well thirty men to each of
ours. Now God speed them, as they deserve of us. Stay ye here and bear
with me my dole. When it beginneth to dawn, help me, ye lusty knights,
to coffin the dear husband of mine."

Quoth the knights: "That shall be done."

None might tell you all the marvel of knights and ladies, how they were
heard to wail, so that even in the town men marked the sound of weeping.
The noble burghers hasted hither. With the guests they wept, for they,
too, were sore aggrieved. None had told them of any guilt of Siegfried,
or for what cause the noble warrior lost his life. The wives of the
worthy burghers wept with the ladies of the court. Men bade smiths haste
to work a coffin of silver and of gold, mickle and strong, and make it
firm with strips of good hard steel. Sad of heart were all the folk.

The night was gone, men said the day was dawning. Then the noble lady
bade them bear Lord Siegfried, her loved husband, to the minster.
Whatever friends he had there were seen weeping as they went. Many bells
were ringing as they brought him to the church. On every side one heard
the chant of many priests. Then came King Gunther with his men and grim
Hagen also toward the sound of wail. He spake: "Alas for thy wrongs,
clear sister, that we may not be free from this great scathe. We must
ever lament for Siegfried's death."

"That ye do without cause," spake the sorrow-laden wife. "Were this loth
to you, it never would have happed. I may well aver, ye thought not on
me, when I thus was parted from my dear husband. Would to God," quoth
Kriemhild, "that it had happed to me."

Firmly they made denial. Kriemhild gan speak: "Whoso declareth him
guiltless, let him show that now. He must walk to the bier before all
the folk; thereby one may know the truth eftsoon."

This is a great marvel, which oft doth hap; whenever the blood-stained
murderer is seen to stand by the dead, the latter's wounds do bleed, (1)
as indeed happed here, whereby one saw the guilt was Hagen's. The wounds
bled sore, as they had done at first. Much greater grew the weeping of
those who wailed afore.

Then spake King Gunther: "I'd have you know that robbers slew him; Hagen
did not do the deed."

"I know these robbers well," quoth she. "Now may God yet let his friends
avenge it. Certes, Gunther and Hagen, 'twas done by you."

Siegfried's knights were now bent on strife. Then Kriemhild spake again:
"Now share with me this grief."

Gernot, her