Ebook: The Nibelungenlied: The Lay of the Nibelungs

When the upcoming publication of this new translation was announced, I wondered how it would compare with Hatto's translation from the 1960s. The short answer is: it is more literal, keeping closer to the sentence-for-sentence structure of the original Middle High German poem. This makes it seem perhaps a bit choppy or less polished than Hatto. That is not to say it is not as good, however; I like that it keeps very close to the original.

The introductory matter and appendices are relatively slight. The introduction briefly covers the basics, then has a couple of short sections on interesting tangents having to do with modern derivative works. In places, the introduction and appendices are a bit unclear.

The notes to specific words and lines are helpful and interesting. I would have preferred that they be presented as footnotes rather than end notes, but that is a minor quibble.

If you want to read the story, either this or Hatto's translation will serve you well. For more voluminous editorial material, get Hatto. For a more literal rendering, get this one.