The Death of Balder Part 10

Life of my Nanna, Thy breath doth kill, Its sweet lamenting, One stroke preventing, With many, with many This breast doth fill.

Thou lovest me! Ha! weak, enamour'd Nanna!

Thou lovest Hother's life, but not thy Hother.

How cold, how cruel to his name, his honour!

But I--I too was cruel! I accus'd thee-- Beloved Nanna, at thy feet full quickly Hother's best blood shall wash away that insult!

[He springs up and walks about the scene.

Why do I slumber? Why delay a moment To keep my oath? Ha, cruel, cruel destiny!

E'en death itself thou dost refuse to Hother, For every sword and precipice thou hidest; Ha, feeble spear! whereon I, fool-like, trusted, Where art thou now? and thou my fragile Mimring Ne'er frail in fight before; and thou my dagger--

[He stumbles over the horn which he cast away in the first act.

What, what is this? By Hal, the horn which Vanfred Gave me wherewith in time of need to call him.

Ha! by the G.o.ds, was ever need so horrid, To crave to die, yet want the power of dying; Friendship so warm as his will never surely Refuse a dagger to this breast.

[He winds the horn, which echoes frightfully among the rocks.

Ha, Vanfred!

I call thee now; where art thou, Vanfred? Vanfred!

[A whirlwind is heard, and LOKE immediately appears.

LOKE, HOTHER.

LOKE. Hail, hail to thee, most fortunate of heroes!

HOTHER. Ha! darest thou mock Hother?

LOKE. What disturbeth A fortune which thy foe himself, which Skulda, Which heavenly and subterranean powers Establish with united strength?

HOTHER. Old dreamer!

Lend me a spear, and better right hand shall Establish it than all the powers thou namest!

LOKE. I know thy state of mind and wretched project.

By Nastroud, that worst of fools, if Balder Had not thine eyes with Asa magic blinded, And hid each dagger, each abyss thou soughtest, Ere now in mist thou'dst unreveng'd been lying!

HOTHER. What, has he hindered me, the n.o.ble, proud one!

LOKE. Yes, proud; for he despises thee.

HOTHER. Despises!

LOKE. And think'st thou he for sake of pleasing Nanna Would e'er have deign'd to guard thee from destruction, If he had much regarded Hother's anger, And if thy love one grain of sand he heeded?

HOTHER. Bad art thou, Vanfred; all thy words are poison'd.

LOKE (incensed). Ha! Hother, thou reward'st in evil fashion The friendship and the happiness I bring thee.

HOTHER. What happiness?

LOKE. But come, thy misery sours thee; Know, I can straight a.s.suage it!

HOTHER. And delayest.

LOKE. Know then at once, thou lucky son of Hothbrod, The spear which sendeth Balder's soul to Haelheim.

HOTHER. A spear, a spear! 'tis all I--

LOKE. Is discover'd!

I knew, for I had read it in the planets, Valhalla's battle-loving maids must seek for The ne'er seen weapon, and prepare for slaughter Its deadly point, and I--yes, I--seduc'd them, The haughty three, to seek the spear.

HOTHER. Seduc'd them?

LOKE. And dost thou think they wish the death of Balder?

HOTHER. Ha, Vanfred! more.

LOKE. At first thou hadst not the right one; Thy combat, friend, prov'd that. Near then had Balder crush'd thee and my design. Aghast I saw him Brandish the Jotun's bane--I'm well acquainted With Balder's strength; but ha! the fool prov'd tender; He saw thy bride, and spar'd thee. Then up mounted My courage and thine own.

HOTHER (to himself). I blush: my courage!

(To LOKE). What, courage! I was raging--blind with fury!

LOKE. Courage of fury--I, by Hael, care little, My youthful hero, which thine eyeball gleams with, If thou seek vengence, and thine enemy falleth.

HOTHER. Who art thou--who? But speak; proceed; explain thee!

LOKE. Strong was thine arm, and strong 'gainst Jotun's armour Was Rota's lance, but all too weak 'gainst Balder; And yet he kneel'd; I saw the proud one palen.

But ha! he rear'd himself; my heart then fail'd me, For I could best appreciate thy full danger; Raised was his arm; bright appear'd the ma.s.sive falchion; He called on Odin's name, and then none living Could save thee but himself--the fool! his lofty Courage shall prove his overthrow.

HOTHER. Ha, Vanfred!

LOKE. Well?

HOTHER. I do admire more and more thy wisdom.

But whilst we fought, where were the maids of battle?

LOKE. They were my dread; I quak'd at every shadow And every leaf that mov'd, lest I should see them.

When I saw that no one of the sisters Heard the high call, and din of shield and falchion, My courage rose--I knew thou wast in safety: They hear no fight where no one's doomed to perish.

HOTHER. And now the spear thou spak'st about?

LOKE. She has it, Valfather's favour'd maid--his trusty servant, At length discover'd by unwearied searching The spear by which his much-lov'd son shall perish.

Shortly ere thou didst call, as in my cavern I sat, its vaulted roof begun to tremble.

Three times my stilly dwelling shook, and o'er me A sound a.s.sailed my ear; 'twas like the tempest's When it uptears the mountain oak; then heard I The voice of Rota; black huge drops did trickle Of Jotun blood, of them whom Odin slaughtered, Through the rock's rifts. I knew by all these signals That she had found the right, the fatal weapon.

HOTHER (impatiently). Where is it--where?