By Professor Burton Raffel
No poem in German literature is so popular and studied in Germany and Europe because the 800-year-old Das Nibelungenlied. within the English-speaking global, even if, the poem has remained little recognized, languishing with no an sufficient translation. this glorious new translation through eminent translator Burton Raffel brings the epic poem to lifestyles in English for the 1st time, rendering it in verse that does complete justice to the unique excessive center German. His translation underscores the formal points of the poem and preserves its haunting good looks. referred to as the German lliad, Das Nibelungenlied is a heroic epic either nationwide in personality and sweeping in scope. The poem strikes inexorably from romance via tragedy to holocaust. It portrays the existential struggles and downfall of a whole humans, the Burgundians, in an army clash with the Huns and their king. In his foreword to the e-book, Michael Dirda observes that the tale “could be simply up to date to explain the downfall of a Mafia crime relations, whatever just like the Godfather, with swords.” The super charm of Das Nibelungenlied in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries is mirrored in such works as Richard Wagner’s opera tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, Fritz Lang’s two-part movie Die Nibelungen, and, extra lately, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
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Extra resources for Das Nibelungenlied: Song of the Nibelungs
189 He begged Sifried to let him live, explaining who he was, and offering all his lands in exchange for his life. 28 HE FIGHTS AGAINST THE SAXONS And then his knights rode up. They’d seen the end of the strife, and what had happened was hardly a secret. In short, they saw and they knew. 190 Then Sifried, about to lead his worthy captive away, was attacked by those thirty men. Defending his prize, that day, he slaughtered twenty-nine, allowing one to run and tell the tale, showing a broken helmet to prove who’d won.
24 He’d grown enough to attend his father’s court, where ladies and courtiers alike were glad to see him. Many maidens and many ladies wished he’d stay forever, as the brave young man was well aware, knowing the ﬁne impression he made. 25 Most of the time, an attendant rode beside their son, Sigemund’s and Sigelind’s. The boy wore beautiful clothes. Wise men were gathered around him, who knew what honor was, and so he learned how kingdoms, lands and peoples, were meant to be won. 26 And when he was strong enough to handle swords and shields, he showed he was more than ready, had been born for the battleﬁeld.
225 The messenger reached her rooms, and beautiful Krimhild saw him coming, and spoke at once, her words gracious and clear: ‘‘Tell me cheerful news, and gold will be your reward. Tell me only the truth, and I will always hold you dear. 226 ‘‘How well did my brother Gernot ﬁght in this bloody war, and all my other friends? How many deaths have we borne? Who was the best of all? ’’ The messenger spoke at once: ‘‘No man hung back, everyone fought, 33 DAS NIBELUNGENLIED 227 ‘‘and well. But since you ask, my noble princess, no one shone so bright on the battle ﬁeld as our honored guest from Netherlands.