Page:Völsunga Saga (1888).djvu/163

 encompassed, seven days and seven nights has she slept, and none has dared wake her.”

“Nay, she sleeps not,” said Sigurd, “her heart is dealing rather with dreadful intent against me.”

Then said Gudrun, weeping, “Woe worth the while for thy death! go and see her; and wot if her fury may not be abated; give her gold, and smother up her grief and anger therewith!”

Then Sigurd went out, and found the door of Brynhild’s chamber open; he deemed she slept, and drew the clothes from off her, and said—

“Awake, Brynhild! the sun shineth now over all the house, and thou hast slept enough; cast off grief from thee, and take up gladness!”

She said, “And how then hast thou dared to come to me? in this treason none was worse to me than thou.”

Said Sigurd, “Why wilt thou not speak to folk? for what cause sorrowest thou?”

Brynhild answers, “Ah, to thee will I tell of my wrath!”

Sigurd said, “As one under a spell art thou, if thou deemest that there is aught cruel in my heart against thee; but thou hast him for husband whom thou didst choose.”

“Ah, nay,” she said, “never did Gunnar ride through the fire to me, nor did he give me to dower the host of the slain: I wondered at the man who came into my hall; for I deemed indeed that I knew thine eyes; but I might not see clearly, or divide the goad from the evil, because of the veil that lay heavy on my fortune.”

Says Sigurd, “No nobler men are there than the sons of Giuki, they slew the king of the Danes, and that great chief, the brother of King Budli.”

Brynhild answered, “Surely for many an ill-deed must I reward them; mind me not of my griefs against them!