Waltharius1376English

From Waltharius
Jump to: navigation, search

Hagen cuts off Walther’s right hand; Walther gouges out one of Hagen’s eyes and, cutting open his cheek, knocks out four teeth (1376–1395)

The warrior, seeing fragments of his shattered blade,
Grew angry and, wild with excessive wrath, he raged.
Impatient with a hilt that lacked its weight of iron,
Despite the worth of its choice metal and design,
He threw it far away and spurned the wretched pieces. 1380
Now, while by chance he had stretched out his hand so far,
This Hagen—quite pleased by the easy blow—hacked off.
In mid-stroke fell that powerful right hand, which had
Been feared by tribes, by many peoples, and by tyrants,
Which in the past had shone with countless victories. 1385
The noble man, unskilled in yielding to misfortunes,
Who with his sound mind could surmount pains of the flesh,
Did not despair, nor did his countenance fall; instead,
He slipped his mutilated forearm in the shield
And quickly grabbed, with his uninjured hand, a dagger 1390
(Which, as we mentioned, he had strapped to his right side),
At once exacting dreadful vengeance on his foe.
For, striking, he dug Hagen’s right eye from its socket
Then slashing at his temple, in that instant tore
His lips away, and from his mouth knocked out six teeth. 1395

« previous   next » Latin

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.