While her sweet eyes I behold thus,
From the woman how can I part?
FAFNER
Hey! Come hither,
And stop me this cranny!
LOGE
Greedy grumblers!
Can ye not see
The gold is all gone?
FAFNER
Not the whole, friend!
On Wotan's finger
Shines a golden ring still;
Give that to close up the crevice!
WOTAN
What! Give my ring?
LOGE
Be ye counselled!
The Rhine-Maidens
Must have the gold;
Wotan will give them what theirs is.
FAFNER.
"Hey! Come hither,
And stop me this cranny!"
WOTAN
What nonsense is this?
The ring I won so hardly,
Undismayed I hold and will keep.
LOGE
Broken then
Must be the promise
I gave the maidens who grieved.
WOTAN
By thy promise I am not bound;
As booty mine is the ring.
FAFNER
Not so. The ring
Must go with the ransom.
WOTAN
Boldly ask what ye will:
It shall be granted;
But not for all
The world would I give you the ring.
FASOLT [Furious, pulls Freia from behind the hoard.
All is off!
The bargain stands:
Fair Freia ours is for ever!
FREIA
Help me! Help me!
FRICKA
Heartless God,
Grant it! Give way!
FROH
Keep not the gold back!
DONNER
Give them the ring too!
WOTAN
Let me alone!
I hold to the ring.
[Fafner stops Fasolt as he is hastening off. All stand dismayed; Wotan turns from them in anger. The stage has grown dark again. From a cleft in the rock on one side issues a bluish flame in which Erda suddenly becomes visible, rising so that her upper half is seen.
ERDA [Stretching out a warning hand towards Wotan.
Yield it, Wotan! Yield it!
Flee the ring's dread curse!
Awful
And utter disaster
It will doom thee to.
WOTAN
What woman woe thus foretells?
ERDA
All things that were I know,
And things that are;
All things that shall be
I foresee.
The endless world's
Ur-Wala,
Erda, bids thee beware.
Ere the earth was,
Of my womb born
Were daughters three;
And my knowledge
Nightly the Norns tell to Wotan.
Now summoned by
Danger most dire,
I myself come.
Hearken! Hearken! Hearken!
All things will end shortly;
And for the Gods
Dark days are dawning!
Be counselled; keep not the ring!
[Erda sinks slowly as far as the breast, while the bluish light grows fainter.