MIME,howling."Ohé! Ohé!Oh! Oh!"
MIME,howling."Ohé! Ohé!Oh! Oh!"
ALBERICHWhat is there to finish?MIME[Embarrassed.Here—and there——ALBERICHHow here and there?Hand me the thing!
[He tries to catch hold of his ear again. In his terror Mime drops a piece of metal-work which he has been clutching convulsively. Alberich picks it up hastily and examines it with care.
[He tries to catch hold of his ear again. In his terror Mime drops a piece of metal-work which he has been clutching convulsively. Alberich picks it up hastily and examines it with care.
Rogue, observe!See how all wrought isWell finished and feat,Done as desired!The simpleton wantsSlyly to trick meAnd keep by cunningThe wonderful work,Though all his skillCame alone from my craft.Thou art discovered, thief.
[He puts the Tarnhelm on his head.
[He puts the Tarnhelm on his head.
The helmet fits the head;But will the spell prosper too?
[Very softly.
[Very softly.
"Night and darkness,Seen of none!"
[He vanishes, and a pillar of cloud takes his place.
[He vanishes, and a pillar of cloud takes his place.
Brother, canst see me?MIME[Looks round in amaze.Where art thou? I see no one.ALBERICH[Invisible.Then feel me instead,Thou lazy scamp!Take that for thy thievish thoughts!MIME
[Writhes under the lathes he receives, the sound of which is heard without the whip being seen.
[Writhes under the lathes he receives, the sound of which is heard without the whip being seen.
Ohé! Ohé!Oh! Oh! Oh!
ALBERICH[Invisible and laughing.Ha! ha! ha!Ha! ha! ha!I thank thee, blockhead;Thy work has stood the test.Hoho! Hoho!Nibelungs allBow now to Alberich!For he is everywhere,Waiting and watching;Peace and restAre past for ever;Ye must all serve him,Though see him can none;Where he cannot be spiedLook out for his coming;None shall escape from his thraldom!
[Harshly.
[Harshly.
Hoho! hoho!Hearken, he nears:The Nibelung's lord!
[The pillar of cloud disappears in the background. Alberich's scolding voice is heard more and more faintly. Mime lies huddled up in pain. Wotan and Loge come down through a cleft in the rock.
[The pillar of cloud disappears in the background. Alberich's scolding voice is heard more and more faintly. Mime lies huddled up in pain. Wotan and Loge come down through a cleft in the rock.
LOGENibelheim here.Through pale mists gleaming,How bright yonder fiery sparks glimmer!MIMEOh! Oh! Oh!WOTANI hear loud groans.Who lies on the ground?
Mime writhes under the lashes he receives.
Mime writhes under the lashes he receives.
LOGE[Bends over Mime.Why all this whimpering noise?MIMEOhé! Ohé!Oh! Oh!LOGEHei, Mime! Merry dwarf!Who beats and bullies thee so?MIMELeave me in peace, pray.LOGESo much is certain,And more still. Hark!Help I promise thee, Mime!
[He raises him with difficulty.
[He raises him with difficulty.
MIMEWhat help for me?To do his biddingMy brother can force me,For I am bound as his slave.LOGEBut, Mime, how has heThus made thee his thrall?MIMEBy evil artsFashioned AlberichA yellow ring,From the Rhinegold forged,At whose mighty magicTrembling we marvel;This spell puts in his powerThe Nibelung hosts of night.Happy we smithsMoulded and hammered,Making our womenTrinkets to wear—Exquisite Nibelung toys—And lightly laughed at our toil.The rogue now compels usTo creep into caverns,For him aloneTo labour unthanked.Through the golden ringHis greed can divineWhere untouched treasureIn hidden gorge gleams.We still must keep spying,Peering and delving:Must melt the booty,Which, molten, we forgeWithout pause or peace,To heap up higher his hoard.LOGEJust now, then, an idlerRoused him to wrath?MIMEPoor Mime, ah!My lot was the hardest.I had to work,Forging a helmet,With strict instructionsHow to contrive it;And well I markedThe wondrous mightBestowed by the helmThat from steel I wrought.Hence I had gladlyHeld it as mine,And, by its virtueRisen at last in revolt:Perchance, yes, perchanceThe master himself I had mastered,And, he in my power, had wrestedThe ring from him and used itThat he might serve me, the free man,
[Harshly
[Harshly
As now I must serve him, a slave!LOGEAnd wherefore, wise one,Sped not the plan?MIMEAh! though the helm I fashioned,The magic that lurks thereinI foolishly failed to divine.He who set the taskAnd seized the fruits—From him I have learnt,Alas I but too late!All the helmet's cunning craft.From my sight he vanished,But, viciously lashing,Swung his arm through unseen.
[Howling and sobbing.
[Howling and sobbing.
This, fool that I am,Was all my thanks!
[He rubs his back. Wotan and Loge laugh.
[He rubs his back. Wotan and Loge laugh.
LOGE[To Wotan.Confess, our taskWill call for skill.WOTANYet the foe will yield,Use thou but fraud.MIME[Observes the Gods more attentively.Who are you, ye strangersThat ask all these questions?LOGEFriends to thee,Who from their straitsWill free all the Nibelung folk.MIME[Shrinking back in fear when he hears Alberich returning.Hark! Have a care!Alberich comes!
[He runs to and fro in terror.
[He runs to and fro in terror.
WOTANWe'll wait for him here.
[He sits down calmly on a stone. Alberich, who has taken the Tarnhelm from his head and hung it on his girdle, is brandishing his scourge and driving before him a band of Nibelungs from the gorges below. These are laden with gold and silver treasure, which, urged on by Alberich, they pile up so as to form a large heap.
[He sits down calmly on a stone. Alberich, who has taken the Tarnhelm from his head and hung it on his girdle, is brandishing his scourge and driving before him a band of Nibelungs from the gorges below. These are laden with gold and silver treasure, which, urged on by Alberich, they pile up so as to form a large heap.
ALBERICHHither! Thither!Héhé! Hoho!Lazy herd!Haste and heapHigher the hoard.Up with thee there!On with thee here!Indolent dolts,Down with the treasure!Need ye my urging?Here with it all!
[He suddenly perceives Wotan and Loge.
[He suddenly perceives Wotan and Loge.
Hey! Who are theyThat thus intrude?Mime! Come here!Rascally rogue!Gossiping artWith the pilgriming pair?Off, thou idler!Back to thy bellows and beating!
[Lashing Mime, he chases him into the crowd of Nibelungs.
[Lashing Mime, he chases him into the crowd of Nibelungs.
Hey! to your labour!Get ye all hence now!Swing ye down swift!From the virgin gorgesGet me the gold!This whip will follow,Delve ye not fast!That labour ye shirk notMime be surety,Or surely the lashOf my whip will find him;That where no one would guessI watch and I wander,None knows it better than he.Loitering still?Lingering there?
Alberich drives in a band of Nibelungs laden with gold and silver treasure.
Alberich drives in a band of Nibelungs laden with gold and silver treasure.
[He pulls the ring from his finger, kisses it and stretches it out in menace.
[He pulls the ring from his finger, kisses it and stretches it out in menace.
Fear ye and tremble,O fallen host,And obeyThe ring's dread lord!
[Howling and shrieking, the Nibelungs, among them Mime, scatter, and creep down into the clefts in all directions.
[Howling and shrieking, the Nibelungs, among them Mime, scatter, and creep down into the clefts in all directions.
ALBERICH
[Looks long and distrustfully at Wotan and Loge.
[Looks long and distrustfully at Wotan and Loge.
What seek ye here?WOTANFrom Nibelheim's gloomy realmStrange tidings have travelled up,Tales of wondersWorked here by Alberich;And, greedy of marvels,Hither came we as guests.ALBERICHBy envy urged,Hither ye hie.Such doughty guestsI do not mistake.LOGESince I am known,Ignorant elf,Say then, with growlingWhom dost thou greet?In caverns coldWhere once thou didst crouch,Who gave thee lightAnd fire for thy comfort,Had Loge not smiled on thee?Or what hadst thou fashionedHad not I heated thy forge?I am thy kinsmanAnd once was kind:Lukewarm, methinks, are thy thanks!ALBERICHOn light-born elvesLaughs now Loge,The crafty rogue:Art thou, false one, their friendAs my friend thou wert once,Haha! I laugh!No harm from such need I fear.LOGENo cause then for thy distrust.ALBERICHI can trust thy falsehood,Not thy good faith!
[Taking up a defiant attitude.
[Taking up a defiant attitude.
Yet I dare you all unflinching.LOGE'Tis thy mightThat makes thee so bold;Grimly greatGroweth thy power.ALBERICHSeest thou the hoardYonder heapedHigh by my host?LOGEA richer one never was seen.ALBERICHA wretched pileIs this to-day, though.Boldly mounting,'Twill be bigger henceforward.WOTANBut what is gained by the hoardIn joyless Nibelheim,Where wealth finds nothing to buy?ALBERICHTreasure to gatherAnd treasure to garner—Thereto Nibelheim serves.But with the hoardIn the caverns upheapedWonders all wonder surpassingWill I performAnd win the whole world and its fairness.WOTANBut, my friend, how compass that goal?ALBERICHYe who live above and breatheThe balmy, sweet airs,Love and laugh:A hand of goldEre long, O ye Gods, will have gripped you!As I forswore love, even soNo one aliveBut shall forswear it;By golden songs wooed,For gold alone will his greed be.On hills of delightYour home is, where gladnessSoftly lulls;The dark elvesYe despise, O deathless carousers!Beware!Beware!For first your menShall bow to my might;Then your women fairWho my wooing spurnedThe dwarf will force to his will,Though frowned on by love.
[Laughing savagely.
[Laughing savagely.
Ha! ha! ha! ha!Mark ye my word?Beware!Beware of the hosts of the night,When rise shall the Nibelung hoardFrom silent depths to the day!WOTAN[Furiously.Avaunt, impious fool!ALBERICHWhat says he?LOGE[Stepping between them.Cease from thy folly!
[To Alberich.
[To Alberich.
Who would gaze not in wonder,Beholding Alberich's work?If only thy skill can achieveEverything hope has promised,Almighty I needs must acclaim thee!For moon and starsAnd the sun in his glory,Forced to do thee obeisance,Even they must bow down.But what would seem of most momentIs that they who serve thee,The Nibelung hosts,Bow and bear no hate.When thy hand held forth a ringThy folk were stricken with fear.But in thy sleepA thief might slip upAnd steal slyly the ring.Say, how wouldst thou save thyself then?ALBERICHMost shrewd to himself seems Loge;Others alwaysFigure as fools.If I had to ask forAdvice or aidOn bitter terms,How happy the thief would be!This helmet that hidesI schemed for myself,And chose for its smithMime, finest of forgers.I am now ableSwift to assumeAny form that I fancy,Through the helm.No one sees me,Search as he will;Though everywhere hidden,I always am there.So, fearing nothing,Even from thee I am safe,Most kind, careful of friends!LOGEI have metFull many a marvel,But one so wondrousHave never known.Achievement so matchlessScarce can I credit.Were this possible, trulyThy might indeed were eternal.ALBERICHDost thou believeI lie, as would Loge?LOGETill it is provedI must suspect thy word.ALBERICHPuffed up with wisdom,The fool will explode soon:Of envy then die!Decide to what I shall change;In that form I shall stand.LOGENay, choose for thyself,But strike me dumb with amaze.ALBERICH[Puts the Tarnhelm on his head."Dragon dread,Wreathe thou and wriggle!"
[He immediately disappears. An enormous serpent writhes on the floor in his place. It rears and threatens Wotan and Loge with its open jaws.
[He immediately disappears. An enormous serpent writhes on the floor in his place. It rears and threatens Wotan and Loge with its open jaws.
LOGE[Pretends to be terrified.Ohé!ALBERICH[Laughing.Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!LOGEOhé! Ohé!Horrible dragon,O swallow me not!Spare the life of poor Loge!WOTANGood, Alberich!Well done, rascal!How swiftly grewThe dwarf to the dragon immense!
[The dragon disappears and, in its stead, Alberich is again seen in his own shape.
[The dragon disappears and, in its stead, Alberich is again seen in his own shape.
ALBERICHHe he! Ye scoffers,Are ye convinced?
"Ohé! Ohé!Horrible dragon,O swallow me not!Spare the life of poor Loge!"
"Ohé! Ohé!Horrible dragon,O swallow me not!Spare the life of poor Loge!"
LOGE[In a trembling voice.My trembling tells thee how truly.A giant snakeThou wert in a trice.Having beheld,I just credit the wonder.Couldest thou turnTo something quite tinyAs well as bigger?Methinks that way were bestFor slyly slipping from foes;That, though, I fear were too hard!ALBERICHFor thee, yes;Thou art so dull!How small shall I be?LOGEThe most cramped of crannies must hold theeThat hides the timorous toad.ALBERICHNothing simpler!Look at me now!
[He puts the Tarnhelm on his head again.
[He puts the Tarnhelm on his head again.
"Crooked toad,Creep and crawl there!"
[He vanishes. The Gods see a toad on the rocks creeping towards them.
[He vanishes. The Gods see a toad on the rocks creeping towards them.
LOGE[To Wotan.Quick and catch it!Capture the toad!
[Wotan sets his foot on the toad. Loge makes a dash at its head and holds the Tarnhelm in his hand.
[Wotan sets his foot on the toad. Loge makes a dash at its head and holds the Tarnhelm in his hand.
ALBERICH
[Is suddenly seen in his own shape writhing under Wotan's foot.
[Is suddenly seen in his own shape writhing under Wotan's foot.
Ohé! I'm caught!My curse upon them!LOGEHold him fastTill he is bound.
[Loge binds his hands and feet with a rope.
[Loge binds his hands and feet with a rope.
Now swiftly up!Then he is ours.
[Both seize hold of the prisoner, who struggles violently, and drag him towards the shaft by which they descended. They disappear mounting upwards.
[Both seize hold of the prisoner, who struggles violently, and drag him towards the shaft by which they descended. They disappear mounting upwards.
The scene has changed as before, only in reverse order. Open space on mountain heights. The prospect is veiled by pale mist as at the end of the second scene. Wotan and Loge climb up out of the cavern, bringing with them Alberich bound.
LOGEHere, kinsman,Thou canst sit down!Friend, look round thee;There lies the worldThat was thine for the winning, thou fool!What corner, say,Wilt give to me for my stall?
[He dances round Alberich, snapping his fingers.
[He dances round Alberich, snapping his fingers.
ALBERICHInfamous robber!Thou knave! Thou rogue!Loosen the rope,Set me at large,Or dear for this outrage shalt answer!WOTANMy captive art thou,Caught and in fetters.As thou hadst fainSubdued the worldAnd all that the world containeth,Thou liest bound at my feet,And, coward, canst not deny it.A ransom aloneShall loose thee from bondage.ALBERICHAh, the dolt,The dreamer I was,To trust blindlyThe treacherous thief!Fearful revengeShall follow this wrong!LOGEVain talk this of vengeanceBefore thy freedom is won.To a man in bondsNo free man expiates outrage.If vengeance thou dreamest,Dream of the ransomFirst without further delay!
[He shows him the kind of ransom by snapping his fingers.
[He shows him the kind of ransom by snapping his fingers.
ALBERICHDeclare then your demands.WOTANThe hoard and thy gleaming gold.ALBERICHPack of unscrupulous thieves!
[Aside.
[Aside.
If I only can keep the ring,The hoard I can lightly let go,For anew I could win itAnd add to its worthBy the powerful spell of the ring.If as warning it servesTo make me more wise,The warning will not have been lost,Even though lost may be the gold.WOTANWilt yield up the hoard?ALBERICHLoosen my handTo summon it here.
[Loge frees his right hand.
[Loge frees his right hand.
ALBERICH
[Touches the ring with his lips and secretly murmurs the command.
[Touches the ring with his lips and secretly murmurs the command.
Behold the NibelungsHither are called;I can hear them coming,Bid by their lord,With the hoard from the depths to the day.Now loosen these burdensome bonds.WOTANNay, first in full thou must pay.
[The Nibelungs come up out of the cleft laden with the objects of which the hoard is composed.
[The Nibelungs come up out of the cleft laden with the objects of which the hoard is composed.
ALBERICHO bitter disgraceThat my shrinking bondsmenShould see me captive and bound!
[To the Nibelungs.
[To the Nibelungs.
Lay it down there,As ye are bid!In a heapPile up the hoard.Must I aid, idlers?No spying at me!Haste there! Haste!Then get ye gone quickly.Hence to your work.Home to your gorges!Let the sluggards beware,For I follow hard at your heels!
[He kisses the ring and holds it out with an air of command. As struck with a blow, the Nibelungs press terrified and cowering towards the cleft, down which they hastily disappear.
[He kisses the ring and holds it out with an air of command. As struck with a blow, the Nibelungs press terrified and cowering towards the cleft, down which they hastily disappear.
ALBERICHThe price is paid;Let me depart!And that helm of mineWhich Loge still holds,That also pray give me again!LOGE
[Throwing the Tarnhelm on to the heap.
[Throwing the Tarnhelm on to the heap.
The plunder must pay for the pardon.ALBERICHAccursed thief!But patience! Calm!He who moulded the oneMakes me another;Still mine is the mightThat Mime obeys.Loath indeedAm I to leaveMy cunning defence to the foe!Nothing AlberichOwns at all now;Unbind, ye tyrants, his bonds!LOGE[To Wotan.Ought I to free him?Art thou content?WOTANA golden ringGirdles thy finger:Hearest, elf?That also belongs to the hoard.ALBERICH[Horrified.The ring?WOTANThe ring must alsoGo to the ransom.ALBERICH[Trembling.My life—but the ring: not that!WOTAN[With greater violence.The ring I covet;For thy life I care not at all.ALBERICHBut if my life I ransomThe ring I must also rescueHand and head,Eye and earAre not mine more trulyThan mine is the ruddy ring!WOTANThe ring thou claimest as thine?Impudent elf, thou art raving.Tell the truth;Whence was gotten the goldTo fashion the glittering gaud?How could that beThine which reft was,Thou rogue, from watery deeps?To the Rhine's fair daughtersDown and inquireIf the goldWas as gift to thee givenThat thou didst thieve for the ring!ALBERICHVile double-dealing!Shameless deceit!Wouldst thou, robber,Reproach in meThe sin so sweet to thyself?How fain thou hadstBereft the Rhine of its gold,If it had beenAs easy to forge as to steal!How well for thee,Thou unctuous knave,That the Nibelung, stungBy shameful defeat,And by fury driven,Was fired into winning the spellThat now alluringly smiles!Shall I, bliss debarred,Anguish-burdenedBecause of theCurse-laden deed,My ring as a toyGrant to princes for pleasure,My ban bringing blessing to thee?Have a care,Arrogant God!My sin was oneConcerning myself alone:But against all that was,Is and shall beThou wouldst wantonly sin,Eternal one, taking the ring.WOTANYield the ring!Thy foolish talkGives no title to that.
[He seizes Alberich and draws the ring from his finger by force.
[He seizes Alberich and draws the ring from his finger by force.
ALBERICH[With a frightful cry.Woe! Defeated! Undone!Of wretches the wretchedest slave!WOTAN[Contemplating the ring.I own what makes me supreme,The mightiest lord of all lords!
[He puts on the ring.
[He puts on the ring.
LOGE[To Wotan.Shall he go free?WOTANLoose his bonds.LOGE[Sets Alberich quite free.Slip away home,For no fetter binds thee!Fare forth, thou art free!ALBERICH[Raising himself with furious laughter.Am I now free,Free in truth?My freedom's firstGreeting take, for it is thine!As a curse gave me the ring,My curse go with the ring!As its goldGave measureless might,May now its magicDeal death evermore!No man shall gainGladness therefrom;May ill-fortune befall himOn whom it shines.Fretted by careBe he who shall hold it,And he who doth not,By envy be gnawed!All shall covetAnd crave its wealth,Yet none shall it profitOr pay when won.Those who guard it nothing shall gain,Yet shall murder go where they go.The coward, death-doomed,By fetters of fear shall be bound;His whole life longHe shall languish to death—The ring's proud lordAnd its poorest slave—Till again I haveIn my hand the gold I was robbed of.So blessesThe NibelungThe ring in bitter despair!Hold fast to it!
[Laughing.
[Laughing.
Keep it with care;
[Grimly.
[Grimly.
From my curse none shall escape!
[He vanishes quickly through the cleft. The thick mist in the foreground gradually clears away.
[He vanishes quickly through the cleft. The thick mist in the foreground gradually clears away.
LOGEHadst thou earsFor his fond farewell?WOTAN[Left in contemplation of the ring.Grudge him not vent to his spleen!
[It keeps growing lighter.
[It keeps growing lighter.
LOGE[Looking to the right.Fasolt and FafnerCome from afarBringing Freia again.
[Through the vanishing mist Donner, Froh, and Fricka appear, and hasten towards the foreground.
[Through the vanishing mist Donner, Froh, and Fricka appear, and hasten towards the foreground.
FROHThe giants return.DONNERBe greeted, brother!FRICKA[Anxiously to Wotan.Dost bring joyful tidings?LOGE[Pointing to the hoard.By fraud and by forceWe have prevailed:There Freia's ransom lies.DONNERFrom the giant's graspFreed comes the fair one.FROHHow sweetly the airFans us again!Balmy delightsSteal soft through each sense!Sad, forlorn had our lot been,For ever severed from herWho 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.
[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.
FRICKASweetest of sisters!Lovely delight!Once more for mine have I won thee!FASOLT[Keeping her offHold! Touch her not yet!Freia still is ours.On Riesenheim'sRampart of rockResting we stayed.The pledge we heldIn our hands we usedLoyally.With deep regret,I bring her back nowIn case ye brothersCan ransom her.WOTANPrepared lies the ransom;Mete out the gold,Giving generous measure.FASOLTIn truth it grieves meGreatly the woman to lose;And that my heart may forget herYe must heap the hoard,Pile it so highThat it shall hideThe blossom-sweet maid from mine eyes!WOTANBe Freia's formThe 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.
[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.
FAFNEROur staves give the measureOf Freia's form;Thus high now heap ye the hoard.WOTANOn with the work:Irksome I find it!LOGEHelp me, Froh!FROHI will endFreia's dishonour.
[Loge and Froh heap up the treasure hastily between the staves.
[Loge and Froh heap up the treasure hastily between the staves.
FAFNERLet the pileLess loosely be built;Firm and closePack ye the gauge!
[He presses down the treasure with rude strength; he bends down to look for gaps.
[He presses down the treasure with rude strength; he bends down to look for gaps.
I still can see through;Come, fill up the crannies!LOGEHands off, rude fellow!Touch nothing here!FAFNERCome here! This gap must be closed!WOTAN[Turning away angrily.Deep in my breastBurns the disgrace!FRICKASee how in shameBeautiful Freia stands;For release she asks,Dumb, with sorrowful eyes.Heartless man!The lovely one owes this to thee!FAFNERStill more! Pile on still more.DONNERMy patience fails;Mad is the wrathRoused by this insolent rogue!Come hither, hound!Measure must thou?Thy strength then measure with mine!FAFNERSoftly, Donner!Roar where it serves;Thy roar is impotent here.DONNER[Lunging out at him.It will crush thee to thy cost, rogue.WOTANCalm thyself!Methinks that Freia is hid.LOGEThe hoard is spent.FAFNER
[Measures the hoard carefully with his eye, and looks to see if there are any crevices.
[Measures the hoard carefully with his eye, and looks to see if there are any crevices.
Still shines to me Holda's hair.Yonder thing, too,Throw on the hoard!LOGEEven the helm?FAFNERMake haste! Here with it!WOTANLet it go also!LOGE[Throws the Tarnhelm on the heap.At last we have finished.Have ye enough now?FASOLTFreia, the fair,Is hidden for aye!The price has been paid.Ah, have I lost her?
[He goes up to the hoard and peers through it.
[He goes up to the hoard and peers through it.
Sadly shineHer eyes on me still,Like stars they beamSoftly on me;Still through this chinkI look on their light.
[Beside himself.
[Beside himself.
While her sweet eyes I behold thus,From the woman how can I part?FAFNERHey! Come hither,And stop me this cranny!LOGEGreedy grumblers!Can ye not seeThe gold is all gone?FAFNERNot the whole, friend!On Wotan's fingerShines a golden ring still;Give that to close up the crevice!WOTANWhat! Give my ring?LOGEBe ye counselled!The Rhine-MaidensMust have the gold;Wotan will give them what theirs is.