Then the harper touched the magic strings4, and strains of music, loud and clear, but sweet as a baby’s breath, rose up in the still air, and floated over the quiet bay, and across the green meadows which lay around the castle-walls; and it was borne upward over the battlements, and among the shining turrets6 and towers, and was carried far out over the hills, and among the silent trees of the plain. And Bragi sung of the beginning of all things, and of whatsoever7 is beautiful on the land, or in the sea, or in the sky. And Siegfried looked to see every thing awakened8, and quickened into life, as had oft been done before by Bragi’s music; but nothing stirred. The sun went down, and the gray twilight9 hung over sea and land, and the red glow in the castle-moat grew redder still; and yet every thing slept. Then Bragi ended his song, and the strings of his harp were mute.
“Music has no charms to waken from sleep like that,” he said.
And then he told Siegfried what it all meant; and, to make the story plain, he began by telling of Odin’s bright home at Gladsheim and of the many great halls that were there.
One of the halls in Gladsheim is called Valhal. This hall is so large and wide, that all the armies of the earth might move within it. Outside, it is covered with gold and with sun-bright shields. A fierce wolf stands guard before it, and a mountain-eagle hovers12 over it. It has five hundred and forty doors, each large enough for eight hundred heroes to march through abreast13. Inside, every thing is glittering bright. The rafters are made of spears, and the ceiling is covered with shields, and the walls are decked with war-coats. In this hall Odin sets daily a feast for all the heroes that have been slain14 in battle. These sit at the great table, and eat of the food which Odin’s servants have prepared, and drink of the heavenly mead5 which the Valkyries, Odin’s handmaids, bring them.
But the Valkyries have a greater duty. When the battle rages, and swords clash, and shields ring, and the air is filled with shouts and groans15 and all the din10 of war, then these maidens16 hover11 over the field of blood and death, and carry the slain heroes home to Valhal.
One of Odin’s Valkyries was named Brunhild, and she was the most beautiful of all the maidens that chose heroes for his war-host. But she was wilful18 too, and did not always obey the All-Father’s behests. And when Odin knew that she had sometimes snatched the doomed19 from death, and sometimes helped her chosen friends to victory, he was very angry. And he drove her away from Gladsheim, and sent her, friendless and poor, to live among the children of men, and to be in all ways like them. But, as she wandered weary and alone over the earth, the good old King of Isenland saw her beauty and her distress20, and pity and love moved his heart; and, as he had no children of his own, he took her for his daughter, and made her his heir. And not long afterward21 he died, and the matchless Brunhild became queen of all the fair lands of Isenland and the hall of Isenstein. When Odin heard of this, he was more angry still; and he sent to Isenstein, and caused Brunhild to be stung with the thorn of Sleep. And he said,—
“She shall sleep until one shall come who is brave enough to ride through fire to awaken her.”
And all Isenland slept too, because Brunhild, the Maiden17 of Spring, lay wounded with the Sleepful thorn.
When Siegfried heard this story, he knew that the land which lay before them was Isenland, and that the castle was Isenstein, and that Brunhild was sleeping within that circle of fire.
“My songs have no power to awaken such a sleeper,” said Bragi. “A hero strong and brave must ride through the flame to arouse her. It is for this that I have brought you hither; and here I will leave you, while I sail onwards to brighten other lands with my music.”
Siegfried’s heart leaped up with gladness; for he thought that here, at last, was a worthy22 deed for him to do. And he bade his friend Bragi good-by, and stepped ashore23; and Greyfell followed him. And Bragi sat at the prow24 of the ship, and played his harp again; and the sailors plied25 their oars26; and the little vessel27 moved swiftly out of the bay, and was seen no more. And Siegfried stood alone on the silent, sandy beach.
As he thus stood, the full moon rose white and dripping from the sea; and its light fell on the quiet water, and the sloping meadows, and the green turrets of the castle. And the last notes of Bragi’s harp came floating to him over the sea.
Then a troop of fairies came down to dance upon the sands. It was the first sign of life that Siegfried had seen. As the little creatures drew near, he hid himself among the tall reeds which grew close to the shore; for he wished to see them at their gambols28, and to listen to their songs. At first, as if half afraid of their own tiny shadows, they danced in silence; but, as the moon rose higher, they grew bolder, and began to sing. And their music was so sweet and soft, that Siegfried forgot almost every thing, else for the time: they sang of the pleasant summer days, and of cooling shades, and still fountains, and silent birds, and peaceful slumber29. And a strange longing30 for sleep took hold of Siegfried; and his eyes grew heavy, and the sound of the singing seemed dim and far away. But just as he was losing all knowledge of outward things, and his senses seemed moving in a dream, the fairies stopped dancing, and a little brown elf came up from the sea, and saluted31 the queen of the tiny folk.
“What news bring you from the great world beyond the water?” asked the queen.
“The prince is on his way hither,” answered the elf.
“And what will he do?”
“If he is brave enough, he will awaken the princess, and arouse the drowsy32 people of Isenstein; for the Norns have said that such a prince shall surely come.”
“But he must be the bravest of men ere he can enter the enchanted33 castle,” said the queen; “for the wide moat is filled with flames, and no faint heart will ever dare battle with them.”
“But I will dare!” cried Siegfried; and he sprang from his hiding-place, forgetful of the little folk, who suddenly flitted away, and left him alone upon the beach. He glanced across the meadows at the green turrets glistening34 in the mellow35 moonlight, and then at the flickering36 flames around the castle walls, and he resolved that on the morrow he would at all hazards perform the perilous37 feat38.
In the morning, as soon as the gray dawn appeared, he began to make ready for his difficult undertaking39. But, when he looked again at the red flames, he began to hesitate. He paused, uncertain whether to wait for a sign and for help from the All-Father, or whether to go straightway to the castle, and, trusting in his good armor alone, try to pass through the burning moat. While he thus stood in doubt, his eyes were dazzled by a sudden flash of light. He looked up. Greyfell came dashing across the sands; and from his long mane a thousand sunbeams gleamed and sparkled in the morning light. Siegfried had never seen the wondrous41 creature so radiant; and as the steed stood by him in all his strength and beauty he felt new hope and courage, as if Odin himself had spoken to him. He hesitated no longer, but mounted the noble horse; and Greyfell bore him swiftly over the plain, and paused not until he had reached the brink43 of the burning moat.
Now, indeed, would Siegfried’s heart have failed him, had he not been cheered by the sunbeam presence of Greyfell. For filling the wide, deep ditch, were angry, hissing44 flames, which, like a thousand serpent-tongues, reached out, and felt here and there, for what they might devour45; and ever and anon they took new forms, and twisted and writhed46 like fiery47 snakes, and then they swirled48 in burning coils high over the castle-walls. Siegfried stopped not a moment. He spoke42 the word, and boldly the horse with his rider dashed into the fiery lake; and the vile49 flames fled in shame and dismay before the pure sunbeam flashes from Greyfell’s mane. And, unscorched and unscathed, Siegfried rode through the moat, and through the wide-open gate, and into the castle-yard.
The gate-keeper sat fast asleep in his lodge50, while the chains and the heavy key with which, when awake, he was wont51 to make the great gate fast, lay rusting40 at his feet; and neither he, nor the sentinels on the ramparts above, stirred or awoke at the sound of Greyfell’s clattering52 hoofs53. As Siegfried passed from one part of the castle to another, many strange sights met his eyes. In the stables the horses slumbered54 in their stalls, and the grooms55 lay snoring by their sides. The birds sat sound asleep on their nests beneath the eaves. The watch-dogs, with fast-closed eyes, lay stretched at full-length before the open doors. In the garden the fountain no longer played, the half-laden bees had gone to sleep among the blossoms of the apple-trees, and the flowers themselves had forgotten to open their petals56 to the sun. In the kitchen the cook was dozing57 over the half-baked meats in front of the smouldering fire; the butler was snoring in the pantry; the dairy-maid was quietly napping among the milk-pans; and even the house-flies had gone to sleep over the crumbs58 of sugar on the table. In the great banquet-room a thousand knights59, overcome with slumber, sat silent at the festal board; and their chief, sitting on the dais, slept, with his half-emptied goblet60 at his lips.
Siegfried passed hurriedly from room to room and from hall to hall, and cast but one hasty glance at the strange sights which met him at every turn; for he knew that none of the drowsy ones in that spacious61 castle could be awakened until he had aroused the Princess Brunhild. In the grandest hall of the palace he found her. The peerless maiden, most richly dight, reclined upon a couch beneath a gold-hung canopy62; and her attendants, the ladies of the court, sat near and around her. Sleep held fast her eyelids63, and her breathing was so gentle, that, but for the blush upon her cheeks, Siegfried would have thought her dead. For long, long years had her head thus lightly rested on that gold-fringed pillow; and in all that time neither her youth had faded, nor her wondrous beauty waned64.
Siegfried stood beside her. Gently he touched his lips to that matchless forehead; softly he named her name,—
“Brunhild!”
The charm was broken. Up rose the peerless princess in all her queen-like beauty; up rose the courtly ladies round her. All over the castle, from cellar to belfry-tower, from the stable to the banquet hall, there was a sudden awakening65, a noise of hurrying feet and mingled66 voices, and sounds which had long been strangers to the halls of Isenstein. The watchman on the tower, and the sentinels on the ramparts, yawned, and would not believe they had been asleep; the porter picked up his keys, and hastened to lock the long-forgotten gates; the horses neighed in their stalls; the watchdogs barked at the sudden hubbub67; the birds, ashamed at having allowed the sun to find them napping, hastened to seek their food in the meadows; the servants hurried here and there, each intent upon his duty; the warriors68 in the banquet-hall clattered69 their knives and plates, and began again their feast; and their chief dropped his goblet, and rubbed his eyes, and wondered that sleep should have overtaken him in the midst of such a meal.
And Siegfried, standing70 at an upper window, looked out over the castle-walls; and he saw that the flames no longer raged in the moat, but that it was filled with clear sparkling water from the fountain which played in the garden. And the south wind blew gently from the sea, bringing from afar the sweetest strains of music from Bragi’s golden harp; and the breezes whispered among the trees, and the flowers opened their petals to the sun, and birds and insects made the air melodious71 with their glad voices. Then Brunhild, radiant with smiles, stood by the hero’s side, and welcomed him kindly72 to Isenland and to her green-towered castle of Isenstein.
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1
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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2
moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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3
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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7
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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8
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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9
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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11
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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12
hovers
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| 鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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13
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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14
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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15
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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16
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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17
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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18
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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20
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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21
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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22
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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23
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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25
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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26
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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27
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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28
gambols
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的第三人称单数 ) | |
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29
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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30
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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31
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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32
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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33
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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34
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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35
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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36
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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37
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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38
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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39
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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40
rusting
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| n.生锈v.（使）生锈( rust的现在分词 ) | |
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41
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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42
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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43
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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44
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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45
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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46
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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48
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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50
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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51
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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52
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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53
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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54
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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55
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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56
petals
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| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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57
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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58
crumbs
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| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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59
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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60
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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61
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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62
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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63
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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64
waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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65
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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66
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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67
hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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68
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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69
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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70
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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71
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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72
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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