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Flight of Walther and Hildegund to the area of Worms (419–435)

The fleeing Walter, as I said, moved on by night;
In daytime, seeking thickly wooded groves and gorges, 420
He used his skill to lure and then to capture birds,
Deceiving them at times with bird-lime or with snares.
But when their journey reached where winding rivers flowed,
He cast his hook and captured prey from that deep water;
And by enduring work dispelled the pang of hunger. 425
And that praiseworthy hero Walter, all the time
They fled, refrained from carnal use of Hildegund.
Behold, the sun had made its circuit forty times
Since they departed from the city of the Huns;
And on the very day that made the number forty, 430
As night was just approaching he came to a river,
The Rhine, that is, just where its course turns toward a town
Renowned because the king lived there—its name is Worms.
For passage, he paid fish that he had caught before,
And once across, then breathless hurried on his way. 435

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Note: this English text is identical to that found in Waltharius and Ruodlieb, edited and translated by Dennis M. Kratz. The Garland library of medieval literature, Series A, vol. 14. New York: Garland Pub., 1984.