BĒOWULF.
I. THE PASSING OF SCYLD.
Hwæt! wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon, hū þā æðelingas ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaðena þrēatum, 5 monegum mǣgðum meodo-setla oftēah. Egsode eorl, syððan ǣrest wearð fēa-sceaft funden: hē þæs frōfre gebād, wēox under wolcnum, weorð-myndum ðāh, oð þæt him ǣghwylc þāra ymb-sittendra 10 ofer hron-rāde hȳran scolde, gomban gyldan: þæt wæs gōd cyning! þǣm eafera wæs æfter cenned geong in geardum, þone god sende folce tō frōfre; fyren-þearfe ongeat, 15 þæt hīe ǣr drugon aldor-lēase lange hwīle. Him þæs līf-frēa, wuldres wealdend, worold-āre forgeaf; Bēowulf wæs brēme (blǣd wīde sprang), Scyldes eafera Scede-landum in. 20 Swā sceal geong guma, gōde gewyrcean, fromum feoh-giftum on fæder wine, þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen wil-gesīðas, þonne wīg cume, lēode gelǣsten: lof-dǣdum sceal 25 in mǣgða gehwǣre man geþēon. Him þā Scyld gewāt tō gescæp-hwīle fela-hrōr fēran on frēan wǣre; hī hyne þā ætbǣron tō brimes faroðe. swǣse gesīðas, swā hē selfa bæd, 30 þenden wordum wēold wine Scyldinga, lēof land-fruma lange āhte. Þǣr æt hȳðe stōd hringed-stefna, īsig and ūtfūs, æðelinges fær; ā-lēdon þā lēofne þēoden, 35 bēaga bryttan on bearm scipes, mǣrne be mæste. Þǣr wæs mādma fela, of feor-wegum frætwa gelǣded: ne hȳrde ic cȳmlīcor cēol gegyrwan hilde-wǣpnum and heaðo-wǣdum, 40 billum and byrnum; him on bearme læg mādma mænigo, þā him mid scoldon on flōdes ǣht feor gewītan. Nalas hī hine lǣssan lācum tēodan, þēod-gestrēonum, þonne þā dydon, 45 þē hine æt frumsceafte forð onsendon ǣnne ofer ȳðe umbor wesende: þā gȳt hīe him āsetton segen gyldenne hēah ofer hēafod, lēton holm beran, gēafon on gār-secg: him wæs geōmor sefa, 50 murnende mōd. Men ne cunnon secgan tō soðe sele-rǣdende, hæleð under heofenum, hwā þǣm hlæste onfēng.
II. THE HALL HEOROT.
Þā wæs on burgum Bēowulf Scyldinga, lēof lēod-cyning, longe þrāge 55 folcum gefrǣge (fæder ellor hwearf, aldor of earde), oð þæt him eft onwōc hēah Healfdene; hēold þenden lifde, gamol and gūð-rēow, glæde Scyldingas. Þǣm fēower bearn forð-gerīmed 60 in worold wōcun, weoroda rǣswan, Heorogār and Hrōðgār and Hālga til; hȳrde ic, þat Elan cwēn Ongenþēowes wæs Heaðoscilfinges heals-gebedde. Þā wæs Hrōðgāre here-spēd gyfen, 65 wīges weorð-mynd, þæt him his wine-māgas georne hȳrdon, oð þæt sēo geogoð gewēox, mago-driht micel. Him on mōd bearn, þæt heal-reced hātan wolde, medo-ærn micel men gewyrcean, 70 þone yldo bearn ǣfre gefrūnon, and þǣr on innan eall gedǣlan geongum and ealdum, swylc him god sealde, būton folc-scare and feorum gumena. Þā ic wīde gefrægn weorc gebannan 75 manigre mǣgðe geond þisne middan-geard, folc-stede frætwan. Him on fyrste gelomp ǣdre mid yldum, þæt hit wearð eal gearo, heal-ærna mǣst; scōp him Heort naman, sē þe his wordes geweald wīde hæfde. 80 Hē bēot ne ālēh, bēagas dǣlde, sinc æt symle. Sele hlīfade hēah and horn-gēap: heaðo-wylma bād, lāðan līges; ne wæs hit lenge þā gēn þæt se ecg-hete āðum-swerian 85 æfter wæl-nīðe wæcnan scolde. Þā se ellen-gǣst earfoðlīce þrāge geþolode, sē þe in þȳstrum bād, þæt hē dōgora gehwām drēam gehȳrde hlūdne in healle; þǣr wæs hearpan swēg, 90 swutol sang scopes. Sægde sē þe cūðe frum-sceaft fīra feorran reccan, cwæð þæt se ælmihtiga eorðan worhte, wlite-beorhtne wang, swā wæter bebūgeð, gesette sige-hrēðig sunnan and mōnan 95 lēoman tō lēohte land-būendum, and gefrætwade foldan scēatas leomum and lēafum; līf ēac gesceōp cynna gehwylcum, þāra þe cwice hwyrfað. Swā þā driht-guman drēamum lifdon 100 ēadiglīce, oð þæt ān ongan fyrene fremman, fēond on helle: wæs se grimma gæst Grendel hāten, mǣre mearc-stapa, sē þe mōras hēold, fen and fæsten; fīfel-cynnes eard 105 won-sǣlig wer weardode hwīle, siððan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde. In Caines cynne þone cwealm gewræc, ēce drihten, þæs þe hē Ābel slōg; ne gefeah hē þǣre fǣhðe, ac hē hine feor forwræc, 110 metod for þȳ māne man-cynne fram. Þanon untȳdras ealle onwōcon, eotenas and ylfe and orcnēas, swylce gīgantas, þā wið gode wunnon lange þrāge; hē him þæs lēan forgeald.
III. GRENDEL'S VISITS.
115 Gewāt þā nēosian, syððan niht becōm, hēan hūses, hū hit Hring-Dene æfter bēor-þege gebūn hæfdon. Fand þā þǣr inne æðelinga gedriht swefan æfter symble; sorge ne cūðon, 120 won-sceaft wera. Wiht unhǣlo grim and grǣdig gearo sōna wæs, rēoc and rēðe, and on ræste genam þrītig þegna: þanon eft gewāt hūðe hrēmig tō hām faran, 125 mid þǣre wæl-fylle wīca nēosan. Þā wæs on ūhtan mid ǣr-dæge Grendles gūð-cræft gumum undyrne: þā wæs æfter wiste wōp up āhafen, micel morgen-swēg. Mǣre þēoden, 130 æðeling ǣr-gōd, unblīðe sæt, þolode þrȳð-swȳð, þegn-sorge drēah, syððan hīe þæs lāðan lāst scēawedon, wergan gāstes; wæs þæt gewin tō strang, lāð and longsum. Næs hit lengra fyrst, 135 ac ymb āne niht eft gefremede morð-beala māre and nō mearn fore fǣhðe and fyrene; wæs tō fæst on þām. Þā wæs ēað-fynde, þē him elles hwǣr gerūmlīcor ræste sōhte, 140 bed æfter būrum, þā him gebēacnod wæs, gesægd sōðlīce sweotolan tācne heal-þegnes hete; hēold hine syððan fyr and fæstor, sē þǣm fēonde ætwand. Swā rīxode and wið rihte wan 145 āna wið eallum, oð þæt īdel stōd hūsa sēlest. Wæs sēo hwīl micel: twelf wintra tīd torn geþolode wine Scyldinga, wēana gehwelcne, sīdra sorga; forþām syððan wearð 150 ylda bearnum undyrne cūð, gyddum geōmore, þætte Grendel wan, hwīle wið Hrōðgār;-- hete-nīðas wæg, fyrene and fǣhðe fela missēra, singāle sæce, sibbe ne wolde 155 wið manna hwone mægenes Deniga feorh-bealo feorran, fēo þingian, nē þǣr nǣnig witena wēnan þorfte beorhtre bōte tō banan folmum; atol ǣglǣca ēhtende wæs, 160 deorc dēað-scūa duguðe and geogoðe seomade and syrede. Sin-nihte hēold mistige mōras; men ne cunnon, hwyder hel-rūnan hwyrftum scrīðað. Swā fela fyrena fēond man-cynnes, 165 atol ān-gengea, oft gefremede heardra hȳnða; Heorot eardode, sinc-fāge sel sweartum nihtum (nō hē þone gif-stōl grētan mōste, māððum for metode, nē his myne wisse); 170 þæt wæs wrǣc micel wine Scyldinga, mōdes brecða. Monig-oft gesæt rīce tō rūne; rǣd eahtedon, hwæt swīð-ferhðum sēlest wǣre wið fǣr-gryrum tō gefremmanne. 175 Hwīlum hīe gehēton æt hærg-trafum wīg-weorðunga, wordum bǣdon, þæt him gāst-bona gēoce gefremede wið þēod-þrēaum. Swylc wæs þēaw hyra, hǣðenra hyht; helle gemundon 180 in mōd-sefan, metod hīe ne cūðon, dǣda dēmend, ne wiston hīe drihten god, nē hīe hūru heofena helm herian ne cūðon, wuldres waldend. Wā bið þǣm þe sceal þurh slīðne nīð sāwle bescūfan 185 in fȳres fæðm, frōfre ne wēnan, wihte gewendan; wēl bið þǣm þe mōt æfter dēað-dæge drihten sēcean and tō fæder fæðmum freoðo wilnian.
IV. HYGELAC'S THANE.
Swā þā mǣl-ceare maga Healfdenes 190 singāla sēað; ne mihte snotor hæleð wēan onwendan: wæs þæt gewin tō swȳð, lāð and longsum, þē on þā lēode becōm, nȳd-wracu nīð-grim, niht-bealwa mǣst. Þæt fram hām gefrægn Higelāces þegn, 195 gōd mid Gēatum, Grendles dǣda: sē wæs mon-cynnes mægenes strengest on þǣm dæge þysses līfes, æðele and ēacen. Hēt him ȳð-lidan gōdne gegyrwan; cwæð hē gūð-cyning 200 ofer swan-rāde sēcean wolde, mǣrne þēoden, þā him wæs manna þearf. Þone sīð-fæt him snotere ceorlas lȳt-hwōn lōgon, þēah hē him lēof wǣre; hwetton higerōfne, hǣl scēawedon. 205 Hæfde se gōda Gēata lēoda cempan gecorone, þāra þe hē cēnoste findan mihte; fīftȳna sum sund-wudu sōhte; secg wīsade, lagu-cræftig mon, land-gemyrcu. 210 Fyrst forð gewāt: flota wæs on ȳðum, bāt under beorge. Beornas gearwe on stefn stigon; strēamas wundon sund wið sande; secgas bǣron on bearm nacan beorhte frætwe, 215 gūð-searo geatolīc; guman ūt scufon, weras on wil-sīð wudu bundenne. Gewāt þā ofer wǣg-holm winde gefȳsed flota fāmig-heals fugle gelīcost, oð þæt ymb ān-tīd ōðres dōgores 220 wunden-stefna gewaden hæfde, þæt þā līðende land gesāwon, brim-clifu blīcan, beorgas stēape, sīde sǣ-næssas: þā wæs sund liden, eoletes æt ende. Þanon up hraðe 225 Wedera lēode on wang stigon, sǣ-wudu sǣldon (syrcan hrysedon, gūð-gewǣdo); gode þancedon, þæs þe him ȳð-lāde ēaðe wurdon. Þā of wealle geseah weard Scildinga, 230 sē þe holm-clifu healdan scolde, beran ofer bolcan beorhte randas, fyrd-searu fūslīcu; hine fyrwyt bræc mōd-gehygdum, hwæt þā men wǣron. Gewāt him þā tō waroðe wicge rīdan 235 þegn Hrōðgāres, þrymmum cwehte mægen-wudu mundum, meðel-wordum frægn: "Hwæt syndon gē searo-hæbbendra "byrnum werede, þē þus brontne cēol "ofer lagu-strǣte lǣdan cwōmon, 240 "hider ofer holmas helmas bǣron? "Ic wæs ende-sǣta, ǣg-wearde hēold, "þæt on land Dena lāðra nǣnig "mid scip-herge sceððan ne meahte. "Nō hēr cūðlīcor cuman ongunnon 245 "lind-hæbbende; nē gē lēafnes-word "gūð-fremmendra gearwe ne wisson, "māga gemēdu. Nǣfre ic māran geseah "eorla ofer eorðan, þonne is ēower sum, "secg on searwum; nis þæt seld-guma 250 "wǣpnum geweorðad, næfne him his wlite lēoge, "ǣnlīc an-sȳn. Nū ic ēower sceal "frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan "lēase scēaweras on land Dena "furður fēran. Nū gē feor-būend, 255 "mere-līðende, mīnne gehȳrað "ān-fealdne geþōht: ofost is sēlest "tō gecȳðanne, hwanan ēowre cyme syndon."