From my curse none shall escape!
[He vanishes quickly through the cleft. The thick mist in the foreground gradually clears away.
LOGE
Hadst thou ears
For his fond farewell?
WOTAN [Left in contemplation of the ring.
Grudge him not vent to his spleen!
[It keeps growing lighter.
LOGE [Looking to the right.
Fasolt and Fafner
Come from afar
Bringing Freia again.
[Through the vanishing mist Donner, Froh, and Fricka appear, and hasten towards the foreground.
FROH
The giants return.
DONNER
Be greeted, brother!
FRICKA [Anxiously to Wotan.
Dost bring joyful tidings?
LOGE [Pointing to the hoard.
By fraud and by force
We have prevailed:
There Freia's ransom lies.
DONNER
From the giant's grasp
Freed comes the fair one.
FROH
How sweetly the air
Fans us again!
Balmy delights
Steal soft through each sense!
Sad, forlorn had our lot been,
For ever severed from her
Who gives us youth everlasting,
And bliss triumphant o'er pain.
[Fasolt and Fafner enter, leading Freia between them. Fricka hastens joyfully towards her sister. The foreground has become quite bright again, the light restoring to the aspect of the Gods its original freshnesh. The background, however, is still veiled by the mist so that the distant castle remains invisible.
FRICKA
Sweetest of sisters!
Lovely delight!
Once more for mine have I won thee!
FASOLT [Keeping her off
Hold! Touch her not yet!
Freia still is ours.
On Riesenheim's
Rampart of rock
Resting we stayed.
The pledge we held
In our hands we used
Loyally.
With deep regret,
I bring her back now
In case ye brothers
Can ransom her.
WOTAN
Prepared lies the ransom;
Mete out the gold,
Giving generous measure.
FASOLT
In truth it grieves me
Greatly the woman to lose;
And that my heart may forget her
Ye must heap the hoard,
Pile it so high
That it shall hide
The blossom-sweet maid from mine eyes!
WOTAN
Be Freia's form
The gauge of the gold.
[Freia is placed in the middle by the two giants, who then stick their staves into the ground in front of her so that her height and breadth is indicated.