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No poem in German literature is so well known and studied in Germany and Europe as the 800-year-old Das Nibelungenlied. In the English-speaking world, however, the poem has remained little known, languishing without an adequate translation. This wonderful new translation by eminent translator Burton Raffel brings the epic poem to life in English for the first time, rendering it in verse that does full justice to the original High Middle German. His translation underscores the formal aspects of the poem and preserves its haunting beauty. Often called the German lliad, Das Nibelungenlied is a heroic epic both national in character and sweeping in scope. The poem moves inexorably from romance through tragedy to holocaust. It portrays the existential struggles and downfall of an entire people, the Burgundians, in a military conflict with the Huns and their king. In his foreword to the book, Michael Dirda observes that the story "could be easily updated to describe the downfall of a Mafia crime family, something like The Godfather, with swords." The tremendous appeal of Das Nibelungenlied throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is reflected in such works as Richard Wagner's opera tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, Fritz Lang's two-part film Die Nibelungen, and, more recently, J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.… (more)
andejons: Much of the story of Nibelungenlied is also told in the poetic Edda, but in considerably shorter form but with some extra material. There are also many points that differ.
I enjoyed the late Cyril Edwards’ clear prose translation a lot. I know despite its title that this wasn’t Wagner’s principal source for The Ring, but fascinating to see how the narrative and characters here are represented in both narratives. Good introduction and notes. ( )
The original hardly bares any comparison to the Wagner Ring Cycle; it still has its own rustic charm, if by charm you mean more death than a typical Shakespearean tragedy.
None of the characters are very honorable and most seem to be driven by a certain brazen vindictiveness; the few points where bloodshed could have been avoided are abandoned almost as if driven on by an inevitable fate of doom.
An interesting historical read, but not one that will be in my top ten Medieval literature list. ( )
Le emozioni ed i sentimenti pi profondi degli uomini, le loro passioni, non sono cambiate nel corso dei secoli.Una storia epica bellissima, con un finale coinvolgente ed eccezionale ( )
In old tales they tell us many wonders of heroes and of high courage, of glad feasting, of weeping and of mourning; and herein ye shall read of the marvellous deeds and of the strife of brave men. (Armour trans.) We have been told in ancient tales many marvels of famous heroes, of mighty toil, joys, and high festivities, of weeping and wailing, and the fighting of bold warriors - of such things you can now hear wonders unending! (Hatto trans.)
Quotations
Last words
This is the fall of the Nibelungs. (Armour trans.) The story ends here: such was the Nibelungs' Last Stand. (Hatto trans.)
No poem in German literature is so well known and studied in Germany and Europe as the 800-year-old Das Nibelungenlied. In the English-speaking world, however, the poem has remained little known, languishing without an adequate translation. This wonderful new translation by eminent translator Burton Raffel brings the epic poem to life in English for the first time, rendering it in verse that does full justice to the original High Middle German. His translation underscores the formal aspects of the poem and preserves its haunting beauty. Often called the German lliad, Das Nibelungenlied is a heroic epic both national in character and sweeping in scope. The poem moves inexorably from romance through tragedy to holocaust. It portrays the existential struggles and downfall of an entire people, the Burgundians, in a military conflict with the Huns and their king. In his foreword to the book, Michael Dirda observes that the story "could be easily updated to describe the downfall of a Mafia crime family, something like The Godfather, with swords." The tremendous appeal of Das Nibelungenlied throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is reflected in such works as Richard Wagner's opera tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, Fritz Lang's two-part film Die Nibelungen, and, more recently, J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
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No poem in German literature is so well known and studied in Germany and Europe as the 800-year-old Das Nibelungenlied. In the English-speaking world, however, the poem has remained little known, languishing without an adequate translation. This wonderful new translation by eminent translator Burton Raffel brings the epic poem to life in English for the first time, rendering it in verse that does full justice to the original High Middle German. His translation underscores the formal aspects of the poem and preserves its haunting beauty. Often called the German lliad, Das Nibelungenlied is a heroic epic both national in character and sweeping in scope. The poem moves inexorably from romance through tragedy to holocaust. It portrays the existential struggles and downfall of an entire people, the Burgundians, in a military conflict with the Huns and their king. In his foreword to the book, Michael Dirda observes that the story “could be easily updated to describe the downfall of a Mafia crime family, something like The Godfather, with swords.” The tremendous appeal of Das Nibelungenlied throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is reflected in such works as Richard Wagner’s opera tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, Fritz Lang’s two-part film Die Nibelungen, and, more recently, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. (Yale University Press)
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