PRELUDE

p. 103

The curtain rises slowly. The scene is the same as at the close of the second day, on the Valkyries' rock; night. In the background, from below, firelight shines. The three Norns, tall women in long, dark, veil-like drapery. The first (eldest) lies in the foreground, to the right, under the spreading pine-tree; the second (younger) is stretched on a shelving rock in front of the cave; the third (youngest) fits in the centre at the back on a rock near the peak. Motionless, gloomy silence.

The First Norn

What light glimmers there?

The Second Norn

Is it already dawn?

The Third Norn

Loge's host
Glows in flame around the rock.
It is night.
Why spin we not, singing the while?

The Second Norn

[To the first.]

Where for our spinning and singing
Wilt thou fasten the rope?

The First Norn

[While she loosens a golden ropes from herself and ties one end of it to a branch of the pine-tree.]

I sing and wind the rope
Badly or well, as may be.
At the world-ash-tree
Once I wove,
When from the stem
There bourgeoned strong
The boughs of a sacred wood.
In the shadows cool
A fountain flowed;
Wisdom whispered
Low from its wave;
Of holy things I sang.

p. 104

A dauntless God
Came to drink at the well;
For the draught he drank
He paid with the loss of an eye.
From the world-ash-tree
Wotan broke a holy bough;
From the bough he cut
And shaped the shaft of a spear.

As time rolled on the wood
Wasted and died of the wound;
Sere, leafless and barren,
Wan withered the tree;
Sadly the flow
Of the fountain failed;
Troubled grew
My sorrowful song.
And now no more
At the world-ash-tree I weave;
I needs must fasten
Here on the pine-tree my rope.
Sing, O sister--
Catch as I throw--
Canst thou tell us why?

The Second Norn

[Winds the rope thrown to her round a projecting rock at the entrance of the cave.]

Runes of treaties
Well weighed and pondered
Cut were by Wotan
In the shaft,
Which wielding, he swayed the world.
A hero bold
In fight then splintered the spear,
The hallowed haft
With its treaties cleaving in twain.
Then bade Wotan
Walhall's heroes

p. 105

Hew down the world-ash-tree
Forthwith,
Both the stem and boughs sere and barren.
The ash-tree sank;
Sealed was the fountain that flowed.
Round the sharp edge
Of the rock I wind the rope
Sing, O sister,
Catch as I throw;
Further canst thou tell?

The Third Norn

[Catching the rope and throwing the end behind her.]

The castle stands
By giants upreared.
With the Gods and the holy
Host of the heroes
Wotan sits in his hall;
And round the walls
Hewn logs are heaped,
High up-piled,
Ready for burning:
The world-ash-tree these were once.
When the wood
Flares up brightly and burns,
In its fire
Shall the fair hall be consumed.
And then shall the high Gods' downfall
Dawn in darkness for aye.
Know ye yet more,
Begin anew winding the rope;
Again I throw it
Back from the north.
Spin and sing, O my sister.

[She throws the rope to the second Norn, and the second throws it to the first, who loosens the rope from the bough and ties it on to another.]

p. 106

The First Norn

[Looking towards the back.]

Is it the dawn,
Or the firelight that flickers?
Grief-darkened is my gaze.
The holy past
I can scarce remember,
When Loge burst
Of old into burning fire.
Dost thou know how he fared?

The Second Norn

[Winding the rope which has been thrown to her round the rock again.]

Overcome by Wotan's
Spear and its magic,
Loge worked for the God
Then, to win his freedom
Gnawed with his tooth
The solemn runes on the shaft.
So with the potent
Spell of the spear-point
Wotan confined him
Flaming where Brünnhilde slumbered.
Canst thou tell us the end?

The Third Norn

With the broken spear's
Sharp-piercing splinters
Wotan wounded
The blazing one deep in the breast;
Ravening fire
Springs from the wound,
And this is thrown
'Mid the world-ash-tree's
Hewn logs heaped ready for burning.
Would ye know
When that will be,
Wind, O sisters, the rope!

[She throws the rope back; the second Norn winds it up and throws it again to the first.]

p. 107

The First Norn

[Fastening the rope again.]

The night wanes,
Dark grows my vision;
I cannot find
The threads of the rope;
The strands are twisted and loose.
A horrible sight
Wildly vexes mine eyes:
The Rhinegold
That black Alberich stole.
Knowest thou more thereof?

The Second Norn

[With laborious haste winds the rope round the jagged rock at the mouth of the cave.]

The rock's sharp edge
Is cutting the rope;
The threads loosen
Their hold and grow slack;
They droop tangled and frayed.
From woe and wrath
Rises the Nibelung's ring
A curse of revenge
Ruthlessly gnaws at the strands:--
Canst thou the end foretell?

The Third Norn

[Hastily catching the rope which is thrown to her.]

The rope is too short,
Too loose it hangs;
It must be stretched,
Pulled straighter, before
Its end can reach to the north!

[She pulls hard at the rope, which breaks.]

It breaks!

The Second Norn

It breaks!

The Third Norn

It breaks!

[They take the pieces of broken rope and bind their bodies together with them.]

p. 108

The Three Norns

So ends wisdom eternal!
The wise ones
Will utter no more.
Descend to Erda! Descend!

[They vanish. The dawn grows brighter; the firelight from the valley gradually fades. Sunrise; then broad daylight.]

[Siegfried and Brünnhilde enter from the cave. He is fully armed; she leads her horse by the bridle.]

Brünnhilde

Belovèd hero,
Poor my love were
Wert thou thereby
Kept from new deeds.
One single doubt
Yet makes me linger:
The fear my service
Has been too small.
The things the Gods taught me
I could give:
All the rich hoard
Of holy runes;
But by the hero
Who holds my heart
I have been robbed
Of my maiden valour.
In wisdom weak,
Although strong in will;
In love so rich,
In power so poor--
Must thou not scorn
Her lack of riches
Who, though so eager,
Can give nothing more?

p. 109

Siegfried

Wonderful woman, more
Thy gifts than I can guard!
O chide not if thy teaching
Has left me still untaught.

[With fire.]

That Brünnhilde lives for me--
To that lore I hold fast;
And one lesson I have learned--
Brünnhilde to remember!

Brünnhilde

If thou wouldst truly love me,
Think of thyself alone,
And of thy deeds of daring!
The raging fire remember
That fearless thou didst fare through
When around the rock it burned--

Siegfried

That I might conquer Brünnhild'!

Brünnhilde

Think too of the shield-hidden maid
Thou didst find there lapped in slumber,
And whose helmet hard thou didst break--

Siegfried

Brünnhilde to awaken!

Brünnhilde

Those oaths remember
That unite us;
The faith and truth
That are between us,
And evermore
The love we live for;
Brünnhilde in thy breast
Will deeply bum then for aye!

[She embraces Siegfried.]

Siegfried

Must I leave thee, O love,
In thy holy fortress of fire,

[He has taken Alberich's ring from his finger, and holds it out to Brünnhilde.]

p. 110

This ring of mine I give thee;
Let it pay for thy runes.
Of whatever deeds I did
The virtue lies therein.
By my hand was the dragon grim,
Who long had guarded it, slain;
Keep thou the gold and its might
As token true of my love!

Brünnhilde

[Putting on the ring in rapturous delight.]

I covet it more than all else!
For the ring take Grane, my horse.
Through the air with me
He galloped once boldly,
But lost with mine
Was his magic art;
Upon clouds and storm,
Through thunder and lightning
No more
Gallantly now will he sweep!
But if thou lead the way,
Even through fire
Fearlessly Grane will follow.
For henceforth, hero,
Thou art his master!
Entreat him well;
He knows thy voice;
O, greet him often
In Brünnhilde's name!

Siegfried

Then every deed that I dare
Will be achieved through thy virtue;
All my battles thou wilt choose,
And my victories will be thine.
Upon thy good horse riding,
And sheltered by thy shield,
No longer Siegfried am I,
But only Brünnhilde's arm

p. 111

Brünnhilde

O were but Brünnhilde thy soul too!

Siegfried

Through her my courage burns high.

Brünnhilde

Then wert thou Siegfried and Brünnhild'.

Siegfried

Where I am, there thy abode is.

Brünnhilde

[With animation.]

Then a waste is my hall of rock?

Siegfried

Made one, both there abide.

Brünnhilde

[Greatly moved.]

Ye Gods, O ye holy
Race of immortals,
Feast ye your eyes
On this love-hallowed pair!
Apart--who shall divide us?
Divided--still we are one!

Siegfried

Hail, O Brünnhilde,
Beautiful star!
Hail, love and its glory!

Brünnhilde

Hail, O Siegfried,
Conquering light!
Hail, life and its glory!
Hail, conquering light!

Both

Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!

[Siegfried leads the horse quickly to the edge of the sloping rock, Brünnhilde following him. Siegfried disappears with the horse down behind the projecting rock, so that he is no longer visible to the audience. Brünnhilde is thus suddenly left standing alone on the edge of the slope, and gazes down into the valley after Siegfried. Her gestures show that Siegfried has vanished from her sight. Siegfried's horn is heard from below. Brünnhilde listens, and steps further out on the slope. She catches sight of Siegfried in the valley again, and waves to him joyfully. Her happy smiles seem to reflect the air of the merrily departing hero.]