Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen (48 page)

Kåre
[approaching]
. Right friendly is Sigurd’s rede, but if thou wilt indeed fight thine own battle with all thy might, I can counsel thee better. Dream not of atonement so long as Hiördis has aught to say; but revenge can be thine if thou wilt hearken to me.

Örnulf. Revenge? What dost thou counsel?

Sigurd. Evil, I can well see.

Dagny
[to Örnulf]
. Oh, do not hear him!

Kåre. Hiördis has declared me an outlaw; with cunning will she seek to take my life; do thou swear to see me scatheless, and this night will I burn Gunnar’s hall and all within it. Is that to thy mind?

Sigurd. Dastard!

Örnulf
[quietly]
. To my mind? Knowest thou, Kåre, what were more to my mind?
[In a voice of thunder.]
To hew off thy nose and ears, thou vile thrall. Little dost thou know old Örnulf if thou thinkest to have his help in such a deed of shame!

Kåre
[who has shrunk backwards]
. If thou fall not upon Gunnar he will surely fall upon thee.

Örnulf. Have I not weapons, and strength to wield them?

Sigurd
[to Kåre]
. And now away with thee! Thy presence is a shame to honourable men!

Kåre
[going off]
. Well well, I must shield myself as best I can. But this I tell you: if ye think to deal gently with Hiördis, ye will come to rue it; I know her — and I know where to strike her sorest!

[Goes down towards the shore.]

Dagny. He is plotting revenge. Sigurd, it must be hindered!

Örnulf
[with annoyance]
. Nay, let him do as he will; she is worth no better!

Dagny. That meanest thou not; bethink thee she is thy foster-child.

Örnulf. Woe worth the day when I took her under my roof! Jokul’s words are coming true.

Sigurd. Jokul’s?

Örnulf. Ay, her father’s. When I gave him his death-wound he fell back upon the sward, and fixed his eyes on on me and sang: —

Jokul’s kin for Jokul’s slayer
many a woe shall still be weaving;

Jokul’s hoard whoe’er shall harry
heartily shall rue his rashness.

When he had sung that, he was silent a while, and laughed; and thereupon he died.

Sigurd. Why should’st thou heed his words?

Örnulf. Who knows? The story goes, and many believe it, that Jokul gave his children a wolf’s heart to eat, that they might be fierce and fell; and Hiördis has surely had her share, that one can well see.

[Breaks off, on looking out towards the right.]
Gunnar! — Are we two to meet again!

Gunnar
[enters]
. Ay, Örnulf, think of me what thou wilt, but I cannot part from thee as thy foe.

Örnulf. What is thy purpose?

Gunnar. To hold out the hand of fellowship to thee ere thou depart. Hear me all of you: go with me to my homestead, and be my guests as long as ye will. We lack not meat or drink or sleeping-room, and there shall be no talk of our quarrel either today or tomorrow.

Sigurd. But Hiördis —— ?

Gunnar. Yields to my will; she changed her thought on the homeward way, and deemed, as I did, that we would soon be at one if ye would but be our guests.

Dagny. Yes, yes; let it be so.

Sigurd
[doubtfully]
. But I know not whether ——

Dagny. Gunnar is thy foster-brother; little I know thee if thou say him nay.

Gunnar
[to Sigurd]
. Thou hast been my friend where’er we fared; thou wilt not stand against me now.

Dagny. And to depart from the land, leaving Hiördis with hate in her heart — no, no, that must we not!

Gunnar. I have done Örnulf a great wrong; until it is made good, I cannot be at peace with myself.

Sigurd
[vehemently]
. All else will I do for thee, Gunnar, but not stay here!
[Mastering himself.]
I am in King Æthelstan’s service, and I must be with him in England ere the winter is out.

Dagny. But that thou canst be, nevertheless.

Gunnar. No man can know what lot awaits him; mayhap this is our last meeting, Sigurd, and thou wilt repent that thou didst not stand by me to the end.

Dagny. And long will it be ere thou see me glad again, if thou set sail today.

Sigurd
[determined]
. Well, be it so! It shall be as ye will, although —— But no more of that; here is my hand; I will stay to feast with thee and Hiördis.

Gunnar
[shakes his hand]
. Thanks, Sigurd, I never doubted thee. — And thou, Örnulf, dost thou say likewise?

Örnulf
[unappeased]
. I shall think upon it. Bitterly has Hiördis wounded me; — I will not answer today.

Gunnar. It is well, old warrior; Sigurd and Dagny will know how to soothe thy brow. Now must I prepare the feast; peace be with you the while, and well met in my hall!
[Goes out by the right.]

Sigurd
[to himself]
. Hiördis has changed her thought, said he? Little he knows her; I rather deem that she is plotting ——

[interrupting himself and turning to his men.]
Come, follow me all to the ships; good gifts will I choose for Gunnar and his household.

Dagny. Gifts of the best we have. And thou, father — thou shalt have no peace for me until thou yield thee.
[She goes with Sigurd and his men down towards the shore at the back.]

Örnulf. Yield me? Ay, if there were no women-folk in Gunnar’s house, then —— Oh, if I but knew how to pierce her armour! — Thorolf, thou here!

Thorolf
[who has entered hastily]
. As thou seest. Is it true that thou hast met with Gunnar?

Örnulf. Yes.

Thorolf. And art at enmity with him?

Örnulf. Hm — at least with Hiördis.

Thorolf. Then be of good cheer; soon shalt thou be avenged!

Örnulf. Avenged? Who shall avenge me?

Thorolf. Listen: as I stood on board the ship, there came a man running, with a staff in his hand, and called to me: “If thou be of Örnulf’s shipfolk, then greet him from Kåre the Peasant, and say that now am I avenging the twain of us.” Thereupon he took a boat and rowed away, saying as he passed: “Twenty outlaws are at haven in the fiord; with them I fare southward, and ere eventide shall Hiördis be childless.”

Örnulf. He said that! Ha, now I understand; Gunnar has sent his son away; Kåre is at feud with him ——

Thorolf. And now he is rowing southward to slay the boy!

Örnulf
[with sudden resolution]
. Up all! That booty will we fight for!

Thorolf. What wilt thou do?

Örnulf. Ask me not; it shall be I, and not Kåre, that will take revenge!

Thorolf. I will go with thee!

Örnulf. Nay, do thou follow with Sigurd and thy sister to Gunnar’s hall.

Thorolf. Sigurd? Is he in the isle?

Örnulf. There may’st thou see his warships; we are at one — do thou go with him.

Thorolf. Among thy foes?

Örnulf. Go thou to the feast. Now shall Hiördis learn to know old Örnulf! But hark thee, Thorolf, to no one must thou speak of what I purpose; dost hear? to no one!

Thorolf. I promise.

Örnulf
[takes his hand and looks at him affectionately]
. Farewell then, my fair boy; bear thee in courtly wise at the feast-house, that I may have honour of thee. Beware of idle babbling; but what thou sayest, let it be keen as a sword. Be friendly to those that deal with thee in friendly wise; but if thou be taunted, hold not thy peace. Drink not more than thou canst bear; but put not the horn aside when it is offered thee in measure, lest thou be deemed womanish.

Thorolf. Nay, be at ease.

Örnulf. Then away to the feast at Gunnar’s hall. I too will come to the feast, and that in the guise they least think of.
[Blithely to the rest.]
Come, my wolf-cubs; be your fangs keen; — now shall ye have blood to drink.

[He goes off with his elder sons to the right, at the back.]

[Sigurd and Dagny come up from the ships, richly dressed for the banquet. They are followed by two men, carrying a chest, who lay it down and return as they came.]

Thorolf
[looking out after his father]
. Now fare they all forth to fight, and I must stay behind; it is hard to be the youngest of the house. — Dagny! all hail and greetings to thee, sister mine!

Dagny. Thorolf! All good powers! — thou art a man, grown!

Thorolf. That may I well be, forsooth, in five years ——

Dagny. Ay, true, true.

Sigurd
[giving his his hand]
. In thee will Örnulf find a stout carl, or I mistake me.

Thorolf. Would he but prove me —— !

Dagny
[smiling]
. He spares thee more than thou hast a mind to? Thou wast ever well-nigh too dear to him.

Sigurd. Whither has he gone?

Thorolf. Down to his ships; — he will return ere long.

Sigurd. I await my men; they are mooring my ships and bringing ashore wares.

Thorolf. There must I lend a hand!

[Goes down towards the shore.]

Sigurd
[after a moment’s reflection]
. Dagny, my wife, we are alone; I have that to tell thee which must no longer be hidden.

Dagny
[surprised]
. What meanest thou?

Sigurd. There may be danger in this faring to Gunnar’s hall.

Dagny. Danger? Thinkest thou that Gunnar —— ?

Sigurd. Nay, Gunnar is brave and true — yet better had it been that I had sailed from the isle without crossing his threshold.

Dagny. Thou makest me fear! Sigurd, what is amiss?

Sigurd. First answer me this: the golden ring that I gave thee, where hast thou it?

Dagny
[showing it]
. Here, on my arm; thou badest me wear it.

Sigurd. Cast it to the bottom of the sea, so deep that none may ever set eyes on it again; else may it be the bane of many men.

Dagny. The ring!

Sigurd
[in a low voice]
. That evening when we carried away thy father’s daughters — dost remember it?

Dagny. Do I remember it!

Sigurd. It is of that I would speak.

Dagny
[in suspense]
. What is it? Say on!

Sigurd. Thou knowest there had been a feast; thou didst seek thy chamber betimes; but Hiördis still sat among the men in the feast-hall. The horn went busily round, and many a great vow was sworn. I swore to bear away a fair maid with me from Iceland; Gunnar swore the same as I, and passed the cup to Hiördis. She grasped it and stood up, and vowed this vow, that no warrior should have her to wife, save he who should go to her bower, slay the white bear that stood bound at the door, and carry her away in his arms.

Dagny. Yes, yes; all this I know!

Sigurd. All men deemed that it might not be, for the bear was the fiercest of beasts; none but Hiördis might come near it, and it had the strength of twenty men.

Dagny. But Gunnar slew it, and by that deed won fame throughout all lands.

Sigurd
[in a low voice]
. He won the fame — but —
I
did the deed!

Dagny
[with a cry]
. Thou!

Sigurd. When the men left the feast-hall, Gunnar prayed me to come with him alone to our sleeping-place. Then said he: “Hiördis is dearer to me than all women; without her I cannot live.” I answered him: “Then go to her bower; thou knowest the vow she hath sworn.” But he said: “Life is dear to him that loves; if I should assail the bear, the end were doubtful, and I am loath to lose my life, for then should I lose Hiördis too.” Long did we talk, and the end was that Gunnar made ready his ship, while I drew my sword, donned Gunnar’s harness, and went to the bower.