Act three

scene 1












Gerhilde

Hoyotoho! Hoyotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha!

Here, helmwige, bring your horse here.

Helmwige

Hoyotoho! Hoyotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha!




Gerhilde, waltraute, shwertleite

Heiaha! Heiaha!

Ortlinde

Put your stallion next to ortlindefs mere: your bay will enjoy grazing with my gray.

Waltraute
Who is hanging from your saddle?
Helmwige
Sintolt the hegeling.

Shwertleite
Then take your bay away from her mare.
Ortlindefs mare carried wittig the irming.
Gerhilde
I always saw them at enemity, sintolt and Wittig.

Ortlinde
Heiaha! My mare is being jostled by the stallion.


Gerhilde
The warriorfs quarrel even antagonizes the horses.

Helmwige
Quiet, Bruno! Donft disturb the peace.

Waltraute
Hoyotoho, hoyoho!



Here siegrune, where you dawdling so long?
Siegrune
There was work to do.
Are the others here by now?

Shwertleite, waltraute
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!Heiaha!
Gerhilde
Heiaha!



Grimgerde, rossweisse
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!
Heiaha!

Waltraute
Grimgerde and rossweisse!
Gerhilde
They are riding abreast.

Helmwige, Ortlinde, siegrune
Greetings, you riders, rossweisse and Grimgerde!

Rossweisse, Grimgerde
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!
Heiaha!



The six other valkyes
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!
Heiaha, Heiaha!

Gerhilde
Into the wood with your horses for grazing and resting.

Ortlinde
Keep the mares far apart until our heroesf hatred has calmed.
Helmwige
My gray has been suffering for the heroesf anger.

Rossweisse, Grimgerde
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!

The six valkyres
Welcome, welcome!

Schwertleite
Were you brave girls riding together?
Grimgerde
We rode separately and met up just now.

Rossweisse
If wefre all assembled then donft wait any longer.
Wefll make our way to Valhalla to bring Wotan his warriors.
Helmwige
We are only eight; one is still missing.

Gerhilde
With that swarthy Volsung Brunnhilde will still be waiting.
Waltraute
To wait for her here is our duty.
Battlefather would give us an angry welcome if he saw us arrive without her.

Siegrune
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!
This way, this way!

Brunnhildefs coming this way, riding furiously.

The eight valkyres
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!
Brunnhilde, hi!

Waltraute
Shefs riding her giddy horse towards the fir trees.

Grimgerde
How graune is panting after riding so fast!

Rossweisse
I never saw such furious galloping by any valkyre.

Ortlinde

What has she got on her saddle?










Siegrune

Shefs carrying a woman.





Schwertleite

She was no greeting to give to her sisters.

Helmwige

Thatfs not a hero.








Gerhilde

How did she find the woman?

Waltraute

Heiaha, Brunnhilde, canft you hear us?

Ortlinde
Letfs help our sister dismount from her horse.
Helmwige, Gerhilde, siegrune, rosswiesse
Hoyotoho, Hoyotoho!

Ortlinde, waltraute, Grimgerde, Schwertleite
Heiaha!

Waltraute
Down to earth plunges strong grane.
Grimgerde
From the saddle she lifts the woman quickly.

Ortlinde, waltraute, Grimgerde, Schwertleite
Sister, sister, what has happened?

Brunnhilde
Give me protection and help in my great distress.
The eight valkyres
Where have you ridden from in such a wild hurry?
Only fugitives fly like that.

Brunnhilde
For the first time I am running away, and I am being chased.
The father of battles is pursuing me.

The eight valkyres
Are you out of your mind?
Speak, tell us.
Battlefather is chasing you?
Youfre running away from him?

Brunnhilde
Oh! Sister, go and look from the top of the rocks.
Look to the north, see if warfather is coming.
Quick! Can you see him yet?

Ortlinde
Therefs a thunderstorm coming from the north.
Waltraute
Heavy clouds are building up over there.
The six other valkyres
Battlefather is riding his sacred horse.

Brunnhilde
The furious huntsman whofs hunting me in his anger, hefs coming, hefs coming from the north.

Protect me, sisters.
Save this woman.
Six valkyres
Whatfs up with the woman?
Brunnhilde
Listen, Ifll tell you quickly.
This is Sieglinde, Sigmundfs sister and wife.
Wotan is fuming with rage against the Volsung.

From her brother Brunnhilde should today have withheld victory.
But I protected Siegmund with my shield, disobeying the god who killed him himself with his spear.
Siegmund fell, but I fled far away with his wife.
To save her I have hurried to you and I too am afraid!

I need your protection from the blows of punishment.

Six valkyres
Besotted sister, what have you done?
Brunnhilde, terrible!
Have you disobeyed warfatherfs solemn orders, Brunnhilde?

Waltraute
Darkness is moving this way from the north.
Ortlinde
A raging storm steers this way.

Rossweisse, Grimgerde, Schwertleite
Therefs a wild neighing from warfatherfs horse.

Helmwige, Gerhilde, siegrune
Dreadfully it pants on its way.

Brunnhilde
Woe to this poor woman if Wotan finds her; he threatens destruction on all the Volsung.
Which of you will lend me your lightest horse to carry the woman rapidly away from him?
Siegrune
Are you inciting us too to wild disobedience?

Brunnhilde
Rossweisse, my sister, lend me your racehorse.
Rossweisse
He has never run away from warfather.
Brunnhilde
Helmwige, listen.
Helmwige
I must obey our father.

Brunnhilde
Grimgerde, Gerhilde, lend my your horse.
Schwertleite, siegrune, look how afraid I am.
O be kind to me as I have been kind to you: save this wretch woman.

Sieglinde
Do not plague yourself with worry about me.
Death is all I want.

Who asked you, maiden, to carry me from the fight?





In the flurry there I would have been struck down by the same weapon that killed Siegmund.


I would have met my end united with him.
Far from Siegmund, Siegmund, from you!




O let death cover me, when I think of it.



If, on account of our escape, I am not to curse you, maiden, then hear my solemn plea: plunge your sword into my heart.

Brunnhilde
Woman, you must live for the sake of love.

Save the child that you received from him: a Volsung is growing in your womb.

Sieglinde
Save me, brave girl, save my child.
Shelter me, you maidens, with powerful protection.

Waltraute
The storm is approaching.
Ortlinde
Fly, if you fear it.

The six other valkyres
Get the woman away, if you danger threatens her.
None of the valkyres dares protect her.

Sieglinde
Save me, girl; save a mother.
Brunnhilde
Then quickly escape, and escape by yourself.

I will stay here and face Wotanfs vengeance.
At my side I will delay him here in his rage while you escape from his anger.
Sieglinde
Which direction shall I take?

Brunnhilde
Which of you sisters has flown eastwards?
Siegrune
Away to the east stretches a forest: fafner carried off the Nibelung treasure into it.

Schwertleite
He changed himself into the form of a dragon.
In a cave he keeps watch over alberichfs ring.
Grimgerde
It isnft a safe place for a helpless woman.

Brunnhilde
And yet the wood would surely shelter her from Wotanfs anger.
The master dislikes it and keeps away from the place.

Waltraute
Furiously Wotan is riding to the rock.

Six valkyres
Brunnhilde, listen to the din of his approach.

Brunnhilde
Hurry away, then, towards the East.
Be brave and defiant, put up with all hazards, hunger and thirst, thorns and rocks.
Laugh, whatever distress or suffering may plague you.

This one thing you know and always remember: the noblest hero in the world, woman, you are carrying in the shelter of your womb.
Keep for him the strong swordfs fragments.

From his fatherfs battlefield I luckily brought them.

He will forge them anew and one day wield the sword.

Let me give him his name, gsiegfriedh, joyous in victory.

Sieglinde
Oh, mightiest of miracles, most glorious of woman.
I thank you for your loyalty and holy comfort.
For him whom we loved I will save the dear child.
May the reward of my thanks one day smile at you.

Farewell, luckless Sieglinde blesses you.

Wotan
Stop, Brunnhilde

Ortlinde, waltraute

Theyfve reached the rock, both horse and rider.


All eight valkyres
Poor Brunnhilde!
Vengeance is ablaze.

Brunnhilde
Ah, help me, sisters, my heart sinks.
His rage will crush me if you do not protect me by calming him.
The eight valkyres
Come here, you lost soul, donft let him see you.
Cling to us and keep quiet when he calls.

O dear! Wotanfs getting off his horse, and hefs angry.

This way he hurries bent on revenge.