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Quotes / The Ring of the Nibelung

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Weia! Waga! Woge, du Welle,
walle zur Wiege! wagala weia!
wallala, weiala weia!


Weia! Waga! Waver, thou billow,
rock like a cradle! Wagala weia!
Wallala, weiala weia!
The Rhinemaiden Woglinde

The sleeping gold badly ye guard,
Better now watch the slumberer's bed,
or both your sport ye will rue!
The Rhinemaiden Flosshilde

Your protruding eyes,
your prickly beard,
forever I would like to see and to feel!
Your unkempt hair,
so shaggy and spiky,
floating around Flosshilde forever!
and your body like a frog,
with your voice like a croak,
oh how I would like, dazzled and dumb,
to see and hear nothing but these!
Flosshilde teasing the dwarf Alberich

Rhine-gold! Rhine-gold!
Shining delight,
how laughest thou clear and sublime!
Glimmering gleams
glide forth as you hallow the waves!
The Rhinemaidens

Only who renounces love's enchantment,
only who abandons love's delight,
only he gets the magic,
to shape the gold into a ring.
Woglinde

Thus forswear I all loving!
Alberich

As in dreams I designed,
as my will it decreed,
strong and fair stands it in sight:
lofty, lordly abode!
Wotan, the king of the gods

If I had known of your deal,
I would have denied the trick;
but you men kept things away from the women!
Fricka, the goddess of marriage, to her husband, Wotan

Fricka: How comes you still trust that trickster!
Much wrong he has already done to us,
yet he still tricks you.

Wotan: Where simple courage suffices,
I can get by alone.
But when it's needed to turn my foes' traits against them,
only the cunning and guile,
of Loge can work

Now proceed, and pay our wage!
The giant Fasolt

What thou art, art thou but by thy treaties;
well conceived, well contrived is thy pow'r.
Fasolt to Wotan

Fasolt and Fafner, have ye not felt
yet my hammer's heavy blow?
Donner, the god of thunder

In vain I searched, and see now well:
in the wide world round naught's of such worth
to be meet to a man as his meed,
for woman's worth and delight!
Loge, the god of fire

Foolish art thou, if false not thou beest!
Myself now thou seest in need:
How could I others then help?
Wotan to Loge

Are ye then mad? What's not mine for giving,
should I give to you who are shameless?
Wotan to the giants

Alas! what is ailing the gods?
Mists, do you trick me? Am I in a dream?
Dismayed and wan, you're quickly withering!
From your cheeks the color pales;
and quenched is the light of your eyes!
Courage, Froh! the day is only at dawn!
From your hand, Donner, is escaping the hammer!
What is grieving Fricka? Maybe she is sad
for Wotan, gloomy and grey,
who seems has already grown old!
Loge

Wotan, my spouse! unhappy man!
See how thy laughing lightness has brought us
all disgrace and shame!
Fricka

Cheerfully we smiths once worked at our anvils,
forged for our women
trinkets so fair, delicate Nibelung toys:
we lightly laughed at our work
Mime

Shiver and shudder, you conquered crowd!
Swiftly serve the Lord of the Ring!
Alberich to the Nibelungs

And know'st thou me well, thou childish imp?
Then say, who am I? why are you barking at me?
In chilly caves when you could only crouch,
where could your light and comforting fire come,
had Loge not smiled on you?
What helps you in your forging,
but the forge lit by me?
Loge to Alberich

Beware! Beware!
When first your males will bow to my might,
then your sprightly ladies,
who my loving despised,
the dwarf will force to his lust,
whose Love never laughs!
Alberich to Wotan and Loge

The mightiest then I must call you,
for moon and stars,
and the sun in her splendor,
can't then withstand your power...
they too must become your slaves!
Loge to Alberich

There, cousin, take now your seat!
Look around you: there lies the world,
that you, loonie, tried to conquer,
what corner, say,
will you give me for a stall?
Loge to Alberich

Oh, shameful disgrace,
That these shiv'ring slaves should
see myself gagged and bound!
Alberich

If I have sinned, I only sinned against myself:
but against all that was, is and shall be
would sin you, eternal one,
if you rashly seize my ring!
Alberich to Wotan

Am I now free? Hahaha!
Really free?
Thus greets thee this, my freedom's
first word!
As by curse came it to me,
accursed be then this ring!
As its gold gave measureless might,
let now its magic deal death to its owner!
Its wealth shall give pleasure to none,
none shall enjoy its luster laugh!
Zeal shall consume he who owns it,
and envy shall gnaw him he who doesn't!
All shall lust after its delights,
yet no one will know its gleaming laugh!
No benefits will it bring to its owner;
yet his murderers will be attracted!
Resigned to death, he will be chained by fear:
his whole life long daily wasting away,
the treasure's owner as the treasure's slave!
Until again once more
in my hand I have regained what was mine!
So this is how blesses, in angst,
the Nibelung his ring:
then hold it fast, hahaha!
ward it with heed!
But my curse you can't escape.
Alberich

Loge: Hear this word, you giant!
the Rhine's daughters are the true owners of the gold;
and Wotan will retrieve it to them.

Wotan: What are you chattering?
This is the prize that I won,
and without fear I hold it for myself!

Loge: Failed will be the promise
I gave to the sorrowing daughters!

Wotan: But your promise didn't bound me:
a booty of mine is the ring.
Loge

Beware, Wotan! Beware!
Flee the ring's dread curse!
Hopeless and darksome disaster
lies hid in its might.
Erda, goddess of earth

The hoard let him rifle;
hold thou but fast to the ring!
Loge to Fasolt

What's like, Wotan, how thou art lucky?
Greatly gain'st thou by winning the Ring;
that it's now taken from thee
gains thee still more:
for thy foemen, see! murder themselves
for the gold that thou gav'st away.
Loge

What dark omen falls upon me?
Care and fear fetters my soul:
how I may end them, teach me then, Erda:
to you I must descend!
Wotan

Heda! Heda! Hedo!
To me, all you mists! you vapors, to me!
Donner, your lord, calls his hosts!
Donner

Wotan: Follow me, wife! In Walhall dwell now with me.
Fricka: What doth the name mean?
Ne'er, methinks, did I hear it named.

Wotan: What my spirit has found
to master my dread,
after I achieve my triumph, it will make the meaning clear.

Rhinemaidens: Give us the gold,
oh, give us the gold!
Oh, give us its glory again!

Wotan: Accursed nixies!
Silence for me their noise.

Loge: Ye in the water! Why whine ye to us?
Hear what Wotan doth will!
Though the gold no more gleams on you girls,
In the gods' new glitt'ring glimmer, gaily bask from now on!

Rhinemaidens: Rhine-gold! Rhine-gold! Purest gold!
Oh, did there but glow
in the deep now thy sparkling delight.
In the depths only 'tis trustful and tender:
false and frail those who rejoice there above!

Zurück vom Ring! ("Back from the ring!")
Hagen (The last words of the cycle)


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