ODDRUNARGRATR

ODDRUNARGRATR
THE LAMENT OF ODDRUN
Heithrek was the name of a king, whose daughter was called Borgny.
Vilmund was the name of the man who was her lover. She could not give
birth to a child until Oddrun, Atli’s sister, had come to her; Oddrun
had been beloved of Gunnar, son of Gjuki. About this story is the
following poem.
I have heard it told   |   in olden tales
How a maiden came   |   to Morningland;
No one of all   |   on earth above
To Heithrek’s daughter   |   help could give.
This Oddrun learned,   |   the sister of Atli,
That sore the maiden’s   |   sickness was;
The bit-bearer forth   |   from his stall she brought,
And the saddle laid   |   on the steed so black.
She let the horse go   |   o’er the level ground,
Till she reached the hall   |   that loftily rose,
(And in she went   |   from the end of the hall;)
From the weary steed   |   the saddle she took;
Hear now the speech   |   that first she spake:
“What news on earth,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
Or what has happened   |   in Hunland now?”
A serving-maid spake:
“Here Borgny lies   |   in bitter pain,
Thy friend, and, Oddrun,   |   thy help would find.”
Oddrun spake:
“Who worked this woe   |   for the woman thus,
Or why so sudden   |   is Borgny sick?”
The serving-maid spake:
“Vilmund is he,   |   the heroes’ friend,
Who wrapped the woman   |   in bedclothes warm,
(For winters five,   |   yet her father knew not).”
Then no more   |   they spake, methinks;
She went at the knees   |   of the woman to sit;
With magic Oddrun   |   and mightily Oddrun
Chanted for Borgny   |   potent charms.
At last were born   |   a boy and girl,
Son and daughter   |   of Hogni’s slayer;
Then speech the woman   |   so weak began,
Nor said she aught   |   ere this she spake:
“So may the holy   |   ones thee help,
Frigg and Freyja   |   and favoring gods,
As thou hast saved me   |   from sorrow now.”
Oddrun spake:
“I came not hither   |   to help thee thus
Because thou ever   |   my aid didst earn;
I fulfilled the oath   |   that of old I swore,
That aid to all   |   I should ever bring,
(When they shared the wealth   |   the warriors had).”
Borgny spake:
“Wild art thou, Oddrun,   |   and witless now,
That so in hatred   |   to me thou speakest;
I followed thee   |   where thou didst fare,
As we had been born   |   of brothers twain.”
Oddrun spake:
“I remember the evil   |   one eve thou spakest,
When a draught I gave   |   to Gunnar then;
Thou didst say that never   |   such a deed
By maid was done   |   save by me alone.”
Then the sorrowing woman   |   sat her down
To tell the grief   |   of her troubles great.
“Happy I grew   |   in the hero’s hall
As the warriors wished,   |   and they loved me well;
Glad I was   |   of my father’s gifts,
For winters five,   |   while my father lived.
“These were the words   |   the weary king,
Ere he died,   |   spake last of all:
He bade me with red gold   |   dowered to be,
And to Grimhild’s son   |   in the South be wedded.
“But Brynhild the helm   |   he bade to wear,
A wish-maid bright   |   he said she should be;
For a nobler maid   |   would never be born
On earth, he said,   |   if death should spare her.
“At her weaving Brynhild   |   sat in her bower,
Lands and folk   |   alike she had;
The earth and heaven   |   high resounded
When Fafnir’s slayer   |   the city saw.
“Then battle was fought   |   with the foreign swords,
And the city was broken   |   that Brynhild had;
Not long thereafter,   |   but all too soon,
Their evil wiles   |   full well she knew.
“Woeful for this   |   her vengeance was,
As so we learned   |   to our sorrow all;
In every land   |   shall all men hear
How herself at Sigurth’s   |   side she slew.
“Love to Gunnar   |   then I gave,
To the breaker of rings,   |   as Brynhild might;
To Atli rings   |   so red they offered,
And mighty gifts   |   to my brother would give.
“Fifteen dwellings   |   fain would he give
For me, and the burden   |   that Grani bore;
But Atli said   |   he would never receive
Marriage gold   |   from Gjuki’s son.
“Yet could we not   |   our love o’ercome,
And my head I laid   |   on the hero’s shoulder;
Many there were   |   of kinsmen mine
Who said that together   |   us they had seen.
“Atli said   |   that never I
Would evil plan,   |   or ill deed do;
But none may this   |   of another think,
Or surely speak,   |   when love is shared.
“Soon his men   |   did Atli send,
In the murky wood   |   on me to spy;
Thither they came   |   where they should not come,
Where beneath one cover   |   close we lay.
“To the warriors ruddy   |   rings we offered,
That nought to Atli   |   e’er they should say;
But swiftly home   |   they hastened thence,
And eager all   |   to Atli told.
“But close from Guthrun   |   kept they hid
What first of all   |   she ought to have known.
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
“Great was the clatter   |   of gilded hoofs
When Gjuki’s sons   |   through the gateway rode;
The heart they hewed   |   from Hogni then,
And the other they cast   |   in the serpents’ cave.
“The hero wise   |   on his harp then smote,
.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
For help from me   |   in his heart yet hoped
The high-born king,   |   might come to him.
“Alone was I gone   |   to Geirmund then,
The draught to mix   |   and ready to make;
Sudden I heard   |   from Hlesey clear
How in sorrow the strings   |   of the harp resounded.
“I bade the serving-maids   |   ready to be,
For I longed the hero’s   |   life to save;
Across the sound   |   the boats we sailed,
Till we saw the whole   |   of Atli’s home.
“Then crawling the evil   |   woman came,
Atli’s mother—   |   may she ever rot!
And hard she bit   |   to Gunnar’s heart,
So I could not help   |   the hero brave.
“Oft have I wondered   |   how after this,
Serpents’-bed goddess!   |   I still might live,
For well I loved   |   the warrior brave,
The giver of swords,   |   as my very self.
“Thou didst see and listen,   |   the while I said
The mighty grief   |   that was mine and theirs;
Each man lives   |   as his longing wills,—
Oddrun’s lament   |   is ended now.”