he kings, as ye must know. Great joy rose
then in the Burgundian land; one heard spear-shafts clashing in the
hands of the sworded knights. There at the windows the fair maids sat;
they saw shining afore them the gleam of many a shield. But the king had
sundered him from his liegemen; whatso others plied, men saw him stand
full sad. Unlike stood his and Siegfried's mood. The noble knight and
good would fain have known what ailed the king. He hasted to him and gan
ask: "Pray let me know how ye have fared this night, Sir King."

Then spake the king to his guest: "Shame and disgrace have I won; I have
brought a fell devil to my house and home. When I weened to love her,
she bound me sore; she bare me to a nail and hung me high upon a wall.
There I hung affrighted all night until the day, or ever she unbound me.
How softly she lay bedded there! In hope of thy pity do I make plaint to
thee as friend to friend."

Then spake stout Siegfried: "That rueth me in truth. I'll do you this to
wit; and ye allow me without distrust, I'll contrive that she lie by you
so near this night, that she'll nevermore withhold from you her love."

After all his hardships Gunther liked well this speech. Sir Siegfried
spake again: "Thou mayst well be of good cheer. I ween we fared unlike
last night. Thy sister Kriemhild is dearer to me than life; the Lady
Brunhild must become thy wife to-night. I'll come to thy chamber this
night, so secretly in my Cloud Cloak, that none may note at all my arts.
Then let the chamberlains betake them to their lodgings and I'll put out
the lights in the pages' hands, whereby thou mayst know that I be within
and that I'll gladly serve thee. I'll tame for time thy wife, that thou
mayst have her love to-night, or else I'll lose my life."

"Unless be thou embrace my dear lady," spake then the king, "I shall be
glad, if thou do to her as thou dost list. I could endure it well, an'
thou didst take her life. In sooth she is a fearful wife."

"I pledge upon my troth," quoth Siegfried, "that I will not embrace her.
The fair sister of thine, she is to me above all maids that I have ever
seen."

Gunther believed full well what Siegfried spake.

From the knightly sports there came both joy and woe; but men forbade
the hurtling and the shouting, since now the ladies were to hie them to
the hall. The grooms-in-waiting bade the people stand aside; the court
was cleared of steeds and folk. A bishop led each of the ladies, as t