Then spake the royal Siegmund: / "To such give not thine ear, A queen 'mid all my kinsmen, / thou a crown shalt wear And wield as lordly power / as e'er till now thou hast. Nor thou a whit shalt forfeit, / that we the hero thus have lost. 1087 "And journey with us thither, / for child's sake eke of thine: Him shalt thou never, lady, / an orphan leave to pine. When hath grown thy son to manhood, / he'll comfort thee thy mood. Meanwhile shall ready serve thee / many a warrior keen and good." 1088 She spake: "O royal Siegmund, / I may not thither ride, For I here must tarry, / whate'er shall me betide, 'Mid them that are my kinsmen, / who'll help my grief to share." The knights had sore disquiet / that such tidings they must hear. 1089 "So might we say full truly," / spake they every one, "That unto us still greater / evil now were done, Would'st thou longer tarry / here amid our foes: In sooth were never journey / of knights to court more full of woes." 1090 "Now may ye free from trouble / in God's protection fare: I'll bid that trusty escort / shall you have in care Unto Siegmund's country. / My child full dear to me, Unto your knights' good mercy / let it well commended be." 1091 When that they well perceived / how she would not depart, Wept all the men of Siegmund / and sad they were at heart. In what right heavy sorrow / Siegmund then took leave Of the Lady Kriemhild! / Full sore thereover must he grieve. 1092 "Woe worth this journey hither," / the lofty monarch spake. "Henceforth from merry meeting / shall nevermore o'ertake King or his faithful kinsmen / what here our meed hath been. Here 'mid the men of Burgundy / may we never be more seen." 1093 Then spake the men of Siegfried / in open words and plain: "An might we right discover / who our lord hath slain, Warriors bent on vengeance / shall yet lay waste this ground. Among his kin in plenty / may doughty foemen be found." 1094 Anon he kissed Kriemhild / and spake sorrowfully, When she there would tarry, / and he the same did see: "Now ride we joy-forsaken / home unto our land. First now what 'tis to sorrow / do I rightly understand." 1095 From Worms away sans escort / unto the Rhine they rode: I ween that they full surely / did go in such grim mood, That had against them any / aught of evil dared, Hand of keen Nibelungen / had known full well their life to guard. 1096 Nor parting hand they offered / to any that were there. Then might ye see how Gernot / and likewise Giselher Did give him loving greeting. / That as their very own They felt the wrong he suffered, / by the courteous knights and brave was shown. 1097 Then spake in words full kindly / the royal knight Gernot: "God in heaven knoweth / that of guilt I've naught In the death of Siegfried, / that e'er I e'en did hear Who here to him were hostile. / Well may I of thy sorrow share." 1098