Siegfried Poem by gershon hepner

Prevented by the laws engraved upon his spear
from interfering in the world’s affairs,
Wotan knows that Siegfried, lacking fear,
will fashion from his broken metalwares
a weapon that enables him to kill
the dragon who’s protecting the gold hoard
from which the Ring was made, and will
free fair Brünnhilde, lover’s great reward.
The source of his great power is the lack
of fear, less like a fighter than a dreamer,
for Wotan does not want to watch his back,
and murder is the leitmotif of Mime.

Siegfried, once he’s killed the dragon, drinks
the blood of Fafner, not the poisoned potion
that Mime offers him, and ends the jinx
that kept Brünnhilde hot in frozen motion,
guided by a song he understands
thanks to the blood he drank, and sings the idyll
that Wagner later placed into the hands
of Cosima, his German Christmas idol,
once he has found behind the flames Brünnhilde,
proverbial woman, as we know, of valor.
These flames the Heldentenor don’t bewilder,
and fair Brünnhilde says, “Farewell, Valhalla! ”

Later Siegfried will be killed by Hagen,
and Brünnhilde joins his funeral flames
with Grane, having thrown the rotten bargain,
the golden Ring, to the Rhinemaiden dames.

Inspired by a performance of Wagner’s Siegfried given by the LA Opera on October 7,2009. James Conlon conducted. Apart from a weak Siegfried (John Treleaven) all the cast were superb with Graham Clark a wonderful Mime, Vitalji Kowaljow an excellent Wotan and Linda Watson an outstanding Brünnhilde. Unfortunately the production, under the misguided direction of Achim Freyer, stank.

10/8/09