Tale VII: How the Maidens Came to See the Ship, and Were Carried to Hettel’s Kingdom

Early on the morrow, / after the mass was said,
To don their richest clothing / strove each wife and maid:
A throng of these King Hagen / to the sandy shore was leading;
And with them riding gayly / a thousand stalwart Irish knights were speeding.

Within the town of Ballian / the guests had heard the mass.
Of all the woe and sorrow, / that soon would come to pass,
Hagen as yet knew nothing: / little honor was left him
By his guests’ withdrawal; / this of his fair and well-born child bereft him.

When now they all had ridden / to the ships upon the strand,
Queen Hilda and her ladies / were lifted down on the sand.
The young and lovely maidens / to see the ships were taken:
The traders’ booths were open, / and the goods did wonder great in the queen awaken.

Many fair-wrought jewels / lay in sight in the shops,
Such as men prize highly; / King Hagen to see them stops,
And many with him also: / soon as the goods were shown them,
The maidens, too, must see them, / and rings and bands of gold were pressed upon them.

To see the sights King Hagen / into a boat had gone:
Not all the booths were open, / nor all the goods were shown,
When Wâ-te’s men heaved anchor / up from the sea-sands deftly,
And Hilda with her maidens / was borne away from the land of her fathers swiftly.

For no one’s hate and anger / Wâ-te greatly cares;
Little he recks what happens / to the shops of costly wares:
Hilda, the queenly mother, / was sundered from her daughter;
The men, in the ship long hidden, / up-sprang and sorrow made for Hagen on the water.

Then the sails were hoisted, / and ’twas seen that they were set:
From the ship they threw the foemen, / who thoroughly were wet,
Like sea-birds on the water, / when near the sands they flutter.
For her daughter dear-belovéd / sorrow and anger the queen aloud did utter.

When the weaponed fighters / by Hagen there were seen,
Then, in truth, how scornful / and wrathful was his mien!
“Now bring to me my long-spear, / to feel it I will teach them;
They all shall die full quickly / when my strong right arm with that shall reach them!”

Boldly then spoke Morunc: / “Be not so much in haste!
Though now you think to fight us, / and to rush on us so fast
With a thousand well-armed foemen, / we yet will overthrow them,
And fling them into the water; / a damp, cold lodging we will quickly show them!”

Still, brave Hagen’s followers / the fight would not give o’er;
The water shone and glistened / with the armor that they wore;
Then they drew their long-swords, / spears were thickly flying;
But oars were dipped full quickly, / and fast the boats away from the shore were hieing.

The bold and daring Wâ-te / from the sands had given a bound
Into a well-manned row-boat; / loud did his mail resound,
As he, with fifty warriors, / after Hilda hasted:
Hagen’s careless followers / now must rouse themselves, no time they wasted.

Onward came King Hagen; / his fighting-gear he wore,
And a heavy sword, the sharpest, / he proudly with him bore;
But now the aged Wâ-te / almost too long had waited;
Wild and grim was Hagen, / and high his spear he raised ’gainst his foe belated.

Loudly then he shouted, / and bade his men make haste;
None of all his followers / would he allow to rest,
Hoping these guests, now fleeing, / who had been such traitors,
Might be with speed o’ertaken, / and either should be slain, or bound in fetters.

The king had now about him / fighters many and brave,
But yet he could not follow / across the wild sea-wave;
His ships were all unready, / and many of them leaking,
When now he would be sailing; / of Hagen’s blame for this were all soon speaking.

On the gravelly sea-shore standing, / no other way he knew
But that more ships be builded / for him and his liegemen true,
And workmen called together, / who must therein be speedy:
All came who now were able, / and these he found to be both skilled and ready.

Upon the seventh morning, / there left the Irish land
The men sent forth by Hettel / to ask for Hilda’s hand,
And bring to him the lady. / They were a thousand barely;
Hagen brought against them / thirty hundred men, if reckoned fairly.

The daring knights of Denmark / sent men home before,
To carry word to Hettel / that Hagen’s child they bore,
And to his land would bring her, / with honor him befitting.
Though now they little thought it, / still harder work erelong must they be meeting.

To them their master, Hettel, / in happy mood then spoke:
“My sorrows now are over. / Great toils my liegemen took
For me in Hagen’s kingdom, / and now have brought me gladness;
Since they on their errand left me, / fear for their doom has filled my heart with sadness.

“Dear friends, if with your tidings / you have not me betrayed,
And do not tell me falsely / that you have seen the maid
Near to my land and kingdom, / and in my friends’ safe-keeping,
For your tale will I reward you, / and gladly will your praise be ever speaking.”

They said: “No lie we tell you, / that we the maid have seen;
But when we miles had measured, / the daughter of the queen
Sadly said, for our welfare / she feared, and was heavy-hearted,
Lest the king, her father, / to follow with his ships e’en then had started.”

For the tidings, Hettel gave them / a hundred marks in worth;
For all his knights there gathered, / men at once brought forth
Swords as well as helmets, / and shields for them were bidden:
Thus from Hettel’s castle / they went, as if to court, to bring the maiden.

All the men he was able / Hettel for this now sought;
Greatly was he hoping, / and much thereof he thought,
So great a host to muster, / and these so well outfitted,
That never to king’s fair daughter / so fine a welcome might again be meted.

In haste were all then bidden / who ought with him to go;
They still made ready slowly, / till gifts he should bestow
Of all things that they needed; / they for this were waiting.
At length by him were gathered / a thousand men or more, for Hilda’s greeting.

Gay were they in clothing,— / ’gainst this could none say nay,—
Poor as well as wealthy / were shining in war-array:
To bring the lovely ladies / to their new home and dwelling
Were Hettel’s lieges earnest; / with lofty hopes of this their hearts were swelling.

Soon as they left the castle, / shouts the land did fill,
As they their way were making / thro’ lowland and o’er hill;
Men saw upon the pathways / crowds still thronging nearer:
Hettel hastened forward, / to see the maid, than every other dearer.

At last the aged Wâ-te, / the knight from the Sturmisch land,
Had reached the Waalisch marches / and stepped upon the sand.
There on the shore were gathered / the sailors, water-weary;
Shelter they sought for Hilda, / and in a friendly land were glad to tarry.

Stakes for tents were driven / near to the broad sea-flood
By the followers of Wâ-te; / they were in happy mood.
Erelong the news was bruited, / and soon to them was given,
That Hettel, king of the Hegelings, / had left his home, and now was near them even;

And that he with many liegemen / was riding down to the shore,
To meet his well-belovéd. / Now hoped the maids the more
That she with greatest honor / should, as her birth befitted,
Be brought into his kingdom. / No more the thought of strife their hearts affrighted.

The guests for nothing wanted, / they had both wine and food;
Those who were living near them / freely on them bestowed
The best that they were able; / the wants of all they heeded;
Whate’er they had they gave them, / and left them not to lack for aught they needed.

Hettel now drew nearer / to those who had reached his land;
And with him, gathered hastily, / the strong and goodly band,
Drawn from his father’s kingdom. / They came bedecked so gaily,
And in such glittering armor, / the guests looked on full glad, and praised them freely.

Then the men of the Hegelings / came down upon the plain,
And soon the rushing riders / a tilting-match began;
All with youthful boldness / for knightly prizes striving:
Then came the Danish Fru-te, / and with him Wâ-te, wise as any living.

They were seen from afar by Hettel; / happy in heart was he.
His horse he set a-prancing; / right glad was he to see
Two of his bravest liegemen, / sent by him o’er the water,
With fighters bold to Ireland, / in hopes to win for him wild Hagen’s daughter.

On him, too, looked they gladly, / their worthy king, so good;
Each day they spent there with him / found them in happy mood.
Wâ-te with all his fellows, / while far away they were living,
Had known much bitter hardship: / for this would Hettel now reward be giving.

As he met his friendly liegemen, / King Hettel wore a smile;
Then said he to them kindly: / “Much have I feared erewhile
For you, my faithful helpers, / and a heavy heart was bearing,
Lest in Hagen’s castles / my men were held, and all were bondage sharing.”

Then for love he kissed them, / both those gray old men;
His eyes had never rested / on so glad a sight as then,
Nor on a fairer pasture / had fed, with longing fonder.
I ween that never to Hettel / was aught so full of bliss and sudden wonder.

Then spake the aged Wâ-te: / No harm to us was done;
But yet a sway so mighty / I ne’er before have known,
As this that wild King Hagen / over his lands now wieldeth:
His followers bear them proudly, / and he himself in strength to no one yieldeth.

“It was a day as happy / as ever could be thought,
When we to you sent tidings / that we had Hilda brought,
The loveliest of maidens / (no falsehood have I spoken,
Believe the tale I tell you) / that ever in this world my eyes did look on.”

The high-born knight then added: / “Belike with greatest speed
Will come these daring foemen; / for this should you take heed
Lest the angry Hagen / soon shall overtake us
Here within your marches; / if so, his hatred bitter woe will make us.”

Then Wâ-te and Sir Fru-te / down to the shore did bring
Many worthy followers, / knights of Hettel, the king,
There to see fair Hilda, / and there must they await her.
Upon their shining bucklers / many a spear-shaft crashed in battle later.

Now came the fair young maiden, / under a comely hat;
Then all the men of the Hegelings / who on their horses sat
By the side of the king, their master, / upon the grass alighted.
With merry hearts then gladly / the well-bred throng their love and friendship plighted.

Irold, he of Ortland, / and Morunc of the Frisian land,
Both of those brave champions, / one on either hand,
Came with lovely Hilda, / and Hettel soon were meeting;
Worthy was she of praises. / Now thought the maid to give the king her greeting.

With her there came young maidens, / twenty or even more,
All clad in fair white linen,— / whiter none e’er wore,—
Or best of silken clothing, / that could be found by any:
Proud were they to wear them, / and, gaily decked, they there were seen by many.

The king, both good and stately, / then began to greet
With well-bred, seemly bearing, / the maid he thought was meet
To wear the crown hereafter. / He gazed on her with yearning;
Her in his arms he folded, / and fondly kissed the maid, her face upturning.

Then one by one he welcomed / all the maidens fair;
But one there was among them / so lofty in her air
She might of birth be kingly: / in nought her kin were lacking.
She was one of the maidens / who with the griffin long her home was making.

She bore the name of Hildeburg: / from Hilda, Hagen’s wife,
She ever had won the honor / befitting her worthy life;
Born in the land of Portugal, / thence had she been taken.
She now saw many strangers: / a longing sad for her friends did this awaken.

Hettel to all the maidens / gave a welcome free,
Yet was their lot no brighter; / for when they thought to see
An end of all their sadness, / upon the coming morrow,
Soon as the day was dawning, / there came to them again as great a sorrow.

Her throng of high-born followers / were greeted on every side;
Near to Hagen’s daughter / on a flowery meadow wide,
Under silken awnings, / many there were seated.
But Hagen was now too near them; / to them from him must many ills be meted.