(BRÜNNHILDE'S ROCK)
THE FIRST ACT
_The interior of a dwelling-place built of wood, with the stem of
a mighty ash-tree as its centre; to the right, in the foreground,
is the hearth, and behind this the store-room. At the back is the
large entrance door; to the left, far back, steps lead up to an inner
chamber; on the same side, nearer the front, stands a table with a
broad bench behind it, fixed to the wall, and with stools in front. The
stage remains empty for a space. Outside a storm is just subsiding.
Siegmund opens the entrance door from without, and enters. With his
hand on the latch he surveys the room. He seems overwhelmed with
fatigue; his dress and appearance indicate that he is in flight. He
shuts the door behind him when he sees nobody, walks to the hearth with
the final effort of an utterly exhausted man, and throws himself down
on a bearskin rug._
SIEGMUND
I rest on this hearth,
Heedless who owns it.
[_He sinks back and remains stretched out
motionless. Sieglinde enters from the inner
chamber; she thinks her husband has returned. Her
grave look changes to one of surprise when she sees
the stranger stretched out on the hearth._
SIEGLINDE [_Still at the back._
A stranger here!
He must be questioned.
[_Coming nearer._
What man came in
And lies on the hearth?
[_As Siegmund does not move, she draws nearer still
and looks at him._
Way-worn, weary
He seems and spent.
Faints he from weariness?
Can he be sick?
[_She bends over him, and listens._
He breathes still, his eyelids
Are sealed but in slumber.
Worthy, valiant his mien,
Though so worn he rests.
SIEGMUND [_Suddenly raising his head._
A drink! A drink!
SIEGLINDE
I go to fetch it.
[_She takes a drinking-horn and hurries out.
She returns with it full, and offers it to
Siegmund._
Lo, the water
Thy thirsting lips longed for:
Water brought at thy wish!
[_Siegmund drinks, and hands her back the horn.
As he signifies his thanks with a movement of the
head, he gazes at her with growing interest._
SIEGMUND
Welcome the water!
Quenched is my thirst.
My weary load
Lighter it makes;
New courage it gives;
Mine eyes that slept
Re-open glad on the world.
Who soothes and comforts me so?
SIEGLINDE
This house and this wife
Belong to Hunding.
Stay thou here as his guest;
Tarry till he comes home.
SIEGMUND
Shelter he surely
Will grant a worn,
Wounded, weaponless stranger.
SIEGLINDE [_With anxious haste._
Quick, show me! Where are thy wounds?
SIEGMUND
[_Shakes himself and springs up briskly to a
sitting posture._
My wounds are slight,
Scarce worthy remark;
My limbs are well knit still,
Whole and unharmed.
If my spear and shield had but been
Half so strong as my arm is,
I had vanquished the foe;
But in splinters were spear and shield.
The horde of foemen
Harassed me sore;
Through storm and strife
Spent was my force;
But, faster than I from foemen,
All my faintness has fled;
Darkness fell deep on my lids,
But now the sun again laughs.
SIEGLINDE
[_Goes to the storeroom, fills a horn with
mead, and proffers it to Siegmund with friendly
eagerness._
This healing and honeyed
Draught of mead
Deign to accept from me.
SIEGMUND
Set it first to thy lips.
[_Sieglinde sips from the horn and hands it back
to him. Siegmund takes a long draught, regarding
Sieglinde with increasing warmth. Still gazing,
he takes the horn from his lips and lets it sink
slowly, while his features express strong emotion.
He sighs deeply, and lowers his gaze gloomily to
the ground._
SIEGMUND [_In a trembling voice._
Thou hast tended an ill-fated one!
May all evil
Be turned from thee!
[_He starts up quickly, and goes towards the the
back._
I have been solaced
By sweet repose:
Onward now I must press.
SIEGLINDE
Who pursues thee so close at thy heels?
[_Turning round quickly._
SIEGMUND [_Stops._
Bad luck pursues me,
Everywhere follows;
And where I linger
Trouble still finds me:
Be thou preserved from its touch!
I must not gaze but go.
[_He strides hastily to the door and lifts the
latch._
SIEGLINDE [_Forgetting herself calls impetuously after him._
Then tarry here!
Misfortune thou canst not bring
To those who abide with it!
[Illustration: Plate 19
SIEGLINDE
"This healing and honeyed
Draught of mead
Deign to accept from me."
SIEGFRIED
"Set it first to thy lips."]
SIEGMUND
[_Deeply moved, remains standing; he looks
searchingly at Sieglinde, who, ashamed and sad,
lowers her eyes. Returning, he leans against the
hearth, his gaze fixed on Sieglinde, who continues
silently embarrassed._
Wehwalt named I myself:
Hunding here will I wait for.
_Sieglinde starts, listens and hears Hunding
outside leading his horse to the stable. She
hurries to the door and opens it. Hunding, armed
with shield and spear, enters, but, perceiving
Siegmund, pauses on the threshold. Hunding turns
with a look of stern inquiry to Sieglinde._
SIEGLINDE [_In answer to Hunding's look._
On the hearth
Fainting I found
One whom need drove here.
HUNDING
Hast succoured him?
SIEGLINDE
I gave him, as a guest,
Welcome and a drink.
SIEGMUND [_Regarding Hunding firmly and calmly._
Drink she gave,
Shelter too:
Wouldst therefore chide the woman?
HUNDING
Sacred is my hearth:
Sacred hold thou my house.
[_To Sieglinde, as he takes off his armour and
hands it to her._
Set the meal for us men!
[_Sieglinde hangs up the arms on the stem of
the ash-tree, fetches food and drink from
the store-room and sets supper on the table.
Involuntarily she turns her gaze on Siegmund
again._
HUNDING
[_Examining Siegmund's features keenly and with
amaze, compares them with Sieglinde's. Aside._
How like to the woman!
In his eye as well
Gleams the guile of the serpent.
[_He conceals his surprise, and turns with apparent
unconcern to Siegmund._
Far, I trow,
Must thou have fared;
The man who rests here
Rode no horse:
What toilsome journey
Made thee so tired?
SIEGMUND
Through wood and meadow,
Thicket and moor,
Chased by the storm
And peril sore,
I ran by I know not what road.
I know as little
What goal it led to,
And I would gladly be told.
HUNDING [_At table, inviting Siegmund to be seated._
'Tis Hunding owns
The roof and room
Which have harboured thee.
If to the westward
Thou wert to wend,
In homesteads rich
Thou wouldst find kinsmen
Who guard the honour of Hunding.
May I ask of my guest
In return to tell me his name?
[_Siegmund, who has taken his seat at the table,
looks thoughtfully before him. Sieglinde, who
has placed herself beside Hunding and opposite
Siegmund, gazes at him with evident sympathy and
suspense._
[Illustration: Plate 20, Hunding discovers the likeness between Siegmund
and Sieglinde.]
HUNDING [_Watching them both._
If thou wilt not
Trust it to me,
To this woman tell thy secret:
See, how eagerly she asks!
SIEGLINDE [_Unembarrassed and interested._
Gladly I'd know
Who thou art.
SIEGMUND [_Looks up and, gazing into her eyes, begins gravely._
Not for me the name Friedmund;
Frohwalt fain were I called,
But forced was I to be Wehwalt.
Wölfe they called my father;
And I am one of twins:
With a sister twin I was born.
Soon lost were
Both mother and maid;
I hardly knew
Her who gave me my life,
Nor her with whom I was born.
Warlike and strong was Wölfe,
And never wanting for foes.
A-hunting oft
Went the son with the father.
One day we returned
Outworn with the chase
And found the wolf's nest robbed.
The brave abode
To ashes was burnt,
Consumed to dust
The flourishing oak,
And dead was the mother,
Dauntless but slain.
No trace of the sister
Was ever found:
The Neidungs' heartless horde
Had dealt us this bitter blow.
My father fled,
An outlaw with me;
And the youth
Lived wild in the forest
With Wölfe for many years.
Sore beset and harried were they,
But boldly battled the pair of wolves.
[_Turning to Hunding._
A Wölfing tells thee the tale,
And a well-known Wölfing, I trow.
HUNDING
Wondrous and wild the story
Told by thee, valiant guest:
Wehwalt--the Wölfing!
I think that dark rumours anent
This doughty pair have reached me,
Though unknown Wölfe
And Wölfing too.
SIEGLINDE
But tell me further, stranger:
Where dwells thy father now?
SIEGMUND
The Neidungs, starting anew,
Hounded and hunted us down;
But slain by the wolves
Fell many a hunter;
They fled through the wood,
Chased by the game:
Like chaff we scattered the foe.
But trace of my father I lost;
Still his trail grew fainter
The longer I followed;
In the wood a wolf-skin
Was all I found;
There empty it lay:
My father I had lost.--
In the woods I could not stay;
My heart longed for men and for women.--
By all I met,
No matter where,
If friend I sought,
Or woman wooed,
Still I was branded an outlaw;
Ill-luck clung to me;
Whatever I did right,
Others counted it wrong;
What seemed evil to me
Won from others applause.
Grim feuds arose
Wherever I went;
Wrath met me
At every turn;
Longing for gladness,
Woe was my lot:
I called myself Wehwalt therefore,
For woe was all that was mine.
[_He looks at Sieglinde and marks her sympathetic
gaze._
HUNDING
Thou wert shown no grace by the Norns
That cast thy grievous lot;
No one greets thee as guest
With gladness in his home.
SIEGLINDE
Only cowards would fear
A weaponless, lonely man!--
Tell us, O guest,
How in the strife
At last thy weapon was lost!
SIEGMUND
A sorrowful child
Cried for my help;
Her kinsmen wanted
To wed the maiden
To one whom her heart did not choose.
To her defence
Gladly I hied;
The heartless horde
Met me in fight:
Before me foemen fell.
Fordone and dead lay the brothers.
The slain were embraced by the maid,
Her wrongs forgotten in grief.
She wept wild streams of woe,
And bathed the dead with her tears;
For the loss of her brothers slain
Lamented the ill-fated bride.
Then the dead men's kinsmen
Came like a storm,
Vowing vengeance,
Frantic to fall on me;
Foemen on all sides
Rose and assailed me.
But from the spot
Moved not the maid;
My shield and spear
Sheltered her long,
Till spear and shield
Were hewn from my hand.
Standing weaponless, wounded,
I beheld the maid die:
I fled from the furious host--
She lay lifeless on the dead.
[_To Sieglinde with a look of fervent sorrow._
The reason now I have told
Why none may know me as Friedmund.
[_He rises and walks to the hearth. Pale and deeply
moved, Sieglinde looks on the ground._
HUNDING [_Rises._
I know a wild-blooded breed;
What others revere
It flouts unawed:
All hate it, and I with the rest.
When forth in haste I was summoned,
Vengeance to seek
For my kinsmen's blood,
I came too late,
And now return home
To find the impious wretch
In haven under my roof.--
My house holds thee,
Wölfing, to-day;
For the night thou art my guest.
But wield to-morrow
Thy trustiest weapon.
I choose the day for the fight:
Thy life shall pay for the dead.
[_To Sieglinde, who steps between the two men with
anxious gestures; harshly._
Forth from the hall!
Linger not here!
Prepare my draught for the night,
And wait until I come.
[_Sieglinde stands for a while undecided and thoughtful. Slowly
and with hesitating steps she goes towards the store-room,
There she pauses again, lost in thought, her face half averted.
With quiet resolution she opens the cupboard, fills a
drinking-horn, and shakes spices into it out of a box. She then turns
her eyes on Siegmund, in order to meet his gaze, which he
never removes from her. She perceives that Hunding is
watching, and proceeds immediately to the bed-chamber. On
the steps she turns once more, looks yearningly at Siegmund,
and indicates with her eyes, persistently and with speaking
plainness, a particular spot in the stem of the ash-tree.
Hunding starts, and drives her off with a violent gesture.
With a last look at Siegmund, she disappears into the
bed-chamber, and shuts the door behind her._
HUNDING [_Taking his weapons from the tree-stem._
With weapons man should be armed.
We meet tomorrow then Wölfing.
My word thou hast heard;
Ward thyself well!
[_He goes into bed-chamber. The shooting of the
bolt is heard from within._
[_Siegmund alone. It has grown quite dark. All the
light in the hall comes from a dull fire on the
hearth. Siegmund sinks down on to a couch beside
the fire and broods forsome time silently in great
agitation._
SIEGMUND
My father said when most wanted
A sword I should find and wield.
Swordless I entered
My foeman's house,
As a hostage here
I remain.
I saw a fair
Woman and sweet,
And bliss and dread
Consume my heart.
The woman for whom I long--
She whose charm both wounds and
delights--
In thrall is held by the man
Who mocks a weaponless foe.
Wälse! Wälse!
Where is thy sword?--
The trusty sword
To be swung in battle,
When from my bosom should burst
The fury that fills my heart?
[_The fire collapses. From the flame which leaps up
a bright light falls on the spot in the ash-tree's
stem indicated by Sieglinde's look, and on which
the hilt of a sword is now plainly visible._
[Illustration: Plate 21, Sieglinde prepares Hunding's draught for the night]
What can that be
That shines so bright?
What a ray streams
From the ash-tree's stem!
My eyes that saw not
See the bright flash;
Gay as laughter it gleams.
How the radiant light
Illumes my heart!
Is it the look
That lingered behind,
Yonder clinging,
When forth from the hall
The lovely woman went?
[_From this point the fire gradually goes out._
Darkly the shadows
Covered my eyes,
Till her shining glance
Over me gleamed,
Bringing me warmth and day.
Gay and splendid
The sun appeared,
And blissfully circled
With glory my head--
Till by the hills it was hid.
[_The fire flickers up faintly again._
But once more, ere it set,
Bright it shone upon me,
And the ancient ash-tree's stem
Was lit by its golden glow.
The splendour passes,
The light grows dim,
Shadowy darkness
Falls and enshrouds me;
Deep in my bosom's fastness
Glimmers still faintly the flame!
[_The fire goes out altogether. Total darkness.
The door of the bed-chamber opens noiselessly.
Sieglinde comes out in a white garment and advances
softly but quickly towards the hearth._
SIEGLINDE
Art asleep?
SIEGMUND [_Joyfully surprised._
Who steals this way?
SIEGLINDE [_With stealthy haste._
'Tis I: listen to me!
In sleep profound lies Hunding;
The draught that I mixed him I drugged.
Use to good purpose the night!
SIEGMUND [_Ardently interrupting._
Thou here, all is well!
SIEGLINDE
I have come to show thee a weapon;
O couldst thou make it thine!
I then might call thee
First among heroes,
For only by him
Can it be won.
O hearken: heed what I tell thee!
Here Hunding's kinsmen
Sat in the hall,
Assembled to honour his wedding.
He took as his wife,
Against her will,
One who was bartered by thieves.
Sad I sat there
Through their carousing.
A stranger entered the hall,
An old and grey-coated man.
So slouched was his hat
That one of his eyes was hidden;
But the other flashed
So that all feared it:
Overwhelming
Its menace they found;
I alone
Suffered, when looked on,
Sweet pain, sad delight,
Sorrow and solace in one.
On me glancing,
He scowled at the others,
As he swung a sword in his hands.
This sword he plunged
In the ash-tree's stem,
To the hilt driving it home.
The weapon he gains in guerdon
Who draws it from its place.
Though sore they struggled,
Not one of the heroes
Could win the weapon for his;
Coming, going,
The guests essayed it,
The strongest tugged at the steel;
Not an inch it stirred in the stem;
In silence yonder it cleaves.
I knew then who he was
That in sorrow greeted me.
I know too
Now for whom
The sword was stuck in the tree.
O might I to-day
Find here the friend
Brought from afar
By a woman's woe!
Then all I have suffered
In sorrow untold,
All scorn and all shame
In anger endured--
All would avenged be,
Sweetly atoned for--
Regained fully
The good I had lost;
For mine I should win
All I had wept for,
Could I but find the dear friend,
And clasp him close in my arms!
SIEGFRIED [_Embracing Sieglinde with passionate ardour._
Dear woman, that friend
Holds thee at last,
Both woman and sword are his.
Here in my breast
Burns hot the oath
That welds us twain into one.
For all that I sought
I see now in thee,
In thee all
That once failed me I find.
Thou wert despised,
My portion was pain;
I was an outlaw,
Dishonoured wert thou;
Sweet revenge beckons,
Bids us be joyful;
I laugh
From sheer fulness of joy,
Holding thee, love, in my arms thus,
Feeling the beat of thy heart!
[_The outer door swings open._
SIEGLINDE [_With a start of alarm tears herself away._
Ha, who went? Who entered there?
[_The door remains open. Outside a glorious spring
night. The full moon shines in, throwing its bright
light on the pair, so that they can suddenly see
one another quite plainly._
SIEGMUND [_In soft ecstasy._
No one went--
But one has come:
Laughing the spring
Enters the hall!
[_He draws Sieglinde with tender force on to the
couch, so that she sits beside him. The moon shines
more and more brightly._
Winter storms have yielded
To May's sweet moon,
And mild and radiant
Sparkles the spring.
On balmy breezes
Light and lovely,
Weaving wonders,
Soft she sways.
Through field and forest
She is breathing;
Wide and open
Laughs her eye;
When blithe the birds are singing
Sounds her voice;
Fragrant odours
She exhales;
From her warm blood blossom flowers
Welcome and joyous.
Shoot and bud,
They wax by her aid.
With tender weapons armed,
She conquers the world.
Winter and storm yield
To the strong attack.
No wonder that, beaten boldly,
At last the door should have opened,
Which, stubborn and stiff,
Was keeping her out.
To find her sister
Hither she came;
By love has spring been allured;
Within our bosoms
Buried she lay;
Now glad she laughs to the light.
The bride who is sister
Is freed by the brother;
In ruin lies
What held them apart.
Loud rejoicing,
They meet and greet;
Lo! Love is mated with spring!
SIEGLINDE
Thou art the spring
That I used to pine for,
When pinched by the winter frost;
My heart hailed thee friend
With bliss and with fear,
When thy first glance fell on me sweetly
All I had seen appeared strange;
Friendless were my surroundings;
I never seemed to have known
Any one who came nigh.
Thee, however,
Straightway I knew,
And I saw thou wert mine
When I beheld thee:
What I hid in my heart,
All I am,
Clear as the day
Dawned to my sight
Like tones to the ear
Echoing back,
When, upon my frosty desert,
My eyes first beheld a friend.
[_She hangs enraptured on his neck, and looks him
close in the face._
SIEGMUND [_Transported._
O rapture most blissful!
Woman most blest!
SIEGLINDE [_Close to his eyes._
O let me, closer
And closer clinging,
Discern more clearly
The sacred light
That from thine eyes
And face shines forth,
And so sweetly sways every sense!
SIEGMUND
The May-moon's light
Falls on thy face
Framed by masses
Of waving hair.
What snared my heart
'Tis easy to guess:
My gaze on loveliness feasts.
SIEGLINDE [_Pushing the hair back from his brow,
regards him with astonishment._
How broad and open
Is thy brow!
Blue-branching the veins
In thy temples entwine.
I hardly can endure
My burden of bliss.--
Of something I am reminded:--
The man I first saw to-day
Already I have seen!
SIEGMUND
A dream of love
I too recall;
I saw thee there
And yearned for thee sore!
SIEGLINDE
The stream has shown me
My imaged face--
Again I see it before me;
As in the pool it arose
It is reflected by thee.
SIEGMUND
Thine is the face
I hid in my heart.
SIEGLINDE [_Quickly averting her gaze._
O hush! That voice!
O let me listen!
These tones as a child
Surely I heard--
But no! I heard the sound lately,
When, calling in the wood,
My voice re-echoing rang.
SIEGMUND
To sweet and melodious
Music I listen!
SIEGLINDE [_Gazing into his eyes again._
And ere now thy glowing
Eye have I seen:
The old man whose glance
Solaced my grief,
When he greeted me had that eye--
I knew him
Because of his eye,
And almost addressed him as father.
[_After a pause._
Art thou Wehwalt in truth?
SIEGMUND
If dear to thee,
Wehwalt no more;
My sway is o'er bliss not sorrow!
SIEGLINDE
And Friedmund does not
Fit with thy fortunes.
SIEGMUND
Choose thou the name
Thou wouldst have me be known by:
Thy choice will also be mine!
SIEGLINDE
The name of thy father was Wölfe?
SIEGMUND
A wolf to the fearful foxes!
But he whose eye
Shone with the brightness
Which, fairest one, shines in thine own,
Was named--Wälse of old.
SIEGLINDE [_Beside herself._
Was Wälse thy father,
And art thou a Wälsung?--
Stuck was for thee
His sword in the stem?--
Then let my love call thee
What it has found thee;
Siegmund
Shall be thy name.
SIEGMUND [_Springs up._
Siegmund call me
For Siegmund am I!
Be witness this sword
I grasp without shrinking!
That I should find it
In sorest need
Wälse foretold.
I grasp it now!
Love the most pure
In utmost need,
Passionate love,
Consuming desire
Burning bright in my breast,
Drive to deeds and death!
Nothung! Nothung!
That, sword, is thy name.
Nothung! Nothung!
Conquering steel!
Show me thy sharp
And sundering tooth:
Come forth from thy scabbard to me!
[_He draws the sword with a violent effort from the
stem of the tree and shows it to the amazed and
enraptured Sieglinde._
Siegmund the Wälsung
Thou dost see!
As bride-gift
He brings thee this sword;
With this he frees
The woman most blest;
He bears thee
From the house of his foe.
Far from here
Follow thou him:
Forth to the laughing
House of the spring;
Thy shield be Nothung, the sword,
When Siegmund is captive to love!
[_He throws his arm round her so as to draw her
forth with him._
SIEGLINDE [_Delirious with excitement, tears herself
away and stands before him._
Art thou Siegmund
Standing before me,
Sieglinde am I
Who longed for thee;
Thy own twin-sister
As well as the sword thou hast
won!
[_She throws herself on his breast._
SIEGMUND
Bride and sister
Be to thy brother--
So Wälsungs shall flourish for aye!
[_He draws her to him with fervent passion. The
curtain falls quickly._
THE SECOND ACT
_A wild, mountainous spot. In the background a gorge rises from below to a
high ridge of rocks, from which the ground slopes down again towards
the front. Wotan, in full armour, carrying his spear. Before
him Brünnhilde as a Valkyrie, also fully armed._
WOTAN
Go bridle thy steed,
Valorous maid!
Bitter strife
Soon will break forth;
Brünnhilde, storm to the fray
And cause the Wälsung to win!
Hunding choose for himself
Where to bide:
No place in Walhall has he.
So up and to horse!
Haste to the field!
BRÜNNHILDE [_Ascends the height on the right, shouting
and springing from rock to rock._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Hojoho!
[Illustration: Plate 22
"Siegmund the Walsung
Thou dost see!
As bride-gift
He brings thee this sword"]
[_She pauses on a high peak, looks down into the
gorge and calls back to Wotan._
I warn thee, Father,
See to thyself;
Stern the strife
That is in store:
Here comes Fricka, thy wife,
Drawn hither in her car by her rams,
Swinging the golden
Scourge in her hand!
The wretched beasts
Are groaning with fear;
And how the wheels rattle!
Hot she hastes to the fray.
Such strife as this
No strife is for me,
Though I love boldly waged
Strife 'twixt men.
The battle alone thou must brave;
I go; thou art left in the lurch!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Ha!
[_She disappears behind the mountain peak at the
side. Fricka, in a car drawn by a pair of rams, has
driven up the gorge to the mountain ridge, where
she suddenly stops, alights and strides angrily
towards Wotan in the foreground._
WOTAN [_Aside, when he sees Fricka approaching._
The usual storm!
The usual strife!
But I must act with firmness
FRICKA [_Moderating her pace as she approaches, and
confronting Wotan with dignity._
All alone among the hills
I seek thee, where thou dost hide
Fearing the eyes
Of thy wife,
That help in need thou may'st promise.
WOTAN
Let Fricka tell
Her trouble in full.
FRICKA
I have heard Hunding's cry,
For vengeance calling on me;
As wedlock's guardian
I gave ear:
My word passed
To punish the deed
Of this impious pair
Who boldly wrought him the wrong.
WOTAN
Have this pair then
Done such harm,
Whom spring united in love?
'Twas love's sweet magic
That lured them on;
None pays for love's might to me.
FRICKA
How dull and how deaf thou wouldst seem!
As though thou wert not aware
That it is wedlock's
Holy oath
Profaned so rudely I grieve for.
WOTAN
Unholy
Hold I the bond
That binds unloving hearts;
Nor must thou
Imagine that I
Will restrain by force
What transcends thy power;
For where bold natures are stirring
I urge them frankly to strife.
[Illustration: Plate 23, Brünnhilde]
FRICKA
Deeming thus laudable
Wedlock's breach,
Pray babble more nonsense
And call it holy
That shame should blossom forth
From bond of a twin-born pair!
I shudder at heart,
My brain reels and whirls.
Sister embraced
As bride by the brother--
Who has ever heard
Of brother and sister as lovers?
WOTAN
Thou hearest it now!
Be taught by this
That a thing may be
Which has never befallen before.
That those two are lovers
Thou must admit;
So take advice and be wise!
Thy blessing surely
Will bring to thee gladness,
If thou wilt, laughing on love,
Bless Siegmund and Sieglinde's bond.
FRICKA [_With a burst of deep indignation._
Then nothing to thee
Are the gods everlasting
Since the wild Wälsungs
Won thee for father?
I speak plainly--
Is that thy thought?
The holy and high
Immortals are worthless;
And all that once
Was esteemed is thrown over;
The bonds thou didst bind
By thyself now are broken;
Heaven's hold
Is loosed with a laugh,
That this twin-born pair, unimpeded,
The fruit of thy lawless love,
May in wantonness flourish and rule!
But why wail over
Wedlock and vows,
Since by thee the first they are scorned!
The faithful wife
Betrayed at each turn,
Lustfully longing
Wander thy glances;
Thine eyes scan
Each hollow and height
As thy fickle fancy allures thee,
While grief is gnawing my heart.
Heavy of soul
I had to endure it,
When to the fight
With the graceless maidens
Born out of wedlock,
Forth thou hast fared;
For, thy wife still holding in awe,
Thou didst give her as maids
The Valkyrie band
To obedience bound,
Even Brünnhilde, bride of thy Wish.
But now that new names
Afford thee new pleasure,
And Wälse, wolfish, in
Forests has wandered;
Now that to bottomless
Shame thou hast stooped,
And a pair of mortals
Hast vilely begotten--
Now thy wife at the feet
Of whelps of a wolf thou dost fling!
Come finish thy work!
Fill the cup full!
Mock and trample now the betrayed one!
[Illustration: Plate 24, Fricka approaches in anger.]
WOTAN [_Quietly._
Thou couldst not learn,
Though I might teach thee;
To thee there is nothing plain
Till day has dawned on the deed,
Wonted things
Thou alone canst conceive,
Whereas my spirit broods
On things not yet brought forth.
Listen, woman!
Some one we need,
A hero gods have not shielded,
And who is not bound by their law.
So alone
Were he fit for the deed
Which no god can accomplish,
Yet which must be done for the gods.
FRICKA
With sayings dark
Thou fain wouldst deceive me!
What deed by hero
Could be accomplished
That was beyond the strength of the gods,
By whose grace alone he is strong?
WOTAN
Then his own heart's courage
Counts not at all?
FRICKA
Who breathed their souls into men?
Who opened their eyes, that they see?
Behind thy shield
Strong they appear;
With thee to goad them,
Upward they strive;
Those men that thou praisest,
'Tis thou who spurrest them on.
With falsehoods fresh
Thou wouldst fain delude me,
With new devices
Thou wouldst evade me;
Thou shalt not shelter
The Wälsung from me;
He lives only through thee,
And is bold through thee alone.
WOTAN [_With emotion._
He grew unaided
In grievous distress;
My shield sheltered him not.
FRICKA
Then shield him not to-day;
Take back the sword
That thou hast bestowed.
WOTAN
The sword?
FRICKA
Yes, the sword,
The magic sword
Sudden and strong
That thou gavest to thy son.
WOTAN
Nay, Siegmund won it
Himself in his need.
[_From here Wotan's whole attitude expresses an
ever-deepening uneasiness and gloom._
WOTAN [_Continuing passionately._
Both conquering sword
And the need came from thee.
Wouldst thou deceive me
Who, day and night,
At thy heels follow close?
For him thou didst strike
The sword in the stem;
Thou didst promise him
The peerless blade.
Canst thou deny
That thy cunning it was
Which led him where it lay hid?
[_Wotan makes a wrathful gesture. Fricka goes
on more and more confidently as she sees the
impression produced on him._
The Gods
Do not battle with bondsmen;
The free but punish transgressors.
Against thee, my peer,
Have I waged war,
But Siegmund is mine as my slave.
[_Another violent gesture from Wotan, who then
seems to succumb to the feeling of his own
powerlessness._
Shall thy eternal
Consort obey one
Who calls thee master
And bows as thy slave?
What! Shall I be
Despised by the basest,
To the lawless a spur,
A scoff to the free?
My husband cannot desire me,
A goddess, to suffer such shame!
WOTAN [_Gloomily._
What then wouldst thou?
FRICKA
Shield not the Wälsung.
WOTAN [_In a muffled voice._
His way let him go.
FRICKA
Thou wilt grant him no aid,
When to arms the avenger calls?
WOTAN
I shield him no more.
FRICKA
Seek not to trick me;
Look in my eyes!
The Valkyrie turn from him too.
WOTAN
The Valkyrie free shall choose.
FRICKA
Not so; she but acts
To accomplish thy will;
Give order that Siegmund die.
WOTAN [_After a violent internal struggle._
Nay, slay him I cannot,
He found my sword!
FRICKA
Remove thou the magic,
And shatter the blade:
Swordless let him be found.
BRÜNNHILDE [_Is heard calling from the heights._
Heiaha! Heiaha!
Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
Heiohotojo! Hotojoha!
FRICKA
Thy valorous maiden comes;
Shouting, hither she rides.
WOTAN
For Siegmund I called her to horse.
[_Brünnhilde appears with her horse on the rocky
path to the right. When she sees Fricka she stops
abruptly and, during the following, slowly and
silently leads her horse down the path. She then
puts it in a cave._
FRICKA
By her shield to-day
Be guarded the honour
Of thy eternal spouse!
Derided by men,
Shorn of our power,
Perish and pass would the Gods
If thy valiant maid
Avenged not to-day
My sacred and sovereign right.
The Wälsung falls for my honour.
Does Wotan now pledge me his oath?
WOTAN [_Throwing himself on to a rocky seat in terrible dejection._
Take the oath!
[_Fricka strides towards the back, where she meets
Brünnhilde and halts for a moment before her._
FRICKA
Warfather
Waits for thee;
He will instruct thee
How the lot is decreed!
[_She drives off quickly._
BRÜNNHILDE
[_Comes forward anxious and wondering to Wotan,
who leaning back on his rocky seat, is brooding
gloomily._
Ill closed
The fight, I fear;
Fricka laughs at the outcome!
Father, what news
Hast thou to tell me?
Sad thou seemest and troubled!
WOTAN [_Dropping his arm helplessly and sinking his head on his breast._
By self-forged fetters
I am bound,
I, least free of all living!
BRÜNNHILDE
I know thee not thus:
What gnaws at thy heart?
WOTAN
[_His expression and gestures working up, from this
point, to a fearful outburst._
O sacrilege vile!
O grievous affront!
Gods' despair!
Gods' despair!
Infinite wrath!
Woe without end!
Most sorrowful I of all living!
BRÜNNHILDE
[_Alarmed, throws her shield, spear and helmet from
her and kneels with anxious affection at his feet._
Father! Father!
Tell me what ails thee?
With dismay thou art filling thy child!
Confide in me
For I am true;
See, Brünnhilde begs it!
[_She lays her head and hands with tender anxiety
on his knees and breast._
WOTAN
[_Looks long in her eyes, then strokes her hair
with involuntary tenderness. As if coming out of a
deep reverie, he at last begins, very softly._
What if, when uttered,
Weaker it made
The controlling might of my will?
BRÜNNHILDE [_Very softly._
To Wotan's will thou speakest
When thou speakest to me?
What am I
If I am not thy will?
[Illustration: Plate 25, Brünnhilde slowly and silently leads her horse down the
path to the cave.]
WOTAN [_Very softly._
What never to any was spoken
Shall be unspoken now and for ever.
Myself I speak to,
Speaking to thee.
[_In a low, muffled voice._
When young love grew
A waning delight,
'Twas power my spirit craved;
By rash and wild
Desires driven on,
I won myself the world.
Unknown to me
Dishonest my acts were;
Bargains I made
Wherein hid mishap,
Craftily lured on by Loge,
Who straightway disappeared.
Yet I could not leave
Love altogether;
When grown mighty still I desired it.
The child of night,
The craven Nibelung,
Alberich, broke from its bond.
All love he forswore,
And procured by the curse
The gleaming gold of the Rhine,
And with it measureless might.
The ring that he wrought
I stole by my cunning,
But I restored it not
To the Rhine;
It paid the price
Of Walhall's towers:
The home the giants had built me,
From which I commanded the world.
She who knows all
That ever was,
Erda, the holy,
All-knowing Wala,
Warned me touching the ring:
Prophesied doom everlasting.
Of this doom I was fain
To hear further,
But silent she vanished from sight.
Then my gladness of heart was gone,
The god's one desire was to know.
To the womb of the earth
Downward then I went:
By love's sweet magic
Vanquished the Wala,
Troubled her wisdom proud,
And compelled her tongue to speak.
Tidings by her I was told;
And with her I left a fair pledge:
The world's wisest of women
Bore me, Brünnhilde, thee.
With eight sisters
Fostered wert thou,
That ye Valkyries
Might avert the doom
Which the Wala's
Dread words foretold:
The gods' ignominious ending.
That foes might find us
Strong for the strife,
Heroes I got ye to gather.
The beings who served us
As slaves aforetime,
The men whose courage
Aforetime we curbed:
Who through treacherous bonds
And devious dealings
Were bound to the gods
In blindfold obedience--
To kindle these men
To strife was your duty,
To drive them on
To savage war,
That hosts of dauntless heroes
Might gather in Walhall's hall.
BRÜNNHILDE
And well filled surely thy halls were;
Many a one I have brought.
We never were idle,
So why shouldst thou fear?
[Illustration: Plate 26
"Father! Father!
Tell me what ails thee?
With dismay thou art filling thy child!"]
WOTAN [_His voice muffled again._
Another ill--
Mark what I say--
Was by the Wala foretold!
Through Alberich's hosts
Doom may befall us;
A furious grudge
Alberich bears me;
But now that my heroes
Make victory certain
I defy the hosts of the night.
Only if he won
The ring again from me,
Walhall were forfeit for ever.
Used by him alone
Who love forswore
Could the runes of the ring
Bring doom
To the mighty gods,
And shame without end.
My heroes' valour
He would pervert,
Would stir to strife
The bold ones themselves,
And with their strength
Wage war upon me.
So, alarmed, I resolved
To wrest the ring from the foeman.
[_In a low voice._
I once paid Fafner,
One of the giants,
With gold accurst
For work achieved.
Fafner guards now the hoard
For which his own brother he slew.
The ring I must needs recover
With which his work I rewarded.
But I cannot strike one
By treaties protected;
Vanquished by him
My valour would fail.
These are the bonds
That bind my power;
I, who by treaties am lord,
To my treaties also am slave.
But what I dare not
One man may dare--
A hero never
Helped by my favour,
To me unknown
And granted no grace,
Unaware,
Bidden by none,
Constrained thereto
By his own distress--
He could achieve
What I must not do:
The deed I never urged,
Though it was all my desire.
But, alas! how to find
One to fight me, the god,
For my good--
Most friendly of foes!
How fashion the free one
By me unshielded,
In his proud defiance
Most precious to me?
How get me the other
Who, not through me,
But of himself
Will perform my will?
O woe of the gods!
Horrible shame!
Soul-sick am I
Of seeing myself
In all I ever created.
The other whom I so long for,
That other I never find.
The free by themselves must be fashioned,
All that I fashion are slaves!
BRÜNNHILDE
But the Wälsung, Siegmund,
Works for himself.
WOTAN
Wild I roamed
In the woodland with him,
Ever against the gods
Goading him to rebel.
[_Slowly and bitterly._
Now, when the gods seek vengeance,
Shield he has none but the sword
Given to him
By the grace of a god.
Why did I try
To trick myself vainly?
How easily Fricka
Found out the fraud!
She read my inmost
Heart to my shame.
I must bend my will to her wishes.
BRÜNNHILDE
Of victory wouldst Siegmund deprive?
WOTAN
I have handled Alberich's ring,
Loth to let the gold go.
The curse that I fled
Is following me:
I must always lose what I love most,
Slay what my heart holds dearest,
Basely betray
All those who trust.
[_His gestures, at first those of terrible grief
end by expressing despair._
Pale then and pass
Glory and pomp,
Godhead's resplendent,
Glittering shame!
In ruins fall
The fabric I built!
Ended is my work;
I wait but one thing more:
The downfall--
The downfall!
[_He pauses thoughtfully._
And for the downfall
Schemes Alberich!
Now I see
The sense hidden
In the strange, wild words of the Wala:
"When the gloomy foe of love
Gets a son in his wrath,
The high gods' doom
Shall be at hand!"
Not long ago
A rumour I heard
That the dwarf had won a woman,
By gold gaining her grace.
A woman bears
Hate's bitter fruit;
The child of spite
Grows in her womb;
This marvel befell
The man who loved not;
But I, the loving wooer,
Have never begotten the free.
[_Rising in bitter wrath._
Accept thou my blessing,
Nibelung son!
I leave to thee
What I loathe with deep loathing:
The hollow pomp of the gods.
Consume it with envious greed!
BRÜNNHILDE [_Alarmed._
O say! tell me
What task is thy child's?
WOTAN [_Bitterly._
Fight, faithful to Fricka;
Wedlock and vows defend!
What she desires
Is also my choice,
For what does my own will profit,
Since it cannot fashion a free one?
For Fricka's slaves
Do battle henceforth!
BRÜNNHILDE
Ah repent,
And take back thy word!
Thou lovest,
And fain, I know,
Wouldst have me shelter the Wälsung.
WOTAN
Siegmund thou shalt vanquish,
And fight so that Hunding prevails.
Ward thyself well
And doughtily do,
Bring all thy boldness
To bear on the field;
A strong sword
Swings Siegmund;
Undismayed he will fight!
BRÜNNHILDE
He whom thou still
Hast taught me to love,
He whose courage high
To thy heart was so precious--
I will shield him in spite of
Thy wavering word!
WOTAN
Ha, daring one!
Floutest thou me?
Who art thou--who but the choiceless,
Blind slave of my will?
I have sunk so low
By showing my mind,
That the creature made by me
Holds me in scorn.
Dost thou, child, know my wrath?
If ever its awful
Lightning struck thee
Then quail wouldst thou indeed!
Within my bosom
Burns enough rage
To lay waste
In dread ruin a world
That once wore nothing but smiles.
Woe to him whom it strikes!
Dear the price he would pay!
So be advised,
Call it not forth
But carry out my commands.
Cut down Siegmund!
That is the Valkyrie's task.
[_He storms away and disappears among the rocks to
the left._
[Illustration: Plate 27, Brünnhilde stands for a long time dazed
and alarmed]
BRÜNNHILDE [_Stands for a long time dazed and alarmed._
Warfather
Oft have I seen
Enraged, but never once like this!
[_She stoops down sadly, takes up her armour and
puts it on again._
How heavy
My armour feels!
And it felt so light
When gladly I fought!
I fight afraid.
Evil is my cause!
[_She gazes thoughtfully before her._
Woe! My Wälsung!
With sorrow sore
Must the faithful one falsely forsake thee!
[She turns slowly towards the back.
* * * * *
[_On reaching the rocky pass, Brünnhilde, looking
down into the gorge, perceives Siegmund and
Sieglinde. She watches them for a moment, then
turns into the cave where her horse is, so that she
is completely hidden from the audience. Siegmund
and Sieglinde appear on the pass, Sieglinde
hurrying in front. Siegmund tries to stop her._
SIEGMUND
Wait here and rest;
Tarry a while!
SIEGLINDE
Farther! Farther!
SIEGMUND [_Embraces her with tender force, straining her to him._
No farther now!
O linger, woman most sweet!
From bliss when most blissful
Breaking away,
In headlong haste
Far thou hast fled,
So fleet that I lagged behind:
Through wood and field,
Over cliff and scaur,
Voiceless, silent,
Speeding along,
Thy foot stopped for no call.
[_Sieglinde stares wildly before her._
Tarry a while!
Say but a word,
Ending this speechless dread!
See, thy brother
Holds thee, his bride:
Siegmund's comrade art thou!
SIEGLINDE
[_Gazes into his eyes with growing rapture, throws
her arms passionately round his neck and remains so
for some time. She then starts up in wild terror._
Away! Away!
Fly the profaned one!
Unholy
The clasp of her arm;
In shame, dishonoured,
This body died.
Fling it from thee,
Flee from the corpse!
The winds scatter her dust--
The foul one who loved one so fair!
When in his loving embrace
She rested in rapture pure,
And all the love of the man
Was hers who loved him alone--
When on holiest height,
When bliss was at sweetest,
And sense and soul
Were steeped in delight,
Hatred and loathing
Of hideous dishonour
Shook the disgraced one,
Filled her with fear--
The thought she once had obeyed.
Bridegroom unloving, unloved.
Leave the accurst one,
Far let her fly!
An outcast she is,
Bereft of grace!
Ah, I must leave
The purest of heroes;
I cannot be thine,
To sully thy glory:
Scorn to bring on the brother,
Shame to the rescuing friend!
SIEGMUND
For the shame and dishonour,
Pay the transgressor's blood!
No farther, then, flying,
Here let us wait him;
Here--here I shall slay him:
When Nothung's point
Shall pierce his heart,
All thy wrongs will be avenged!
SIEGLINDE [_Starts up and listens._
Hark! The bugles!
Dost thou not hear?
All around,
Angry and shrill,
From wood and vale
Clamour their calls.
Hunding has wakened
From slumber deep;
Kinsmen and hounds
He summons together;
How the dogs howl,
Urged on hotly,
Loud-baying to heaven
Of the vows and the wedlock profaned!
[_Gazes before her as if gone crazed._
Where art thou, Siegmund?
Art thou still here,
Fervently loved one,
Beautiful brother?
Let thine eyes like stars
Shine again on me softly;
Turn not away
From the outcast woman's kiss!
[_She throws herself sobbing on his breast, and
presently starts up in terror again._
Hark! O hark!
That is Hunding's horn!
With his hounds full force,
In haste he comes.
No sword helps
When the dogs attack:--
Throw it down, Siegmund!
Siegmund, where art thou?
Ha, there! I see thee now!
Horrible sight!
Eager-fanged
Are the bloodhounds for flesh;
Ah, what to them
Is thy noble air!
By the feet they seize thee
With terrible teeth;
Alas!
Thou fallest with splintered sword:--
The ash-tree sinks--
The trunk is rent!
Brother! My brother!
Siegmund--ha!
[_She falls fainting into his arms._
[Illustration: Plate 28, Brünnhilde with her horse, at the mouth of the cave.]
SIEGMUND
Sister! Belovèd!
[_He listens to her breathing, and, when convinced
that she still lives, lets her slide down so that,
as he himself sinks into a sitting posture, her
head rests upon his knees. In this position both
remain till the end of the following scene. A long
silence, during which Siegmund bends over Sieglinde
with tender concern, and presses a long kiss on her
brow._
[_Brünnhilde, leading her horse, comes out of the
cave and walks slowly and solemnly towards the
front. She pauses and watches Siegmund from a
distance, then advances slowly again and stops when
she gets nearer. In one hand she carries her shield
and spear, the other rest on her horse's neck, and
thus she gravely stands looking at Siegmund._
BRÜNNHILDE
Siegmund!
Look on me
Whom thou
Must follow soon!
SIEGMUND [_Looking up at her._
Who art thou, say,
That dost stand so fair and so stern?
BRÜNNHILDE
Death-doomed are they
Who look upon me;
Who sees me
Bids farewell to the light of life.
On the battle-field only
Heroes view me;
He whom I greet
Is chosen and must go.
SIEGMUND
[_Looks into her eyes with a long steadfast and
searching gaze, then bows his head in thought and
finally turns resolutely to her again._
When thou dost lead,
Whither follows the hero?
BRÜNNHILDE
I lead thee
To Wotan;
The lot he has cast:
To Walhall must thou come.
SIEGMUND
In Walhall's hall
Wotan alone shall I find?
BRÜNNHILDE
A glorious host
Of heroes slain
Will greet thee there
With love holy and high.
SIEGMUND
Say if in Walhall
Sojourns my father, Wälse.
BRÜNNHILDE
His father there
Will the Wälsung find.
SIEGMUND [_Tenderly._
Will any woman
Welcome me there?
BRÜNNHILDE
Wishmaidens
Serve there serene:
Wotan's daughter
Wine will bring for thy cup.
SIEGMUND
High art thou
And holy of aspect,
O Wotan's child:
But one thing tell me, divine one!
The sister and bride,
Shall she follow the brother?
Will Siegmund find Sieglinde there?
BRÜNNHILDE
Air of earth
Still she must breathe here;
Siegmund will find no Sieglinde there!
SIEGMUND
[_Bends tenderly over Sieglinde, kisses her softly
on the brow, and turns again quietly to Brünnhilde._
Then greet for me Walhall,
Greet for me Wotan,
Greet for me Wälse
And all the heroes,
Wishmaidens lovely
Greet thou also,
And tell them I will not come!
BRÜNNHILDE
Nay, having looked
On the Valkyrie's face,
Thou must follow her forth!
SIEGMUND
Where Sieglinde dwells
In weal or woe,
There will Siegmund dwell also;
My face grew not pale
When I beheld thee:
Thou canst not force me to go!
BRÜNNHILDE
Force thee can none
While thou dost live;
Fool, what will force thee is death
Warning of death
Is what I bring.
SIEGMUND
What hero to-day
Shall hew me down?
BRÜNNHILDE
Hunding's hand in the fight.
SIEGMUND
Use threats more baleful
Than blows from Hunding!
Lurkest thou here
Longing for strife,
Fix on him for thy prey.
I think it is he who will fall!
BRÜNNHILDE
Nay, Wälsung,
Doubt not my word;
Thine is the death decreed.
SIEGMUND
Knowest this sword?
Who gave the sword
Gave triumph sure:
With this sword I laugh at thy threats.
BRÜNNHILDE [_In a loud voice._
He whose it was
Now dooms thee to death,
For the magic spell he withdraws!
SIEGMUND [_Vehemently._
Hush! Alarm not
The slumberer here!
[_In an outburst of grief he bends tenderly over
Sieglinde._
Woe! Woe!
Woman most sweet!
Most sad and ill-starred of all true ones!
Against thee rages
The whole world in arms,
And I who was all thy defence,
For whom thou the world hast defied--
To think I cannot
Shield thee, but, beaten
In battle, thy trust must betray!
O shame on him
Who bestowed the sword,
And triumph now turns to scorn!
If I must fall thus,
I fare to no Walhall--
Hella hold me for aye!
[_He bends low over Sieglinde._
BRÜNNHILDE [_Moved._
So little prizest thou
Life everlasting?
[_Slowly and with hesitation._
All thy care
Is thy helpless wife
Who, sad and weary,
Heavily hangs in thy arms?
Precious only is she?
SIEGMUND [_Looking up at her bitterly._
Though young and fair
Thou shinest to me,
In my heart I know thee
Cruel and cold!
Canst thou do nothing
But mock me, begone,
Malicious, merciless maid!
Or if thou must gloat
Upon my distress,
Then gloat and feast thyself full!
With my woe
Solace thy envious soul:--
But of Walhall's loveless raptures
Nothing more let me hear!
BRÜNNHILDE
I see the distress
That is tearing thy heart;
The doomed hero's holy
Sorrow I feel.
Siegmund, thy wife be my charge,
Protected safely by me.
SIEGMUND
No other than I
While my wife is living shall guard her.
If death be my lot
I will slay the slumberer first!
BRÜNNHILDE [_With increasing emotion._
Wälsung! Madman!
Listen to me!
Entrust her to me
For the pledge's sake
That she carries of thee and thy love!
SIEGMUND [_Drawing his sword._
This sword
That a true man received from a false--
This sword
That fails me when facing the foe;
Worthless when turned on the foe,
Will serve me when turned on the friend.
[_He points the sword at Sieglinde._
Two lives now
Laugh to thee here:
Take them, Nothung,
Envious steel!
Take them with one fell stroke!
BRÜNNHILDE [_With a passionate outburst of sympathy._
Forbear, Walsung!
Listen to me!
Sieglinde spare thou,
And Siegmund too shall be spared!
'Tis thus decreed,
Recast the lot is!
Thou, Siegmund,
Shalt be blest and prevail!
[_Horns are heard in the distance._
Hark to the horn!
Prepare for the fray;
Trust to the sword
And strike without fear:
Thy sword shall prove strong
Thee the Valkyrie faithfully shields!
Farewell, Siegmund,
Hero most blest!
On the field again I shall find thee.
[_She rushes away and disappears with her horse down
a gorge on the right. Siegmund gazes after her
joyful and exultant. The stage has gradually grown
dark. Heavy storm-clouds have gathered in the
background, and hide the cliffs, gorge, and rocky pass
completely from view._
SIEGMUND [_Bending over Sieglinde, listens to her breathing._
Charmèd slumber
Softly soothes
The dear one's pain and grief.
When the Valkyrie came, perchance
She brought her this blissful repose;
Else would the grimly fought fight
Have terrified one in such woe.
Lifeless seems she,
And yet she lives;
The sad one by smiling
Dreams is caressed.
In slumber lie soft
Till the fight is won
And peace shall end thy pain!
[_He lays her gently on the rocky seat and
kisses her brow in farewell. Then, hearing
Hunding's horn sound, he starts up
with resolution._
Thou who dost call,
Arm for the fray;
Thy dues in full
Thou shalt have:
[_He draws his sword._
Nothung pays him his debt.
[_He hastens to the back and, on reaching the pass,
immediately disappears in a dark thunder-cloud,
from which, the next instant, a flash of lightning
breaks._
SIEGLINDE [_Begins to move uneasily in her dreams._
Would but my father come back!
With the boy he still roams in the wood.
Mother! Mother!
I am afraid--
The strangers seem
So harsh and unfriendly!
Fumes that stifle--
Dense and black smoke--
Fierce are the flames,
And closer they flare--
On fire the house!
O help us, brother!
Siegmund! Siegmund!
[_She starts up. Violent thunder and lightning._
Siegmund! Ha!
[_She stares about her in growing terror. Almost
the whole of the stage is veiled by black
thunder-clouds. Hunding's horn is heard close at
hand._
HUNDING'S VOICE [_From the mountain pass in the background._
Wehwalt! Wehwalt!
Stand there and fight,
Or with the hounds I will hold thee!
SIEGMUND'S VOICE [_From farther back in the gorge._
Where hidest thou,
That I have missed thee thus?
Halt, that I may find thee!
SIEGLINDE [_Listening in terrible fear._
Hunding--Siegmund--
Could I but see them!
HUNDING
Come hither, impious wooer!
Here by Fricka be slain!
SIEGMUND [_Also from the pass now._
Thou thinkest me weaponless,
Coward, still.
Threat not with women!
Thyself now fight me,
Lest Fricka fail thee at need!
For see, from the tree
That grows by thy hearth
I drew undaunted the sword;
Come and try the taste of its steel!
SIEGLINDE [_With all her strength._
Hold your hands, ye men there!
Strike me dead first!
[_She rushes towards the pass, but is suddenly
dazzled by a light which flashes forth from above
the combatants to the right, and staggers aside as
if blinded._
BRÜNNHILDE'S VOICE
Strike him, Siegmund!
Trust to the sword!
[_Brünnhilde appears in the glare of light,
floating above Siegmund, and protecting him with
her shield. Just as Siegmund is aiming a deadly
blow at Hunding a glowing red light breaks through
the clouds from the left, in which Wotan appears,
standing over Hunding and holding his spear across
in front of Siegmund._
WOTAN'S VOICE
Back! Back from the spear!
In splinters the sword!
[_Brünnhilde with her shield recoils in terror
before Wotan; Siegmund's sword breaks in splinters
on the outstretched spear. Hunding plunges his
sword into the disarmed man's breast. Siegmund
falls down dead, and Sieglinde, who has heard his
death-sigh, sinks to the ground as if lifeless.
With Siegmund's fall the lights on both sides
disappear. Dense clouds shroud all but the
foreground in darkness. Through these Brünnhilde is
dimly seen turning in wild haste to Sieglinde._
BRÜNNHILDE
To horse, that I may save thee!
[_She lifts Sieglinde up quickly on to her horse,
which is standing near the side ravine, and
immediately disappears. Thereupon the clouds divide
in the middle, so that Hunding, who has just drawn
his sword out of Siegmund's breast, is distinctly
seen. Wotan, surrounded by clouds, stands on a rock
behind, leaning on his spear and gazing sorrowfully
on Siegmund's body._
WOTAN [_To Hunding._
Begone, slave!
Kneel before Fricka;
Tell her that Wotan's spear
Has slain what mocked her might.
Go! Go!
[_Before the contemptuous wave of his hand Hunding
falls dead to the ground. Suddenly breaking out in
terrible anger._
But Brünnhilde!
Woe to the guilty one!
Woe to her
As soon as my horse
Shall overtake her in flight!
[_He vanishes with thunder and lightning. The
curtain falls quickly._
THE THIRD ACT
On the top of a rocky mountain
_On the right the stage is bounded by a pine-wood. On the left is the entrance
to a cave, above which the rock rises to its highest point. At the
back the view is quite open. Rocks of varying heights form the edge
of the precipice. Clouds fly at intervals past the mountain peak
as if driven by storm. Gerhilde, Ortlinde, Waltraute, and
Schwertleite have taken up their position on the rocky peak above
the cave. They are in full armour._
GERHILDE
[_On the highest point, calling towards the
background, where a dense cloud is passing._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
Helmwige! Here!
Guide hither thy horse!
HELMWIGE'S VOICE [_At the back._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha!
[_A flash of lightning comes from the cloud,
showing a Valkyrie on horseback, on whose saddle
hangs a slain warrior. The apparition, approaching
the cliff, passes from left to right._
GERHILDE, WALTRAUTE AND SCHWERTLEITE [_Calling to her as she draws near._
Heiaha! Heiaha!
[_The cloud with the apparition vanishes to the
right behind the wood._
ORTLINDE [_Calling into the wood._
Thy stallion make fast
By Ortlinde's mare;
Gladly my grey
Will graze by thy chestnut!
WALTRAUTE [_Calling towards the wood._
Who hangs at thy saddle?
HELMWIGE [_Coming out of the wood._
Sintolt the Hegeling!
SCHWERTLEITE
Fasten thy chestnut
Far from the grey then;
Ortlinde's mare
Carries Wittig, the Irming!
GERHILDE [_Descending a little towards the others._
And Sintolt and Wittig
Always were foemen!
ORTLINDE [_Springs up and runs to the wood._
Heiaha! Heiaha!
The horse is kicking my mare!
GERHILDE [_Laughing aloud with HELMWIGE and SCHWERTLEITE._
The heroes' feud
Makes foes of the horses!
HELMWIGE [_Calling back into the wood._
Quiet, Brownie!
Pick not a quarrel.
WALTRAUTE
[_On the highest point, where listening towards
the right she has taken Gerhilde's place as
watcher, calling towards the right-hand side of the
background._
Hoioho! Hoioho!
Siegrune, come!
What keeps thee so long?
SIEGRUNE'S VOICE [_From the back on the right._
Work to do.
Are the others all there?
THE VALKYRIES
[_In answer, their gestures, as well as a bright
light behind the wood, showing that Siegrune has
just arrived there._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
GRIMGERDE's AND ROSSWEISSE'S VOICES [_From the back on the left._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha!
WALTRAUTE [_Towards the left._
Grimgerd' and Rossweisse!
GERHILDE
Together they ride.
[_In a cloud which passes across the stage from the
left, and from which lightning flashes, Rossweisse
and Grimgerde appear, also on horseback, each
carrying a slain warrior on her saddle._
HELMWIGE, GERLINDE AND SIEGRUNE
We greet you, valiant ones!
Rossweiss' and Grimgerde!
[_Have come out of the wood and wave their hands
from the edge of the precipice to Rossweisse and
Grimgerde, who disappear behind the wood._
ROSSWEISS' AND GRIMGERDE'S VOICES
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha!
ALL THE OTHER VALKYRIES
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha! Heiaha!
GERHILDE [_Calling into the wood._
Your horses lead into
The wood to rest!
ORTLINDE [_Also calling into the wood._
Lead the mares far off
One from the other,
Until our heroes'
Anger is laid!
HELMWIGE [_The others laughing._
The grey has paid
For the heroes' anger.
ROSSWEISSE AND GRIMGERDE [_Coming out of the wood._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
THE VALKYRIES
Be welcomed! Be welcomed!
SCHWERTLEITE
Went ye twain on one quest?
GRIMGERDE
No, singly we rode,
And met but to-day.
ROSSWEISSE
If we all are assembled
Why linger longer?
To Walhall let us away,
Bringing to Wotan the slain.
HELMWIGE
We are but eight;
Wanting is one.
GERHILDE
By the brown-eyed Wälsung
Brünnhilde tarries.
WALTRAUTE
Until she joins us
Here we must wait;
Warfather's greeting
Grim were indeed
If we returned without her!
SIEGRUNE [_On the look-out, calling towards the back._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
This way! This way!
[_To the others._
In hottest haste riding,
Hither she comes.
THE VALKYRIES
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha!
Brünnhilde, hei!
[_They watch her with growing astonishment._
WALTRAUTE
See, she leads woodward
Her staggering horse.
GRIMGERDE
From swift riding
How Grane pants!
ROSSWEISSE
No Valkyrie's flight
Ever so fast was.
ORTLINDE
What lies on her saddle?
HELMWIGE
That is no man!
SIEGRUNE
'Tis a woman, see!
GERHILDE
Where found she the maid?
SCHWERTLEITE
Has she no greeting
For her sisters?
WALTRAUTE [_Calling down very loudly._
Heiaha! Brünnhilde!
Dost thou not hear?
ORTLINDE
From her horse
Let us help our sister.
[_Helmwige and Gerhilde run to the wood, followed
by Siegrune and Rossweisse._
Hojotoho! Hojotoho!
Heiaha!
WALTRAUTE
To earth has sunk
Grane the strong one!
GRIMGERDE
From the saddle swift
She snatches the maid.
THE OTHER VALKYRIES
Sister! Sister!
What has occurred?
[_The Valkyries all return to the stage; Brünnhilde
accompanies them, leading and supporting Sieglinde._
Turns and looks
out anxiously,
then comes back.
BRÜNNHILDE [_Breathless._
Shield me and help
In dire distress!
THE VALKYRIES
Whence rodest thou hither,
Hasting so hard?
Thus ride they only who flee.
BRÜNNHILDE
I flee for the first time
And am pursued:
Warfather follows close.
THE VALKYRIES [_Terribly alarmed._
Hast thou gone crazy?
Speak to us! What?
Pursued by Warfather?
Flying from him?
BRÜNNHILDE
O sisters, spy
From the rocky peak!
Look north and tell me
If Warfather nears!
[_Ortlinde and Waltraute spring up the peak to the
look-out._
Quick! Is he in sight?
ORTLINDE
A storm from the north
Is nearing.
WALTRAUTE
Darkly the clouds
Congregate there.
THE VALKYRIES
Warfather, riding
His sacred steed, comes!
BRÜNNHILDE
The wrathful hunter,
He rides from the north;
He nears, he nears, in fury!
Save this woman!
Sisters your help!
[Illustration: Plate 29
BRÜNNHILDE
"I flee for the first time
And am pursued:
Warfather follows close.
. . . . . . . . .
He nears, he nears, in fury
Save this woman!
Sisters, your help!"]
THE VALKYRIES
What threatens the woman?
BRÜNNHILDE
Hark to me quickly!
Sieglinde this is,
Siegmund's sister and bride.
Wotan his fury
Against the Wälsungs has turned.
He told me
That to-day I must fail
The brother in strife;
But with my shield
I guarded him safe,
Daring the God,
Who slew him himself with his spear.
Siegmund fell;
But I fled,
Bearing his bride.
To protect her
And from the stroke
Of his wrath to hide,
I hastened, O my sisters, to you!
THE VALKYRIES [_Full of fear._
O foolish sister,
How mad thy deed!
Woe's me! Woe's me!
Brünnhilde, lost one!
Mocked, disobeyed
By Brünnhilde
Warfather's holy command!
WALTRAUTE [_On the look-out._
Darkness comes
From the north like the night.
ORTLINDE [_On the look-out._
Hither steering,
Rages the storm.
ROSSWEISSE, GRIMGERDE, and SCHWERTLEITE
Wildly neighs
Warfather's horse!
HELMWIGE, GERHILDE, and SIEGRUNE
Panting, snorting it comes!
BRÜNNHILDE
Woe to the woman
If here she is found,
For Wotan has vowed
The Wälsungs shall perish!
The horse that is swiftest
Which of you lends,
That forth the woman may fly?
SIEGRUNE
Wouldst have us too
Madly rebel?
BRÜNNHILDE
Rossweisse, sister,
Wilt lend me thy racer!
ROSSWEISSE
The fleet one from Wotan
Never yet fled.
BRÜNNHILDE
Helmwige, hear me!
HELMWIGE
I flout not our father.
BRÜNNHILDE
Waltraute! Gerhilde!
Give me your horse!
Schwertleite! Siegrune!
See my distress!
Stand by me now
Because of our love:
Rescue this woman in woe!
SIEGLINDE
[_Who until now has been staring gloomily and
coldly before her, starts up with a repellent
gesture as Brünnhilde encircles her with a warm,
protective embrace._
Concern thyself not about me;
Death is all that I crave.
From off the field
Who bade thee thus bear me?
For there perchance
By the selfsame weapon
That struck down Siegmund
I too had died,
Made one with him
In the hour of death.
Far from Siegmund--
Siegmund, from thee!
O cover me, Death,
From the sorrow!
Wouldst thou not have me
Curse thee for flying?
Thou must hearken, maid, to my prayer:
Pierce thou my heart with thy sword!
BRÜNNHILDE [_Impressively._
Live for the sake
Of thy love, O woman!
Rescue the pledge
Thou has gotten from him:
The Wälsung's child thou shalt bear!
SIEGLINDE
[_Gives a violent start; suddenly her face beams
with sublime joy._
Save me, ye bold ones!
Rescue my child!
Shelter me, maidens,
And strong be your shield!
[_An ever-darkening thunderstorm nears from the
back._
WALTRAUTE [_On the look-out._
The storm has drawn nigh.
ORTLINDE
Fly, all who fear it!
THE VALKYRIES
Hence with the woman;
Here she is lost:
The Valkyries dare not
Shield her from doom!
SIEGLINDE [_On her knees before Brünnhilde._
Save me, O maid!
Rescue the mother!
BRÜNNHILDE [_Raising Sieglinde with sudden resolve._
Away then, and swiftly!
Alone thou shalt fly.
I--stay in thy stead,
Victim of Wotan's anger.
I will hold here
The God in his wrath,
Till I know thee past reach of his rage.
SIEGLINDE
Say, whither shall my flight be?
BRÜNNHILDE
Which of you, sisters,
Eastward has journeyed?
SIEGRUNE
A forest stretches
Far in the east;
The Nibelung's hoard
By Fafner thither was borne.
SCHWERTLEITE
There as a dread
Dragon he sojourns,
And in a cave
Keeps watch over Alberich's ring.
GRIMGERDE
'Tis uncanny there
For a woman's home.
BRÜNNHILDE
And yet from Wotan's wrath
Shelter sure were the wood;
For he both fears
And keeps far from the place.
[Illustration: Plate 30
"There as a dread
Dragon he sojourns,
And in a cave
Keeps watch over Alberich's ring."]
WALTRAUTE [_On the look-out._
Raging, Wotan
Rides to the rock!
THE VALKYRIES
Brünnhilde, hark!
Like a storm-wind he comes!
BRÜNNHILDE
Flee then swiftly,
Thy face to the east!
Boldly enduring,
Defy every ill--
Hunger and thirst,
Briar and stone;
Laugh, whether gnawed
By anguish or want!
For one thing know
And hold to always--
The world's most glorious hero
Hideth, O woman, thy sheltering womb!
[_She takes the pieces of Siegmund's sword from
under her breast-plate and gives them to Sieglinde._
The splintered sword's pieces
Guard securely;
From the field where slain was
His father I brought them.
And now I name
Him who one day
The sword new-welded shall swing--
"Siegfried" rejoice and prevail!
SIEGLINDE [_Greatly moved._
Sublimest wonder!
Glorious maid!
From thee high solace
I have received!
For him whom we loved
I save the beloved one.
May my thanks one day
Sweet reward bring!
Fare thou well!
Be blest by Sieglind' in woe!
[_She hastens away to the right in front. The
rocky peak is surrounded by black thunder-clouds.
A fearful storm rages from the back. A fiery glow
increases in strength to the right._
WOTAN'S VOICE
Stay, Brünnhilde!
ORTLINDE AND WALTRAUTE [_Coming down from the look-out._
The rock is reached
By horse and rider!
[_Brünnhilde, after following Sieglinde with her
eyes for a while, goes towards the background,
looks into the wood, and comes forward again
fearfully._
THE VALKYRIES
Woe, Woe! Brünnhilde!
Vengeance he brings!
Ah, sisters, help!
My courage fails!
His wrath will crush me
Unless ye ward off its weight.
THE VALKYRIES
[_Fly towards the rocky point in fear, drawing
Brünnhilde with them._
This way, then, lost one!
Hide from his sight!
Cling closely to us,
And heed not his call!
[_They hide Brünnhilde in their midst and look
anxiously towards the wood, which is now lit up by
a bright fiery glow, while in the background it has
grown quite dark._
Woe! Woe!
Raging, Wotan
Swings from his horse!
Hither hastes
His foot for revenge!
WOTAN
[_Comes from the wood in a terrible state of wrath
and excitement and goes towards the Valkyries on
the height, looking angrily for Brünnhilde._
Where is Brünnhilde?
Where is the guilty one?
Would ye defy me
And hide the rebel?
THE VALKYRIES
Fearful and loud thy rage is!
By what misdeed have thy daughters
Vexed and provoked thee
To terrible wrath?
WOTAN
Fools, would ye flout me?
Have a care, rash ones!
I know: Brünnhilde
Fain ye would hide.
Leave her, the lost one
Cast off for ever,
Even as she
Cast off her worth!
THE VALKYRIES
To us fled the pursued one,
In her need praying for help,
Dismayed and fearful,
Dreading thy wrath.
For our trembling sister
Humbly we beg
That thy first wild rage be calmed.
WOTAN
Weak-hearted
And womanish brood!
Is this your valour,
Given by me?
For this have I reared you
Bold for the fight,
Made you relentless
And hard of heart
That ye wild ones might weep and whine
When my wrath on a faithless one falls?
Learn, wretched whimperers,
What was the crime
Of her for whom
Ye are shedding those tears.
No one but she
Knew what most deeply I brooded;
No one but she
Pierced to the source of my being;
Through her deeds
All, I wished to be, came to birth.
This sacred bond
So completely she broke
That she defied me,
Opposing my will,
Her master's command
Openly mocked,
And against me pointed the spear
That she held from me alone.
Hearest, Brünnhilde?
Thou who didst hold
Thy helm and spear,
Grace and delight,
Life and name as my gift!
Hearing my voice thus accusing,
Dost hide from me in terror,
A coward who shirks her doom?
BRÜNNHILDE
[_Steps out from the band of Valkyries, and humbly
but with a firm step descends from the rocky peak
until within a short distance from Wotan._
Here I am, Father,
Awaiting thy sentence!
WOTAN
I--sentence thee not;
Thou hast shaped thy doom for thyself.
Through my will only
Wert thou at all,
Yet against my will thou hast worked;
Thy part it was
To fulfil my commands,
Yet against me thou hast commanded;
Wish-maid
Thou wert to me,
Yet thy wish has dared to cross mine;
Shield-maid
Thou wert to me,
Yet against me raised was thy shield;
Lot-chooser
Thou wert to me:
Against me the lot thou hast chosen;
Hero-rouser
Thou wert to me:
Thou hast roused up heroes against me.
What once thou wert
Wotan has told thee:
What thou art now,
Demand of thyself!
Wish-maid thou art no more;
Valkyrie thou art no longer:--
What now thou art
For aye thou shalt be!
BRÜNNHILDE [_Greatly terrified._
Thou dost cast me off?
Ah, can it be so?
WOTAN
No more shall I send thee from Walhall
To seek upon fierce
Fields for the slain;
With heroes no more
Shalt thou fill my hall:
When the high Gods sit at banquet,
No more shalt thou pour
The wine in my horn;
No more shall I kiss
The mouth of my child.
Among heaven's hosts
Numbered no longer,
Outcast art thou
From the kinship of Gods;
Our bond is broken in twain,
And from my sight henceforth thou now
art banned.
THE VALKYRIES
[_Leave their places in the excitement, and come a
little farther down the rocks._
Woe's me! Woe!
Sister! O sister!
BRÜNNHILDE
All that thou gavest
Thou dost recall?
WOTAN
Conquering thee, one shall take all!
For here on the rock
Bound thou shalt be,
Defenceless in sleep,
Charmed and enchained;
The man who chances this way
And awakes her, shall master the maid.
THE VALKYRIES
[_Come down from the height in great excitement,
and in terrified groups surround Brünnhilde, who
lies half kneeling before Wotan._
O stay, Father!
The sentence recall.
Shall the maiden droop
And be withered by man?
O dread one, avert thou
The crying disgrace:
For as sisters share we her shame.
WOTAN
Have ye not heard
Wotan's decree?
From out your band
Shall your traitorous sister be banished,
No more to ride
Through the clouds her swift steed to the
battle;
Her maidenhood's flower
Will fade away;
Her grace and her favour
Her husband's will be;
Her husband will rule her
And she will obey;
Beside the hearth she will spin,
To all mockers a mark for scorn.
[Illustration: Plate 31, The ride of the Valkyries.]
[_Brünnhilde sinks with a cry to the ground.
The Valkyries, horror-stricken, recoil from her
violently._
Fear ye her fate?
Then fly from the lost one!
Swiftly forsake
And flee from her far!
Let one but venture
Near her to linger,
Seek to befriend her,
Defying my will--
The fool shall share the same doom:
I warn you, ye bold ones, well!
Up and away!
Hence, and return not!
Get ye gone at a gallop,
Trouble is rife else for you here!
THE VALKYRIES [_Separate with a wild cry and rush into the wood._
Woe! Woe!
[_Black clouds settle thickly on the cliff; a
rushing sound is heard in the wood. From the
clouds breaks a vivid flash of lightning, by which
the Valkyries are seen packed closely together,
and riding wildly away with loose bridles. The
storm soon subsides; the thunder-clouds gradually
disperse. In the following scene the weather
becomes fine again and twilight falls, followed at
the close by night._
[_Wotan and Brünnhilde, who lies stretched at his
feet, remain behind alone. A long solemn silence._
BRÜNNHILDE
[_Begins to raise her head a little, and,
commencing timidly, gains confidence as she
proceeds._
Was the offence
So shameful and foul
That to such shame the offender should be
doomed?
Was what I did
So base and so vile
That I must suffer abasement so low?
Was the dishonour
Truly so deep
That it must rob me of honour for aye?
[_She raises herself gradually to a kneeling
posture._
O speak, Father!
In my eye looking,
Calming thy rage,
Taming thy wrath,
Explain why so dark
This deed of mine
That in thy implacable anger
It costs thee thy favourite child!
WOTAN [_His attitude unchanged, gravely and gloomily._
Ask of thy deed,
And that will show thee thy guilt!
BRÜNNHILDE
I but fulfilled
Wotan's command.
WOTAN
By my command
Didst thou fight for the Walsung?
BRÜNNHILDE
Yea, lord of the lots,
So ran thy decree.
WOTAN
But I took back
The order, changed the decree!
BRÜNNHILDE
When Fricka had weaned
Thy will from its purpose;
In yielding what she desired
Thou wert a foe to thyself.
WOTAN [_Softly and bitterly._
I thought thou didst understand me,
And punished thy conscious revolt;
But coward and fool
I seemed to thee!
If I had not treason to punish
Thou wouldst be unworthy my wrath.
BRÜNNHILDE
I am not wise,
But I knew well this one thing--
That thy love was the Wälsung's;
I knew that, by discord
Drawn two ways,
This one thing thou hadst forgotten.
The other only
Couldst thou discern--
What so bitterly
Wounded thy heart:
That Siegmund might not be shielded.
WOTAN
And yet thou didst dare
To shield him, knowing 'twas so?
BRÜNNHILDE [_Beginning softly._
Because I the one thing
Had kept in my eye,
While by twofold desire
Divided wert thou,
Blindly thy back on him turning!
She who wards thy back
From the foe in the field,
She saw alone
What thou sawest not:--
Siegmund I beheld.
Bringing him doom
I approached;
I looked in his eyes,
Gave ear to his words.
I perceived the hero's
Bitter distress;
Loud the lament
Of the brave one resounded;
Uttermost love's
Most terrible pang,
Saddest of hearts
Defying all odds---
With my ear I heard,
My eye beheld
That which stirred the heart in my breast
With trouble holy and strange.
Shamed, astonished,
Shrinking I stood.
Then all my thought
Was how I could serve him;
Triumph and death
To share with Siegmund--
That seemed, that only,
The lot I could choose!
Faithful to him
Who taught my heart this love,
And set me
By the Wälsung's side as friend--
Most faithful to him--
Thy word I disobeyed.
WOTAN
So thou hast done
What I yearned so greatly to do--
What a twofold fate
Withheld from my desire!
So easy seemed to thee
Heart's delight in the winning,
When burning woe
In my heart flamed fierce,
When terrible anguish
Wrung my soul,
When, to save the world
That I loved, love's spring
In my tortured heart I imprisoned?
Against my own self
When I turned, to my torment,
From swooning pain
Arose in a frenzy,
When a wild longing
Burning like fire
The fearful design in me woke
In the ruins of my own world
My unending sorrow to bury,
[_Somewhat freely._
Thy heart was lapped
In blissful delight.
Trembling with rapture,
Drunken with joy,
Thy lips drank laughing
The draught of love,
While I drank of divine woe
Mixed with wormwood and gall.
[_Dryly and shortly._
By thy lightsome heart
Henceforth be guided:
From me thou hast turned away!
I must renounce thee;
Together no more
Shall we two whisper counsel;
Apart our paths lie,
Sundered for ever,
And so long as life lasts
I, the God, dare nevermore greet thee!
BRÜNNHILDE [_Simply._
Unfit was the foolish
Maid for thee,
Who, dazed by thy counsel,
Grasped not thy mind
When, to her, one counsel
Alone appeared plain--
To love what was loved by thee.
If I must forth
Where I shall not find thee,
If the fast-woven bond
Must be loosed,
And half thy being
Far from thee banished--
A half once thine and thine only,
O God, forget not that!--
Thy other self
Thou wilt not dishonour,
Dealing out shame
That will shame thee too;
Thine own honour were lowered,
Were I a target for scorn!
WOTAN
The lure of love
Thou hast followed fain:
Follow the man
Who shall wield its might!
BRÜNNHILDE
If I must go from Walhall,
No more in thy work be a sharer,
And if as my master
A man I must serve,
I braggart base
Abandon me not!
Not all unworthy
Be he who wins!
WOTAN
With Wotan no part hast thou--
He cannot fashion thy fate.
BRÜNNHILDE
By thee has been founded a race
Too glorious to bring forth a coward
One day must a matchless hero
From Walsung lineage spring.
WOTAN
Name not the Wälsungs to me!
Renouncing thee,
Them too I renounced;
Through envy they came to naught.
BRÜNNHILDE
She who turned from thee
Rescued the race;
[_With an air of secrecy._
Sieglinde bears
Fruit holy and high;
In pain and woe
Beyond woe known to woman
She will bring forth
What in fear she hides!
WOTAN
No shelter for her
Seek at my hand,
Nor for fruit that she may bear.
BRÜNNHILDE
The sword she has kept
That thou gavest Siegmund.
WOTAN [_Violently._
And that I splintered with my spear.
Strive not, O maid,
My spirit to trouble!
Await thou the lot
Cast and decreed;
I cannot choose it or change!
But now I must forth,
Fare from thee far;
Too long I stay by thy side.
I must turn from thee,
As thou didst from me;
I must not even
Know thy desire;
Thy doom alone
I must see fulfilled!
BRÜNNHILDE
And what is the doom
That I must suffer?
WOTAN
In slumber fast
Thou shalt be locked;
Wife thou shalt be to the man
Who finds and wakes thee from sleep!
BRÜNNHILDE [_Falls on her knees._
If fettering sleep
Fast must bind me,
An easy prey
To the basest coward,
This one thing that in deep anguish
I plead for thou must accord!
O shield thou the sleeper
With soul-daunting terrors,
[_Firmly._
That by a dauntless
Hero alone
Here on the rock
I may be found!
WOTAN
Too much thou askest--
Too big a boon!
[Illustration: Plate 32
WOTAN.
"Appear, flickering fire,
Encircle the rock with thy flame!
Loge! Loge! Appear!"]
BRÜNNHILDE [_Clasping his knees._
This one thing
Grant me, O grant me!
The child that is clasping
Thy knees crush dead;
Tread down thy dear one
And shatter the maid;
Let her body perish,
Pierced by thy spear,
But, cruel one, expose her not
To this crying shame!
[_With wild ecstasy._
O cause a fire
To burn at thy bidding,
With flame fiercely flaring
Girdle the rock,
And may its tongue lick,
And may its tooth eat
The coward who, daring, rashly
Approaches the terrible spot!
WOTAN
[_Overcome and deeply stirred, turns quickly
towards Brünnhilde, raises her from her knees and
looks into her eyes with emotion._
Farewell, thou valiant,
Glorious child!
Thou the most holy
Pride of my heart,
Farewell! Farewell! Farewell!
[_Passionately._
Must we be parted?
Shall I never more
Give thee love's greeting?
Must thou no longer
Gallop beside me,
Nor bring me mead at banquet?
If I must lose thee,
Whom I have loved so,
The laughing delight of my eyes,
For thee there shall burn
A bridal fire brighter
Than ever yet burned for a bride!
Fiercely the flames
Shall flare round thy bed,
Flames dreadful, devouring,
Daunting all cowards;
Let cravens flee
From Brünnhilde's rock!
One only shall set the bride free,
One freer than I, the God!
[_Moved and enraptured, Brünnhilde sinks on the
breast of Wotan, who holds her in a long embrace;
then she throws back her head again, and, still
embracing him, gazes into his eyes with emotion and
awe._
Those eyes so lovely and bright
That oft with smiles I caressed,
Thy valour
With a kiss rewarding
When, sweetly lisped
By thy childlike mouth,
The praise of heroes I heard:
Those eyes so radiant and fair
That oft in storm on me shone,
When hopeless yearning
My heart was wasting,
And when the joy
Of the world I longed for,
While fears thronged thick around me--
Once more to-day
Gladdening me,
Let them take this kiss
Of fond farewell!
On happier mortal
May they yet shine;
On me, hapless immortal,
Must they close, and for ever!
[_He takes her head in both hands._
'Tis thus that the God
From thee turns:
He kisses thy Godhead away!
[Illustration: Plate 33, As he moves slowly away, Wotan turns and looks
sorrowfully back at Brünnhilde.]
[_He kisses her long on the eyes, and with
these closed she sinks back softly into his
arms, unconscious. He carries her gently to a
low mossy mound, and lays her there beneath the
broad-spreading pine-tree which overshadows it.
He gazes at her and closes her helmet; his eyes
then rest on the form of the sleeper, which he
completely covers with the great steel shield of
the Valkyries. Having done so, he moves slowly
away, turning to take one more sorrowful look. Then
he strides with solemn resolve to the middle of the
stage, and points his sword towards a large rock._
Loge, hear!
Hark to my word!
I who found thee at first
A fiery flame,
And from whom thou didst vanish
In wandering fire,
I, who once bound,
Bid thee break forth!
Appear, flickering fire,
Encircle the rock with thy flame!
[_He strikes the rock three times with his spea
r during the following._
Loge! Loge! Appear!
[_A gleam of fire issues from the stone and
gradually becomes a fiery glow; then flickering
flames break forth. Soon wild, shooting flames
surround Wotan, who, with his spear, directs the
sea of fire to encircle the rock. It spreads
towards the background, so that the mountain is
surrounded by flame._
Let none who fears
The spear of Wotan
Adventure across this fire!
[_He stretches out his spear as a ban, looks
sorrowfully back at Brünnhilde, then moves slowly
away, turning his head for a farewell gaze. Finally
he disappears through the fire. The curtain falls._
[Illustration: Plate 34, The sleep of Brünnhilde.]
End of Project Gutenberg's The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie, by Richard Wagner