"And now I pray thee, Gunnar, one last boon. -- Let make a great
bale on the plain meads for all of us; for me and for Sigurd, and
for those who were slain with him, and let that be covered over
with cloth dyed red by the folk of the Gauls, (1) and burn me
thereon on one side of the King of the Huns, and on the other
those men of mine, two at the head and two at the feet, and two
hawks withal; and even so is all shared equally; and lay there
betwixt us a drawn sword, as in the other days when we twain
stepped into one bed together; and then may we have the name of
man and wife, nor shall the door swing to at the heel of him as I
go behind him. Nor shall that be a niggard company if there
follow him those five bond-women and eight bondmen, whom my
father gave me, and those burn there withal who were slain with
Sigurd.
"Now more yet would I say, but for my wounds, but my life-breath
flits; the wounds open, -- yet have I said sooth."
Now is the dead corpse of Sigurd arrayed in olden wise, and a
mighty bale is raised, and when it was somewhat kindled, there
was laid thereon the dead corpse of Sigurd Fafnir's-bane, and his
son of three winters whom Brynhild had let slay, and Guttorm
withal; and when the bale was all ablaze, thereunto was Brynhild
borne out, when she had spoken with her bower-maidens, and bid
them take the gold that she would give; and then died Brynhild,
and was burned there by the side of Sigurd, and thus their life-
days ended.
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