Soon both men and women riding there were seen;
Then the brave young Hagen went forth to meet his kin.
Who ’twas that came to greet him he now to know was seeking;
The throng grew ever thicker of friends who came in haste, their kindness speaking.

The king a friendly welcome into his land soon gave;
He said: “To send men hither did you the boldness have,
To say that our queen beloved is in truth your mother?
If the words are true you’ve spoken, so glad as now I am there’s not another.”

His queen, the lovely U-te, with lofty breeding, said:
“Bid that for these new-comers lodgings now be made;
I shall know right easily if he for the crown is fitted.”
She found, in truth, the token, and, full of bliss, her youthful son she greeted.

With eyes all wet with weeping, she kissed him on the mouth:
“Though I before was ailing, I now am well in sooth.
Welcome be thou, my Hagen, my only child, loved dearly!
All in the land of Sigeband right glad shall be for him they lost so early.”

The king to the youth came nearer; his happiness was great.
For the hearty love he bore him his manly cheek was wet;
With tears that hot had risen his eyes were overflowing.
For the child, from him erst stolen, rightly the father felt the love he was showing.

The queenly U-te welcomed the homeless maids that day;
Many clothes she gave them, both bright in hue and gray,
Of silk, with downy linings, that much the maidens wanted.
Their sorrows now were lightened by all the gifts the wife of Sigeband granted.

Well they clothed the maidens, as their loveliness became;
This they long had needed, and oft had blushed with shame;
But, decked with gaudy trimmings, now they came less shyly.
The king and all his followers soon to the maidens gave a welcome freely.

Hagen asked that friendship to the men of Garadie
Should by the king and his lieges be granted speedily;
Beseeching his forgiveness for all their foul misdoing.
Soon, at the wish of Hagen, kindness to the pilgrims he was showing.

When the king had kissed them and soothed his angry mood,
He to the shipwrecked pilgrims made their losses good.
To them it was a blessing, and praise to Hagen carried;
The lands of the men of Ireland never since have they as foemen harried.

Then their food and clothing the guests took out, for use,
And up on the sands they bore them, trusting in Hagen’s truce;
To take their rest for a fortnight them did he embolden.
The band of haughty pilgrims to give to him their thanks were now beholden.

Then, in the midst of uproar, they rode away from the shore;
Up the castle of Ballian came also many more,
Led by a tale of wonder that the son of the king was living⁠—
Of their king so rich and mighty; a thing so strange was to many past believing.

The water-weary pilgrims, long-tossed upon the sea,
When fourteen days were ended to leave the land were free.
To them by the host were given gifts of gold, bright shining;
By the help of his son’s great kindness he hoped a lasting friendship to be winning.

Hagen his maidens never henceforth unthought-of leaves;
Kindly doth he teach them ofttimes to bathe in the waves.
He showed himself most loving, ever for them caring;
Rich clothes to them were given, and wise beyond his years was all his bearing.

Now was the youth beginning to be a man well-grown.
He ever showed his kinsmen the skill to warriors known;
Whate’er a knight befitteth with hand and weapon doing.
In the land of his father, Sigeband, his mighty sway he soon to all was showing.

Hagen was ever learning what doth a king beseem.
He who of knights is leader must ever free from shame
And every stain be living; this earns fair women’s praises.
So gentle was he truly that every one with wonder on him gazes.

Brave he was and daring, (such is the olden song,)
And ever was he ready to right his neighbor’s wrong.
He high upheld his honor in all things, never fearing;
Throughout the land, his praises were spoken and were sung in all men’s hearing.

In a waste he grew to manhood, that youthful son of a king,
Wild beasts his only fellows; but none so quick could spring
That they to flee were able, if he for them was striving.
I ween both he and his maidens had wonders seen, while by the waters living.

Rightly his name was Hagen; but later men did own
He was “of kings the Devil;” so came he to be known
In every land and kingdom, such was his strength in fighting.
The bold and wild young Hagen well did earn his name, his foemen smiting.

He oft was begged by his kinsmen that he a wife would take;
One so fair was near him that none had need to seek
A fairer or a lovelier, all earthly kingdoms over.
He himself had taught her; with her in sorrow grown, and now her lover.

She bore the name of Hilda; from India she had come,
And love she oft had shown him under their wretched doom,
Since, in their early childhood, he in the cave had found her.
None better need he wish for, or seek in any land the heavens under.

His father bade him hasten to be knighted with the sword,
With a hundred of his vassals. He gave, with kindly word,
To him and to his maidens, for clothes and horses needed,
A thousand marks of silver. Hagen said that the will of his father should be heeded.

The news of this was bruited through many a prince’s land;
And the day when it should happen all did understand.
Soon the king’s great kindness from all won praises golden
In a year and three days after the festival of knighting them was holden.

For this the knights made busy, glad to be bidden there.
Soon they made them bucklers, bright and painted fair;
In making showy saddles the workmen were not idle;
With gold both red and shining the breastplate was bedecked, as was the bridle.

Upon a broad green meadow the guests of the mighty king
Were bidden then to gather. He left not anything
That they from him could ask for; seats were spread in order,
And many guests soon after were seen to ride to his land from every border.

To those from far now ready the sword with him to bear
Fighting-gear was given, that beseemed them well to wear.
They who from other kingdoms into his land were faring
A thousand men were reckoned; to give them clothes and steeds he was not sparing.

Unto his friends then said he: “If now you deem it fit
That men a king should call me, it therefore seemeth meet
That she my heart holds dearest a crown with me be wearing;
Never shall I rest happy until, for her love to me, she this is sharing.”

Then asked of him his followers who might the lady be,
Who, riding proudly before them, they at court should see?
He said: “Her name is Hilda, in India once living;
To me and to my kindred she, as our queen, no shame will e’er be giving.”

Well pleased was now his mother, when she the tidings had,
That they thought to crown the lady; his father, too was glad.
Of them was she so worthy, that high in heart they set her.
With him the sword was taken by full six hundred; the number e’en was greater.

As is the way of Christians, both of them were bid
First for the crown to be hallowed; this at once they did.
King Hagen with Queen Hilda in state were soon seen riding;
Many games of knighthood were played at court by his men, at Hagen’s bidding.

Sigeband, too, rode with them; high rose his heart as he went;
He reckoned very little the wealth that must be spent.
When in jousts they had ridden, in ways most true and knightly,
Then were pages busy to make the halls for the guests all fair and sightly.

Seats were brought together, strong, and broad, and long,
With stools besides, and tables. After the mass was sung,
U-te, his wife, came riding, with women round her thronging;
These the youthful warriors to gaze on, as they rode, right earnestly were longing.

While the great King Sigeband sat by U-te’s side,
And Hagen next to Hilda, all looked on with pride;
And said, in his child-belovèd happy was their master.
Before them, while at table, the throng was great; the clash of spears grew faster.

After the king of Ireland at the meal his fill had eat,
By riders the grass was trodden; flowers to dust they beat
With rude and heavy trampling, while in uproar riding.
The men best known for bravery, before the fair, in knightly jousts were leading.

Four and twenty warriors, bearing well the shield,
Over the plain came riding; bold were they in the field,
And now in many a struggle all their strength were spending.
’Twas done in sight of the ladies, and hard it was of their games to make an ending.

The brave young son of Sigeband himself in the onset rode.
Not loth was she to gaze on him who her with hope had wooed;
That she to him was friendly in a far-off land forsaken,
For this would he reward her. No truer knight the sword had ever taken.

Amid the throngs here riding, one thro’ the dust might see
Men whose birth was princely, in number twelve and three;
The Christian and the heathen to him their fiefs were owing,
And honor now, right heartily, to Sigeband and Hagen they were showing.

Long those high times lasted; their mirth, how loud it rose!
With crowding and with shouting great the bustle grows.
The king now bade the champions to end the strife so heated;
And leave to them was given that they beside the ladies should be seated.

Before his friends and kinsmen then spake King Sigeband:
“Unto my dear son Hagen give I now my land,
With the dwellers and the strongholds, be they far or nearer.
Let all my trusty liegemen have him now for their lord, and hold none dearer.”

As soon as his father, Sigeband, his sway did thus forego,
Hagen his lands and castles began in fief to bestow;
This he did right freely, and to those to whom he gave them
He seemed so true and worthy that they indeed from him would gladly have them.

As by feudal law is rightful, many stretched the hand
To the youthful king in fealty. To all, from every land,
Or far or near, then gave he clothes and riches hoarded.
A feast so freely given would now the poor not harm, and with thanks be rewarded.

At court now dwelt the maidens who had before been brought
With him within those borders; of these one now was sought,
And sent to the king and Hilda; there she soon was dwelling.
The maid it was from Iserland; of one more fair to see none e’er was telling.

A princely youth soon wooed her, who saw the maiden fair
Beside the king’s fair daughter. Soothly might he swear
That she by right was worthy to be of a crown the wearer.
She had erst been Hilda’s playmate; of widespread lands she now became the sharer.

At last the guests were scattered, and all now left the king.
That high-born lady also men did straightway bring
Into the land of Norway, to her youthful lord’s kind keeping.
After her heavy sorrows, blest with hope, she knew no more of weeping.

Now, throughout all Ireland, did Hagen his sway begin.
If ever among his lieges a deed of wrong was seen,
At once for this the doer must pay with pain well dreaded;
Of such, within a twelvemonth, eighty or more were for evil deeds beheaded.

An inroad made he later into the lands of his foes.
He spared the poor, and brought not flames, to add to their woes;
But if with pride and rudeness he was by any treated,
He quick laid waste their strongholds, and deadly wounds in bitter wrath he meted.

When it came to fighting, he was a goodly knight.
Of heroes high in breeding he soon brought low the might;
To all he showed his bravery, whether far or near him.
Of kings was he the Devil; in truth his many foes might greatly fear him.

The life he led was happy, nor of gladness asked he more.
His wife, from far-off India, to her lord and master bore
A fair and lovely daughter; she also, like her mother,
Bore the name of Hilda; well known is her tale to us, and to many another.

Wild Hagen bade his maidens so to rear the child,
That the sun ne’er shone upon her; nor were rough winds wild
Oft allowed to touch her. She was by ladies guarded,
And cared for by her kinsmen; most wisely was the trust to them awarded.

Before twelve years were ended the fair and well-born maid
Was comely more than any, and her name was widely spread;
Rich and high-born princes gladly would have sought her,
And earnestly were thinking how they could win wild Hagen’s lovely daughter.

One of these same princes in Denmark had his home,
Within the land of Waleis. When the tale to him had come
About this lovely maiden, his longing ne’er would leave him;
But he was scorned by Hagen, who swore of life and name he would bereave him.

Whene’er to seek the maiden men were by wooers sent,
In his pride, wild Hagen upon their death was bent.
He to none would give her who than himself was weaker;
Of the tale of the mighty Hagen, far and near, was every man the speaker.

He bade that more than twenty of those sent there be hung;
None might wreak his anger, though sore his heart was wrung.
When all had done their errand, for Hagen’s daughter suing,
“Enough,” soon went the saying: “ ’Twere best that none should go for her a-wooing.”

But still by high-born warriors the maid was not unsought.
Let pride be ne’er so lofty, as we have long been taught,
There always is another with just as high a bearing;
While to win her kindness his yearning grows, and his toil he is never sparing.