhild laughed-- | and the building echoed-- Only once, | with all her heart; "Long shall ye joy | in lands and men, Now ye have slain | the hero noble."

Stanza 11Then Guthrun spake, | the daughter of Gjuki: "Much thou speakest | in evil speech; Accursed be Gunnar, | Sigurth's killer, Vengeance shall come | for his cruel heart."

Stanza 12Early came evening, | and ale was drunk, And among them long | and loud they talked.; They slumbered all | when their beds they sought, But Gunnar alone | was long awake.

Stanza 13His feet were tossing, | he talked to himself, And the slayer of hosts | began to heed What the twain from the tree | had told him then, The raven and eagle, | as home they rode.

Stanza 14Brynhild awoke, | the daughter of Buthli, The warrior's daughter, | ere dawn of day: "Love me or hate me, | the harm is done, And my grief cries out, | or else I die."

Stanza 15Silent were all | who heard her speak, And nought of the heart | of the queen they knew, Who wept such tears | the thing to tell That laughing once | of the men she had won.

Brynhild spake:

Stanza 16"Gunnar, I dreamed | a dream full grim: In the hall were corpses; | cold was my bed; And, ruler, thou | didst joyless ride, With fetters bound | in the foemen's throng.

Stanza 17". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Utterly now your | Niflung race All shall die; | your oaths ye have broken.

Stanza 18"Thou hast, Gunnar, | the deed forgot, When blood in your footprints | both ye mingled; All to him | hast repaid with ill Who fain had made thee | the foremost of kings.

Stanza 19"Well did he prove, | when proud he rode To win me then | thy wife to be, How true the host-slayer | ever had held The oaths he had made | with the monarch young.

Stanza 20"The wound-staff then, | all wound with gold, The hero let | between us lie; With fire the edge | was forged full keen, And with drops of venom | the blade was damp."

Here it is told in this poem about the death of Sigurth, and the story goes here that they slew him out of doors, but some say that they slew him in the house, on his bed while he was sleeping. But German men say that they killed him out of doors in the forest; and so it is told in the old Guthrun lay, that Sigurth and Gjuki's sons had ridden to the council-place, and that he was slain there. But in this they are all agreed, that they deceived him in his trust of them, and fell upon him when he was lying down and unprepared.