God, thus, devastated this world
And made idle the ancient halls
Built by giants in days of yore.
The revelries of old are no more.
The elder ponders deeply
With wise thought on this dark life.
He remembers battles, long ago,
The clashing of many armies,
And speaks these words:
Where now the horse and rider?
What has become of the treasure-giver
And the seats of banquets?
Where are the joys of the hall?
Alas for the bright cup!
Alas for the warrior in glistening mail!
Alas for the king’s golden splendor!
How that time has passed away!
As if the light had never been,
It is dark, now,
Night has fallen.
In the beloved army’s wake
A mighty wall has risen,
Like an immense stone serpent.
The multitudes have been driven away
By the spear-wielding warriors,
Their weapons, greedy for slaughter,
And their glorious destiny.
Storms strike these stony cliffs
Falling frost encloses the earth
In the tumult of winter.
Then, darkness comes.
The night-shadow deepens
And the North sends
A fierce hailstorm.
Strife breeds among the men.
Earth’s kingdom is
Full of hardship, now.
Destiny’s events have changed the
World under the heavens.
Here is the fleeting treasure,
Here is the long-lost friend.
Here is the forgotten man
And the kinsman of old.
The world’s foundation is made vain.
Thus spoke the wise man
Within his mind
As he sat apart
At the counsel of men.
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