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with northern history through Ragnar Lodbrog, or southern
through Attila and Theodoric; that it should have inspired
William Morris in producing the one great English epic of
the century; (13) and Richard Wagner in the mightiest among
(13)  Sigurd the Volsung , which seems to have become all
but forgotten in this century.  DBK.
22
The Volsunga Saga
TRANSLATORS PREFACE some inserted amongst the prose text by the original story-
teller, and some by the present translators, and the remainder
In offering to the reader this translation of the most complete in the latter part of the book, put together as nearly as may be
and dramatic form of the great Epic of the North, we lay no in the order of the story, and forming a metrical version of
claim to special critical insight, nor do we care to deal at all the greater portion of it.
with vexed questions, but are content to abide by existing These Songs from the Elder Edda we will now briefly com-
authorities, doing our utmost to make our rendering close pare with the prose of the Volsung Story, premising that these
and accurate, and, if it might be so, at the same time, not over are the only metrical sources existing of those from which the
prosaic: it is to the lover of poetry and nature, rather than to Sagaman told his tale.
the student, that we appeal to enjoy and wonder at this great Except for the short snatch on p. 24 (1) of our translation,
work, now for the first time, strange to say, translated into nothing is now left of these till we come to the episode of
English: this must be our excuse for speaking here, as briefly Helgi Hundings-bane, Sigurd s half-brother; there are two
as may be, of things that will seem to the student over well songs left relating to this, from which the prose is put to-
known to be worth mentioning, but which may give some gether; to a certain extent they cover the same ground; but
ease to the general reader who comes across our book. the latter half of the second is, wisely as we think, left un-
The prose of the Volsunga Saga was composed probably touched by the Sagaman, as its interest is of itself too great
some time in the twelfth century, from floating traditions no not to encumber the progress of the main story; for the sake
doubt; from songs which, now lost, were then known, at of its wonderful beauty, however, we could not refrain from
least in fragments, to the Sagaman; and finally from songs, rendering it, and it will be found first among the metrical
which, written down about his time, are still existing: the translations that form the second part of this book.
greater part of these last the reader will find in this book,
(1) Chapter viii.  DBK.
23
The Volsunga Saga
Of the next part of the Saga, the deaths of Sinfjotli and tion of Grimhild, the wedding of Sigurd consequent on that
Sigmund, and the journey of Queen Hjordis to the court of potion; of the wooing of Brynhild for Gunnar, her marriage
King Alf, there is no trace left of any metrical origin; but we to him, of the quarrel of the Queens, the brooding grief and
meet the Edda once more where Regin tells the tale of his kin wrath of Brynhild, and the interview of Sigurd with her of
to Sigurd, and where Sigurd defeats and slays the sons of all this, the most dramatic and best-considered parts of the
Hunding: this lay is known as the  Lay of Regin . tale, there is now no more left that retains its metrical form
The short chap. xvi. is abbreviated from a long poem called than the few snatches preserved by the Sagaman, though many
the  Prophecy of Gripir (the Grifir of the Saga), where the of the incidents are alluded to in other poems.
whole story to come is told with some detail, and which cer- Chap. xxx. is met by the poem called the  Short Lay of
tainly, if drawn out at length into the prose, would have fore- Sigurd , which, fragmentary apparently at the beginning, gives
stalled the interest of the tale. us something of Brynhild s awakening wrath and jealousy,
In the slaying of the Dragon the Saga adheres very closely to the slaying of Sigurd, and the death of Brynhild herself; this
the  Lay of Fafnir ; for the insertion of the song of the birds poem we have translated entire.
to Sigurd the present translators are responsible. The Fragments of the  Lay of Brynhild are what is left of
Then comes the waking of Brynhild, and her wise redes to a poem partly covering the same ground as this last, but giv-
Sigurd, taken from the Lay of Sigrdrifa, the greater part of ing a different account of Sigurd s slaying; it is very incom-
which, in its metrical form, is inserted by the Sagaman into plete, though the Sagaman has drawn some incidents from it;
his prose; but the stanza relating Brynhild s awaking we have the reader will find it translated in our second part. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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