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Title: The Nibelungenlied: Prose Translation (Penguin Classics)
ISBN: 0140441379
Author:
Anonymous
Publicate Date: 1965-04-30
Publish: 1965-04-30
List Price: $16.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $5.82
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.14
Amazon Merchant Price: $10.88
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Enjoyable translation, not for everyone
The Niebelungenlied is one of a few works relating to the story of Sigurd the Dragonslayer (or in the German tradition, Siegfried). It is one of the most influential works in Western Literature and this translation modernizes the work well, creating a work in Modern Englih to rival the Volsung Saga (the Icelandic prose version of the same general epic).
As I was reading this, I was struck by how different the Icelandic and the German versions actually were. Drawing parallels to Greek works, it is the difference between Achilles in the Trojan War and Perseus fighting Medusa. The stories are just different. Yet both are affected by their times and omit the more esoteric aspects of the older poetic epics. Really, if you want to really understand the tory, you should read the Volsung Saga, this work, Beowulf (due to the fragmentary references to the story of "Sigemund Waelsung"), and the heroic lays in the Poetic Edda.
This being said, this provides a well-balanced, modernistic translation of the epic. For people who want a poetic translation. For those who want something that is as accessible to people today as the original was in its time, this is a great work.
Recommended.
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2: A classic German epic
An enthralling German epic that is a fascinating exploration of familiar characters, but are neither wholly taken from Wagner nor from the Norse Eddas. The Brunhilde and Siegfried we eagerly await both fade quickly into the background in this epic, and we have the two tragic heroes of Kriemhild and Hagen emerge to eclipse them. It could be argued the echo far exceeds the sound in this instance. The poet does not quite shine as much as his contemporaries, Gottfried von Strassburg or Wolfram von Escenbach, but nonetheless works a discernible magic.
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3: Poor Bindings
Over 30 pages of this book simply fell out while I was reading. I have experienced this problem with other Penguin Classics and attribute it to poor binding.
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4: An eye for an eye
This very sad heroic epic tells the story of how `countless warriors met their doom' after the wrangling of two women.
Its themes are of all times: love, hate, sorrow, pride, jealousy, the `first night', greed, honor, friendship, loyalty, treason, power, strength, courage, kinship, revenge. Standing above the multitude is its immortal hero Siegfried.
Its roots are certainly not Christian (`you should be carrying swords, not roses; wearing good, bright helmets, not gem-encrusted chaplets'). On the other hand, it is a painful illustration that the law of the talion (`an eye for an eye; tooth for a tooth') leads to complete annihilation.
The translator A. T. Hatto (`licence is for poets, not translators') opted for a prose version, whereby, of course, the strophic nature of the original is lost. However, the result is still remarkable. I highly recommend this translation for those who cannot read a modern strophic version of the German original.
By the way, A.T. Hatto's notes are superb.
A must read for all those interested in world literature.
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5: The Nibelungenlied
"The Nibelungenlied" (or in English: Song of the Nibelung) was written by an unknown poet sometime in the 1300's, which is a shame because this is one of the finest epics I've ever read. It's as spectacular and intelligent as Homer's "The Illiad", and the Finnish "Kalevala". This story, which was revised on the theatre stage as Richard Wagner's 15-hour opera Der Ring Des Nibelungen, takes place in Germanic Medieval times. I won't go into much detail, though I will give you the basic plot: after winning Kriemhild as a bride, Siegfried wins another bride, a Queen of Iceland named Brunnhild, for Gunther, the King of Burgundy. Tragic and revenge strike when the two women have a terrifying conflict, which leads to many deaths.
After reading the "Nibelungenlied" for the first time last week, I was surprised at how different it was from Wagner's lengthy music drama. Like the "Volsung Saga", most of the names and races from the book stay true, while the settings, the characters' motives, the philosophies, and the actual ring are undoubtably Wagner's own creations.
This is a must-read for those who love "Beowulf", "The Illiad", "The Odyssey", "The Kalevala", and of course, Richard Wagner's "Ring Cycle".
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