HILDEBRANDSLIED

Ep o Hildebrandu (Das Hildebrandslied) je junački ep, napisan na arhaičnom visokonjemačkom aliterativnom stihu. To je jedan od prvih književnih djela na njemačkom jeziku, a govori o tragičnom susretu u borbi između oca i njegova nepriznata sina. To je jedini preživjeli primjerak na njemačkom jeziku o žanru koji je morao bili najvažniji u usmenoj književnosti germanskih plemena.
 
U početnom stihu pjesme postavljena je scena: dva ratnika susreću na bojnom polju, vjerojatno kao prvaci dviju vojski.

Kao stariji od dvojice, Hildebrand govori prvi tražeći identitet i genealogiju svoga protivnika. Hadubrand otkriva da ne zna tko je njegov otac, ali stariji su mu rekli da je njegov otac Hildebrand, koji je pobjegao prema istoku u službi Dietricha od gnjeva Otachera (Odoacer), ostavljajući iza sebe ženu i malo dijete. On je vjerovao da je njegov otac mrtav.

Hildebrand odgovara tvrdnjom da se Hadubrand nikada neće boriti s tako bliskim rođako (neizravni način potvrde očinstva) i nudi zlatne ogrlice koje primio kao dar od Gospodara Huna (publika bi to prepoznala kao referencu na Attilu, koga je prema predanju služio Teodrik).

Hadubrand se odlučuje na varku, kako bi ga uhvatio nespremnog, odbija ponudu, optužujući Hildebranda za prijevaru, a neizravno kukavičluk. Hildebrand prihvaća svoju sudbinu, vidjevši da ne može časno odbiti  bitku: on nema izbora nego  ubiti svoga sina ili biti ubijen.

Počnu se boriti, a tekst zaključuje srazbijanjem njihovih štitova. Pjesma se prekida, ne otkrivajući ishod....
Dio izvornog teksta:




The Lay of Hildebrand

I have heard tell,
that two chosen warriors, Hildebrand and Hadubrand,
met one another, between two armies.
Father and son, the champions examined their gear,
prepared their armor, and buckled their swords
over their chain mail, before riding out to battle.
Hildebrand, the older and more experienced man, spoke first,
asking, with few words who his father was
and from which family he came.
"Tell me the one, young man, and I'll know the other,
for I know all great people in this kingdom."
Hadubrand, the son of Hildebrand, replied:
"Old and wise people who lived long ago
told me that my father's name was Hildebrand.
My name is Hadubrand.
Long ago he road off into the East with Dietrich,
and his many warriors, fleeing Otacher's wrath.
He rode off into the East, leaving his wife at home
with a small child, deprived of his inheritance.
Dietrich, a man with but few friends,
came to rely upon my father.
His feud with Otacher grew more intense,
and my father became his best-loved warrior.
He was at the front of every battle, wanting to be in every duel.
.....
Brave men knew him well.
....."
"With Almighty God in Heaven for a witness,
may you never go to battle against your next of kin."
And he took from his arm a band of rings,
braided from the emperor's gold,
which the King of the Huns had given to him.
"I give you this in friendship."
Hadubrand, the son of Hildebrand, replied:
"A gift should be received with a spear,
point against point.
You are a cunning old Hun,
leading me into a trap with your words,
only to throw your spear at me.
You have grown old by practicing such treachery.
Sailors traveling westward across the Mediterranean Sea
told me that he fell in battle.
Hildebrand, the son of Heribrand, is dead."
Hildebrand, the son of Heribrand, replied:
"I see from your battle gear
that you have a good master at home,
and that you have never been banished by your prince.
.....
Alas, Lord God, fate has struck.
Sixty times I have seen summer turn to winter
and winter to summer in a foreign land.
I was always placed on the front lines;
I was never killed while storming a fortress,
and now my own child should strike me with his sword
and hit me with his ax, if I don't kill him first.
But if you have the courage, you can easily
win the armor from an old man like me,
and take away the spoils, if you have any right to them.
.....
Not even the worst of the men from the East
would turn down the the chance to fight with you,
with your desire to duel. Cost what it may,
let us see who will boast of this gear
and who will lay claim to these two suits of chain mail."
Then they let sail their ashen spears,
Sharp showers, sticking in their shields.
They came closer on foot, splitting each other's bright boards,
striking fiercely until their weapons shattered their shields.