The Best Translation of The Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied was written in Middle High German. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
A.T. Hatto
Penguin Classics · 2004 · 403 pages
Hatto's prose has been the Penguin since 1965. Dignified and formal, which fits the courtly half and slightly tames the bloodbath half. The introduction is genuinely useful on Burgundian history.
Every recommended edition, compared
Edwards reads faster than Hatto and lets the violence land harder. His notes on the historical Burgundians and the poem's nasty turn into vengeance are sharper too. Oxford World's Classics, 2010.
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Reading The Nibelungenlied in translation
The Nibelungenlied was written in Middle High German, so unless you read Middle High German, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.