Siegfried
then proceeds to business. He files the pieces to dust and melts them in
a melting-pot, singing a wild song as he fans the flames with a huge
bellows. Next he pours the melted steel into a mould and plunges it into
water to cool, heats it red-hot in the furnace, and lastly hammers it on
the anvil. When all is finished he brandishes the sword, and, to the
mingled terror and delight of Mime, with one mighty stroke cleaves the
anvil in twain.
The next act shows a glen in the gloomy forest close to Fafner's lair.
Alberich is watching in the darkness, in the vain hope of finding an
opportunity of recovering his lost treasure. Wotan appears, and taunts
him with his impotence, telling him meanwhile of Siegfried's speedy
arrival. Mime and Siegfried soon appear. The dwarf tries to excite the
feeling of fear in Siegfried's bosom by a blood-curdling description of
the terrible dragon, but finding it useless, leaves Siegfried at the
mouth of Fafner's cave and retires into the brake. Left alone, Siegfried
yields to the fascination of the summer woods. Round him, as he lies
beneath a giant linden-tree, the singing of birds and the murmur of the
forest blend in a mysterious symphony. His thoughts fly back to his dead
mother and his lonely childhood. But his reverie is interrupted by the
awakening of Fafner, who resents his intrusion. Siegfried boldly attacks
his terrible foe, and soon puts an end to him.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217