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LT → German (Old High German), German (Middle High German), French (Old French) → Medieval Songs → Das Hildebrandslied → English
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    Das Hildebrandslied → English translation

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Das Hildebrandslied

Ik gıhorta dat ſeggen
dat ſih urhettun ænon muotın
hıltıbrant entı hadubrant untar herıun tuem
ſunu fatarungo ıro ſaro rıhtun
garutun ſe ıro gudhamun gurtun ſih ıro ſuert ana
helıdoſ ubar rınga do ſie to dero hıltu rıtun
hıltıbrant gımahalta herıbranteſ ſunu her uuaſ heroro man
feraheſ frotoro her fragen gıſtuont
fohem uuortum ƿer ſin fater ƿarı
fıreo ın folche …
eddo ƿelıhheſ cnuoſleſ du ſiſ
ıbu du mı enan ſageſ ık mı de odre uuet
chınd ın chunıncrıche chud ıſt mın al ırmındeot
hadubrant gımahalta hıltıbranteſ ſunu
dat ſagetun mı uſere lıutı
alte antı frote dea erhına ƿarun
dat hıltıbrant hættı mın fater ıh heıttu hadubrant
forn her oſtar gıhueıt floh her otachreſ nıd
hına mıtı theotrıhhe entı ſinero degano fılu
her fur laet ın lante luttıla ſitten
prut ın bure barn unƿahſan
arbeo laoſa her raet oſtar hına
deſ ſid detrıhhe darba gıſtuontum
fatereſ mıneſ dat uuaſ ſo frıuntlaoſ man
her ƿaſ otachre ummet tırrı
degano dechıſto untı deotrıchhe
darba gıſtontun her ƿaſ eo folcheſ at ente ımo ƿaſ eo peh&a tı leop
chud uuaſ her … chonnem mannum
nı ƿanıu ıh ıu lıb habbe …
ƿettu ırmıngot quad hıltıbrant obana ab hevane
dat du neo dana halt mıt ſuſ ſippan man
dınc nı gıleıtoſ …
ƿant her do ar arme ƿuntane bauga
cheıſurıngu gıtan ſo ımo ſe der chunıng gap
huneo truhtın dat ıh dır ıt nu bı huldı gıbu
hadubrant gımahalta hıltıbranteſ ſunu
mıt geru ſcal man geba ınfahan
ort ƿıdar orte …
du bıſt dır alter hun ummet ſpaher
ſpenıſ mıh mıt dınem ƿuortun ƿılı mıh dınu ſperu ƿerpan
pıſt alſo gıalt& man ſo du eƿın ınƿıt fortoſ
dat ſagetun mı ſeolıdante
ƿeſtar ubar ƿentılſeo dat ınan ƿıc furnam
tot ıſt hıltıbrant herıbranteſ ſuno
hıltıbrant gımahalta herıbranteſ ſuno
ƿela gıſihu ıh ın dınem hruſtım
dat du habeſ heme herron goten
dat du noh bı deſemo rıche reccheo nı ƿurtı
ƿelaga nu ƿaltant got quad hıltıbrant ƿeƿurt ſkıhıt
ıh ƿallota ſumaro entı ƿıntro ſehſtıc ur lante
dar man mıh eo ſcerıta ın folc ſceotantero
ſo man mır at burc enıgeru banun nı gıfaſta
nu ſcal mıh ſuaſat chınd ſuertu hauƿan
breton mıt ſinu bıllıu eddo ıh ımo tı banın ƿerdan
doh maht du nu aodlıhho ıbu dır dın ellen taoc
ın ſuſ heremo man hruſtı gıƿınnan
rauba bıhrahanen ıbu du dar enıc reht habeſ
der ſi doh nu argoſto quad hıltıbrant oſtar lıuto
der dır nu ƿıgeſ ƿarne nu dıh eſ ſo ƿel luſtıt
gudea gımeınun nıuſe de mottı
ƿerdar ſih hıutu dero hregılo rumen muottı
erdo deſero brunnono bedero uualtan
do lettun ſe ærıſt aſckım ſcrıtan
ſcarpen ſcurım dat ın dem ſcıltım ſtont
do ſtoptun to ſamane ſtaım bort chludun
heƿun harmlıcco huıtte ſcıltı
untı ımo ıro lıntun luttılo ƿurtun
gıƿıgan mıtı ƿabnum
 
Translation

The Lay of Hildebrand

I heard it being said,
that they met one another, between two armies:
Hildebrand and Hadubrand, the warriors twain.
Father and son together arranged their armor,
Righted their armor and girt their swords,
heroes; over (their) byrnies, as they rode to the battle
Hiltibrant, [son of Heribrant] spoke first, as he was the older and more experienced man,
asking, with few words, who the other's father was
And which line he stemmed from.
"Tell me to which family you belong.
Utter me one (name) and I shall know the rest, for I am wise to (the names of) all of the tribesmen in the kingdom."
Hadubrand, Hildebrand's son, replied:
"My people have told me,
old and wise, those who lived long ago,
that my father was called Hiltibrant, I am called Hadubrant.
long ago he departed to the east, fleeing Odoacer's wrath,
hence with Theodoric, and many of his thanes
He left little ones remaining in the homeland
(his) bride in (her) bower, (and) a young child
helpless and deprived of inheritances; he rode hence to the east
ever since Dietrich (Theodoric) needed
my father: that was such a friendless man
(However, my father,) Dietrich's most faithful follower,
shared that hatred which knew no bounds towards Odoacer.
He always rode at the vanguard of the army. Every fight he openly welcomed. (Only) the most courageous could have done that. I do not believe him still alive."
"I call upon the God of Heaven", Hildebrand then said,
"to be (my) witness. Never have you faced so close a kin as your foe."
Whereupon he removed the [armlet-]ring,
forged from the emperor's gold, which the king
of the Huns had given him: "I give you this out of friendship." But Hadubrand, Hildebrand's son, answered:
"one ought give a gift
by point of the spear !
Old Hun, you truly are cunning;
 
✕
Please help to translate "Das Hildebrandslied"
German (Old High German) → Russian maxim.kuznetsov.547
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3.Das Hildebrandslied
Comments
ScieraSciera    Sat, 02/06/2012 - 08:25

We once translated that poem in university, and I also have the booklet of Menhir where a translation to modern german is in, and I'm pretty sure your translation has a few major mistakes. But since you only took it from other translations I guess you don't understand the old high german language at all?

I'll take a detailed look at it later, here 2 mistakes I found:

"Ik gihorta ðat seggen," -> "I heard it said, for it was surely told,"
Perhaps the translation has the right meaning in that way that "gihorta" might imply that it really was told, I don't know, but the old high german line only means "I heard it being said" or more wordly "I heard the saying".

"untar heriun tuem" -> "the warriors twain"
I remember that we translated that as something like "between their armies" or "between two armies". "heriun" surely means "armies" or "large groups of people".

TrampGuyTrampGuy
   Sat, 02/06/2012 - 16:40

Thanks for your comment.

No, I don't understand Old High German, maybe just a word here and there.

I fixed the first thing you mentioned.
As for the second, I did write 'between two armies' a line above where it appears on the original text. The reason being, that you can't really translate this text literally (1-to-1) as it won't be very comprehensible. So take it into account when checking the entire translation.

I'll be glad to fix it and make it as good as possible, so thanks for helping out.

ScieraSciera    Mon, 19/03/2018 - 13:59

The lyrics page of the Hildebrandslied was split into 2 because one band who covered it had split it like that. I've now merged the entries and reformatted them. I would add the rest of the English translation, but it's not on the source page (nor on the page as is looked 2012: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hildebrandslied&oldid=483882740)

I've also reformatted the translation here.

What would you suggest to be done? Just adding the rest from another translation because, as you wrote, it's already a patchwork from several translations?

TrampGuyTrampGuy
   Sat, 24/03/2018 - 09:44

I don't think adding the entire text is the right move here. This entry should (or at least was intended, by me) to represent this specific performance's lyrics and not the entire Hildebrandslied. The fact that the lyrics used by the band are part of the Hildebrandslied should not concern those interested in this performance, by this band and it definitely shouldn't hurt them trying to follow the lyrics.
What I would suggest is adding a reference to the full text in the song/translation comment (which I already think I did) and maybe open a new entry for the entire Hildebrandslied text under a full performance or with no specific performance attached.

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