The Voluspa: Or the Oracle of the Prophetess Vola

Джерело: The Poets and Poetry of Europe. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, Chestnut Street, 1845. Translated by Ebenezer Henderson.

 

The Prophetess, having imposed silence on all intellectual beings, declares that she is going to reveal the decrees of the Father of Nature, the actions and operations of the gods, which no person ever knew before herself. She then begins with a description of the chaos; and proceeds to the formation of the world, and of that of its various species of inhabitants, giants, men, and dwarfs. She then explains the employments of the fairies, or destinies; the functions of the gods; their most remarkable adventures; their quarrels with Loke, and the vengeance that ensued. At last she concludes with a long description of the final state of the universe, its dissolution and conflagration; the battle of the inferior deities and the evil beings; the renovation of the world; the happy lot of the good, and the punishment of the wicked. – The text is taken from the edition of the Edda just published in Stockholm.

 

Give silence, all

Ye sacred race.

Both great and small,

Of Heimdal sprung:

Vol-father's deeds

I will relate,

The ancient tales

Which first I learned.

 

I know giants

Early born,

My ancestors

Of former times;

Nine worlds I know,

With their nine poles

Of tender wood,

Beneath the earth.

 

In early times,

When Ymer lived,

Was sand, nor sea,

Nor cooling wave;

No earth was found,

Nor heaven above;

One chaos all,

And nowhere grass:

 

Until Bör's sons

Th' expanse did raise,

By whom Midgard

The great was made.

From th' south the sun

Shone on the walls;

Then did the earth

Green herbs produce.

 

The sun turned south,

The moon did shine;

Her right hand held

The horse of heaven.

The sun knew not

His proper sphere;

The stars knew not

Their proper place;

The moon knew not

Her proper power.

 

Then all the powers

Went to the throne,

The holy gods,

And held consult:

Night and cock-crowing

Their names they gave,

Morning also,

And noon-day tide,

And afternoon,

The years to tell.

 

The Asas met

On Ida's plains,

Who altars raised

And temples built;

Anvils they laid,

And money coined;

Their strength they tried

In various ways,

When making songs,

And forming tools.

 

On th' green they played

In joyful mood,

Nor knew at all

The want of gold,

Until there came

Three Thursa maids,

Exceeding strong,

From Jotunheim:

 

 . . . . .

 

Until there came

Out of the ranks,

Powerful and fair,

Three Asas home,

And found on shore,

In helpless plight,

Ask and Embla

Without their fate.

 

They had not yet

Spirit or mind,

Blood, or beauty,

Or lovely hue.

Odin gave spirit,

Heinir gave mind,

Lothur gave blood

And lovely hue.

 

 . . . . .

 

I know an ash,

Named Ygg-drasill,

A stately tree,

With white dust strewed.

Thence come the dews

That wet the dales;

It stands aye green

O'er Urda's well.

 

Thence come the maids

Who much do know;

Three from the hall

Beneatli the tree;

One they named Was,

And Being next,

The third, Shall be,

On the shield they cut.

 

 . . . . .

 

She sat without

When th' Ancient came,

The awful god,

And viewed his eye.

 

What ask ye me?

Why tempt ye me?

Full well I know,

Great Odin, where

Thine eye thou lost;

In Mimi's well,

The fountain pure,

Mead Mimir drinks

Each morning new,

With Odin's pledge.

Conceive ye this?

 

To her the god

Of battles gave

Both costly rings

And shining gold,

The art of wealth,

And witchcraft wise,

By which she saw

Through every world.

 

She saw Valkyries

Come from afar,

Ready to ride

To th' tribes of god;

Skuld held the shield,

Skaugul came next,

Gunnr, Hildr, Gaundul,

And Geir-skaugul.

Thus now are told

The Warrior's Norns,

Ready to ride

The Valkyries.

 

Heith she was named

Where'er she came;

The prophetess

Of cunning arts.

She knew right well

 

Bad luck to seethe,

And mischief was

Her only sport.

 

She murder saw,

The first that e'er

Was in the world,

When Gullveig was

Placed on the spear,

When in Harr's hall

They did her burn:

Thrice she was burnt,

Thrice she was born,

Oft, not seldom,

And yet she lives.

 

When all the powers

Went to the throne,

The holy gods,

And held consult:

What punishment

They should inflict

On th' Asas now

For bad advice;

Or whether all

The gods should hold

Convivial feasts:

 

Were broken now

The castle-walls

Of Asaborg,

By murderous Vanes

Who took the field:

Forth Odin flew

And shot around:

This murder was

The first that e'er

Was in the world.

 

When all the powers

Went to the throne,

The holy gods,

And held consult:

Who had the air

Involved in flames,

Or Odder's maid

To giants given:

 

There Thor alone

Was in ill mood;

He seldom sits

When told the like;

Broken were oaths

And promises

And all contracts

That had been made.

 

She knows where hid

Lies Heimdal's horn,

Full deep beneath

The sacred tree:

She sees a flood

Rush down the fall

From Odin's pledge:

Conceive ye yet?

 

 . . . . .

 

The sun turns pale;

The spacious earth

The sea ingulfs;

From heaven fall

The lucid stars:

At the end of time,

The vapors rage,

And playful flames

Involve the skies.

 

She sees arise,

The second time,

From th' sea, the earth

Completely green:

Cascades do fall;

The eagle soars,

That on the hills

Pursues his prey.

 

The gods convene

On Ida's plains,

And talk of man,

The worm of dust:

They call to mind

Their former might,

And th' ancient runes

Of Fimbultyr.

 

The fields unsown

Shall yield their growth;

All ills shall cease;

Balder shall come,

And dwell with Hauthr

In Hropt's abodes.

Say, warrior-gods,

Conceive ye yet?

 

A hall she sees

Outshine the sun,

Of gold its roof,

It stands in heaven:

The virtuous there

Shall always dwell,

And evermore

Delights enjoy.