Gudrun of old days drew near to dying
As she sat in sorrow over Sigurd;
Yet she sighed not nor smote hand on hand,
Nor wailed she aught as other women.
Then went earls to her.
Full of all wisdom, fain help to deal
To her dreadful heart:
Hushed was Gudrun of wail, or greeting,
But with a heavy woe was her heart a-breaking.
Bright and fair sat the great earls' brides,
Gold arrayed before Gudrun;
Each told the tale of her great trouble,
The bitterest bale she erst abode.

Then spake Giaflaug, Giuki's sister:

"Lo upon earth I live most loveless
Who of five mates must see the ending,
Of daughters twain and three sisters,
Of brethren eight, and abide behind lonely."
Naught gat Gudrun of wail and greeting,
So heavy was she for her dead husband,
So dreadful-hearted for the King laid dead there.

Then spake Herborg

Queen of Hunland--
"Crueller tale have I to tell of,
Of my seven sons down in the Southlands,
And the eighth man, my mate,
Felled in the death-mead.
"Father and mother, and four brothers,
On the wide sea the winds and death played with;
The billows beat on the bulwark boards.
"Alone must I sing o'er them,
Alone must I array them,
Alone must my hands deal with
Their departing; and all this was
In one season's wearing,
And none was left for love or solace.
"Then was I bound a prey of the battle,
When that same season wore to its ending;
As a tiring may must I bind the shoon
Of the duke's high dame, every day at dawning.
"From her jealous hate gat I heavy mocking,
Cruel lashes she laid upon me,
Never met I better master
Or mistress worser in all the wide world."
Naught gat Gudrun of wail or greeting,
So heavy was she for her dead husband,
So dreadful-hearted for the King laid dead there.

Then spake Gullrond,

Giuki's daughter--
"O foster-mother, wise as thou mayst be,
Naught canst thou better the young wife's bale."
And she bade uncover the dead King's corpse.
She swept the sheet away from Sigurd,
And turned his cheek towards his wife's knees--
"Look on thy loved one lay lips to his lips,
E'en as thou wert clinging to thy king alive yet!"
Once looked Gudrun--
One look only, and saw her lord's locks
Lying all bloody, the great man's eyes
Glazed and deadly, and his heart's bulwark
Broken by sword-edge.
Back then sank Gudrun, back on the bolster,
Loosed was her head array, red did her cheeks grow,
And the rain-drops ran down over her knees.

Then wept Gudrun,

Giuki's daughter, so that the tears flowed
Through the pillow; as the geese withal
That were in the homefield,
The fair fowls the may owned,
Fell a-screaming.

Then spake Gullrond,

Giuki's daughter--
"Surely knew I no love like your love
Among all men, on the mould abiding;
Naught wouldst thou joy in without or within doors,
O my sister, save beside Sigurd."

Then spake Gudrun,

Giuki's daughter--
"Such was my Sigurd among the sons of Giuki,
As is the king leek o'er the low grass waxing,
Or a bright stone strung on band,
Or a pearl of price on a prince's brow.
"Once was I counted by the king's warriors
Higher than any of Herjan's mays;
Now am I as little as the leaf may be,
Amid wind-swept wood now when dead he lieth.
I miss from my seat, I miss from my bed,
My darling of sweet speech.
Wrought the sons of Giuki, wrought the sons of Giuki,
This sore sorrow, yea, for their sister,
Most sore sorrow.
"So may your lands lie waste on all sides,
As ye have broken your bounden oaths!
Ne'er shalt thou, Gunnar, the gold have joy of;
The dear-bought rings shall drag thee to death,
Whereon thou swarest oath unto Sigurd.
Ah, in the days by-gone great mirth in the homefield
When my Sigurd set saddle on Grani,
And they went their ways for the wooing of Brynhild!
An ill day, an ill woman, and most ill hap!"

Then spake Brynhild,

Budli's daughter--
"May the woman lack both love and children,
Who gained greeting for thee, O Gudrun!
Who gave thee this morning many words!"

Then spake Gullrond,

Giuki's daughter--
"Hold peace of such words thou hated of all folk!
The bane of brave men hast thou been ever,
All waves of ill wash over thy mind,
To seven great kings hast thou been a sore sorrow,
And the death of good will to wives and women."

Then spake Brynhild,

Budli's daughter--
"None but Atli brought bale upon us,
My very brother born of Budli.
When we saw in the hall of the Hunnish people
The gold a-gleaming on the kingly Giukings;
I have paid for that faring oft and Full,
And for the sight that then I saw."
By a pillar she stood and strained its wood to her;
From the eyes of Brynhild, Budli's daughter,
Flashed out fire, and she snorted forth venom,
As the sore wounds she gazed on of the dead-slain Sigurd.

Ár var, þats Guðrún gerðisk at deyja,
er hon sat sorgfull yfir Sigurði;
gerði-t hon hjúfra né höndum slá,
né kveina um sem konur aðrar.
Gengu jarlar alsnotrir fram,
þeir er harðs hugar hana löttu;
þeygi Guðrún gráta mátti,
svá var hon móðug, mundi hon springa.
Sátu ítrar jarla brúðir,
gulli búnar, fyr Guðrúnu;
hvar sagði þeira sinn oftrega,
þann er bitrastan of beðit hafði.

Þá kvað Gjaflaug, Gjúka systir:

"Mik veit ek á moldu munarlausasta;
hefi ek fimm vera forspell beðit,
tveggja dætra, þriggja systra,
átta bræðra, þó ek ein lifi."
Þeygi Guðrún gráta mátti,
svá var hon móðug at mög dauðan
ok harðhuguð of hrör fylkis.

Þá kvað þat Herborg,

Húnalands dróttning:
"Hefi ek harðara harm at segja;
mínir sjau synir sunnan lands,
verr inn átti, í val fellu.
Faðir ok móðir, fjórir bræðr,
þau á vági vindr of lék,
barði bára við borðþili.
Sjalf skylda ek göfga,
sjalf skylda ek götva,
sjalf skylda ek höndla
hrör þeira;
þat ek allt of beið ein misseri,
svá at mér maðr engi munar leitaði.
Þá varð ek hafta ok hernuma
sams misseris síðan verða;
skylda ek skreyta ok skúa binda
hersis kván hverjan morgin.
Hon ægði mér af afbrýði
ok hörðum mik höggum keyrði;
fann ek húsguma hvergi in betra,
en húsfreyju hvergi verri."
Þeygi Guðrún gráta mátti,
svá var hon móðug at mög dauðan
ok harðhuguð of hrör fylkis."

Þá kvað þat Gullrönd

Gjúka dóttir:
"Fá kanntu, fóstra, þótt þú fróð séir,
ungu vífi andspjöll bera."
Varaði hon at hylja um hrör fylkis.
Svipti hon blæju af Sigurði
ok vatt vengi fyr vífs knéum:
"Líttu á ljúfan, leggðu munn við grön,
sem þú halsaðir heilan stilli."
Á leit Guðrún einu sinni,
sá hon döglings skör dreyra runna,
fránar sjónir fylkis liðnar,
hugborg jöfurs hjörvi skorna.
Þá hné Guðrún höll við bolstri,
haddr losnaði, hlýr roðnaði,
en regns dropi rann niðr of kné.

Þá grét Guðrún

Gjúka dóttir,
svá at tár flugu tresk í gögnum
ok gullu við gæss í túni,
mærir fuglar, er mær átti.

Þá kvað þat Gullrönd

Gjúka dóttir: "Ykkrar vissa ek ástir mestar
manna allra fyr mold ofan;
unðir þá hvárki úti né inni,
systir mín nema hjá Sigurði."

Guðrún kvað:

"Svá var minn Sigurðr hjá sonum Gjúka
sem væri geirlaukr ór grasi vaxinn
eða væri bjartr steinn á band dreginn,
jarknasteinn yfir öðlingum.
Ek þótta ok þjóðans rekkum
hverri hæri Herjans dísi;
nú em ek svá lítil sem lauf séi
oft í jölstrum at jöfur dauðan.
Sakna ek í sessi ok í sæingu
míns málvinar, valda megir Gjúka;
valda megir Gjúka mínu bölvi
ok systur sinnar sárum gráti.
Svá ér of lýða landi eyðið
sem ér of unnuð eiða svarða;
mun-a þú, Gunnarr, gulls of njóta;
þeir munu þér baugar at bana verða,
er þú Sigurði svarðir eiða.
Oft var í túni teiti meiri,
þá er minn Sigurðr söðlaði Grana
ok þeir Brynhildar biðja fóru,
armar véttar, illu heilli."

Þá kvað þat Brynhildr,

Buðla dóttir: "Vön sé sú véttr vers ok barna,
er þik, Guðrún, gráts of beiddi
ok þér í morgun málrúnar gaf."

Þá kvað þat Gullrönd,

Gjúka dóttir:
"Þegi þú, þjóðleið, þeira orða;
urðr öðlinga hefir þú æ verit;
rekr þik alda hver illrar skepnu,
sorg sára sjau konunga
ok vinspell vífa mest."

Þá kvað þat Brynhildr,

Buðla dóttir:
"Veldr einn Atli öllu bölvi
of borinn Buðla bróðir minn."
Þá er vit í höll húnskrar þjóðar
eld á jöfri ormbeðs litum,
þess hefi ek gangs goldit síðan,
þeirar sýnar, sáumk ey."
Stóð hon und stoð, strengði hon efli;
brann Brynhildi Buðla dóttur
eldr ór augum, eitri fnæsti,
er hon sár of leit á Sigurði.