“Stint thy thanks,” said Hagen. “There is scant cause for them. If he
tried it again, he were in sooth a bold man. The wound I got from him
will serve thee little. The blood thou seest on my harness but urgeth
me to slay the more. Only now, for the first time, I am wroth indeed.
Sir Iring hath done me little hurt.”
Iring of Denmark stood against the wind, and cooled him in his harness,
with his helmet unlaced; and all the folk praised his hardihood, that
the Margrave’s heart was uplifted. He said, “Friends, arm me anew. I
will essay it again. Haply I may vanquish this overweening man.” His
shield was hewn in pieces; they brought him a better straight.
The warrior was soon armed, and stronger than afore. Wrothfully he
seized a stark spear, wherewith he defied Hagen yet again. He had won
more profit and honour had he let it be.
Hagen waited not for his coming. Hurling darts, and with drawn sword,
he sprang down the stairs in a fury. Iring’s strength availed him
little. They smote at each other’s shields, that glowed with a fire-red
wind. Through his helmet and his buckler, Hawart’s man was wounded to
the death by Hagen’s sword. He was never whole again.
When Sir Iring felt the wound, he raised his shield higher to guard his
head, for he perceived that he was sore hurt. But Gunther’s man did
worse to him yet. He found a spear lying at his feet, and hurled it at
Iring, the knight of Denmark, that it stuck out on the other side of
his head. The overweening knight made a grim end of his foeman.
Iring fell back among his friends. Or they did off his helmet, they
drew the spear out. Then death stood at hand. Loud mourned his friends;
their sorrow was bitter.
The queen came, and began to weep for stark Iring. She wept for his
wounds, and was right doleful. But the undismayed hero spake before his
kinsmen, “Weep not, noble lady. What avail thy tears? I must die from
these wounds that I have gotten. Death will not leave me longer to thee
and Etzel.”
Then he said to them of Thuringia and Denmark, “See that none of you
take the gifts of the queen—her bright gold so red. If ye fight with
Hagen ye must die.”
His cheek was pale; he bare death’s mark. They grieved enow; for
Hawart’s man would nevermore be whole. Then they of Denmark must needs
to the fray.
Irnfried and Hawart sprang forward with a thousand knights. The din was
loud over all. Ha! what sharp spears were hurled at the Burgundians!
Bold Irnfried ran at the gleeman, and came in scathe by his hand. The
fiddler smote the Landgrave through his strong helmet, for he was grim
enow. Then Irnfried gave Folker a blow, that the links of his hauberk
brake asunder, and his harness grew red like fire. Yet, for all, the
Landgrave fell dead before the fiddler.
Hawart and Hagen closed in strife. Had any seen it, they had beheld
wonders. They smote mightily with their swords. Hawart died by the
knight of Burgundy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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