V. THE ERRAND.
Him se yldesta andswarode, werodes wīsa, word-hord onlēac: 260 "Wē synt gum-cynnes Gēata lēode "and Higelāces heorð-genēatas. "Wæs mīn fæder folcum gecȳðed, "æðele ord-fruma Ecgþēow hāten; "gebād wintra worn, ǣr hē on weg hwurfe, 265 "gamol of geardum; hine gearwe geman "witena wēl-hwylc wīde geond eorðan.- "Wē þurh holdne hige hlāford þinne, "sunu Healfdenes, sēcean cwōmon, "lēod-gebyrgean: wes þū ūs lārena gōd! 270 "Habbað wē tō þǣm mǣran micel ǣrende "Deniga frēan; ne sceal þǣr dyrne sum "wesan, þæs ic wēne. Þū wāst, gif hit is, "swā wē sōðlice secgan hȳrdon, "þæt mid Scyldingum sceaða ic nāt hwylc, 275 "dēogol dǣd-hata, deorcum nihtum "ēaweð þurh egsan uncūðne nīð, "hȳnðu and hrā-fyl. Ic þæs Hrōðgār mæg "þurh rūmne sefan rǣd gelǣran, "hū hē frōd and gōd fēond oferswȳðeð, 280 "gyf him ed-wendan ǣfre scolde "bealuwa bisigu, bōt eft cuman "and þā cear-wylmas cōlran wurðað; "oððe ā syððan earfoð-þrāge, "þrēa-nȳd þolað, þenden þǣr wunað 285 "on hēah-stede hūsa sēlest." Weard maðelode, þǣr on wicge sæt ombeht unforht: "Ǣghwæðres sceal "scearp scyld-wiga gescād witan, "worda and worca, sē þe wēl þenceð. 290 "Ic þæt gehȳre, þæt þis is hold weorod "frēan Scyldinga. Gewītað forð beran "wǣpen and gewǣdu, ic ēow wīsige: "swylce ic magu-þegnas mīne hāte "wið fēonda gehwone flotan ēowerne, 295 "nīw-tyrwedne nacan on sande "ārum healdan, oð þæt eft byreð "ofer lagu-strēamas lēofne mannan "wudu wunden-hals tō Weder-mearce. "Gūð-fremmendra swylcum gifeðe bið, 300 "þæt þone hilde-rǣs hāl gedīgeð." Gewiton him þā fēran (flota stille bād, seomode on sāle sīd-fæðmed scyp, on ancre fæst); eofor-līc scionon ofer hlēor-beran gehroden golde 305 fāh and fȳr-heard, ferh wearde hēold. Gūðmōde grummon, guman ōnetton, sigon ætsomne, oð þæt hȳ sæl timbred geatolīc and gold-fāh ongytan mihton; þæt wæs fore-mǣrost fold-būendum 310 receda under roderum, on þǣm se rīca bād; līxte se lēoma ofer landa fela. Him þā hilde-dēor hof mōdigra torht getǣhte, þæt hīe him tō mihton gegnum gangan; gūð-beorna sum 315 wicg gewende, word æfter cwæð: "Mǣl is mē tō fēran; fæder alwalda "mid ār-stafum ēowic gehealde "sīða gesunde! ic tō sǣ wille, "wið wrāð werod wearde healdan."
VI. BĒOWULF'S SPEECH.
320 Strǣt wæs stān-fāh, stīg wīsode gumum ætgædere. Gūð-byrne scān heard hond-locen, hring-īren scīr song in searwum, þā hīe tō sele furðum in hyra gryre-geatwum gangan cwōmon. 325 Setton sǣ-mēðe sīde scyldas, rondas regn-hearde wið þæs recedes weal, bugon þā tō bence; byrnan hringdon, gūð-searo gumena; gāras stōdon, sǣ-manna searo, samod ætgædere, 330 æsc-holt ufan grǣg: wæs se īren-þrēat wǣpnum gewurðad. Þā þǣr wlonc hæleð ōret-mecgas æfter æðelum frægn: "Hwanon ferigeað gē fǣtte scyldas, "grǣge syrcan and grīm-helmas, 335 "here-sceafta hēap?-- Ic eom Hrōðgāres "ār and ombiht. Ne seah ic el-þēodige "þus manige men mōdiglīcran. "Wēn' ic þæt gē for wlenco, nalles for wræc-sīðum, "ac for hige-þrymmum Hrōðgār sōhton." 340 Him þā ellen-rōf andswarode, wlanc Wedera lēod word æfter spræc, heard under helme: "Wē synt Higelāces "bēod-genēatas; Bēowulf is mīn nama. "Wille ic āsecgan suna Healfdenes, 345 "mǣrum þēodne mīn ǣrende, "aldre þīnum, gif hē ūs geunnan wile, "þæt wē hine swā gōdne grētan mōton." Wulfgār maðelode (þæt wæs Wendla lēod, wæs his mōd-sefa manegum gecȳðed, 350 wīg and wīs-dōm): "ic þæs wine Deniga, "frēan Scildinga frīnan wille, "bēaga bryttan, swā þū bēna eart, "þēoden mǣrne ymb þīnne sīð ; "and þē þā andsware ǣdre gecȳðan, 355 "þē mē se gōda āgifan þenceð." Hwearf þā hrædlīce, þǣr Hrōðgār sæt, eald and unhār mid his eorla gedriht; ēode ellen-rōf, þæt hē for eaxlum gestōd Deniga frēan, cūðe hē duguðe þēaw. 360 Wulfgār maðelode tō his wine-drihtne: "Hēr syndon geferede feorran cumene "ofer geofenes begang Gēata lēode: "þone yldestan ōret-mecgas "Bēowulf nemnað. Hȳ bēnan synt, 365 "þæt hīe, þēoden mīn, wið þē mōton "wordum wrixlan; nō þū him wearne getēoh, "þīnra gegn-cwida glædnian, Hrōðgār! "Hȳ on wīg-geatwum wyrðe þinceað "eorla geæhtlan; hūru se aldor dēah, 370 "sē þǣm heaðo-rincum hider wīsade."
VII. HROTHGAR'S WELCOME.
Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scyldinga: "Ic hine cūðe cniht-wesende. "Wæs his eald-fæder Ecgþēo hāten, "þǣm tō hām forgeaf Hrēðel Gēata 375 "āngan dōhtor; is his eafora nū "heard hēr cumen, sōhte holdne wine. "þonne sægdon þæt sǣ-līðende, "þā þe gif-sceattas Gēata fyredon "þyder tō þance, þæt hē þrīttiges 380 "manna mægen-cræft on his mund-grīpe "heaðo-rōf hæbbe. Hine hālig god "for ār-stafum us onsende, "tō West-Denum, þæs ic wēn hæbbe, "wið Grendles gryre: ic þǣm gōdan sceal 385 "for his mōd-þræce mādmas bēodan. "Bēo þū on ofeste, hāt hig in gān, "sēon sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere; "gesaga him ēac wordum, þæt hīe sint wil-cuman "Deniga lēodum." Þā wið duru healle 390 Wulfgār ēode, word inne ābēad: "Ēow hēt secgan sige-drihten mīn, "aldor Ēast-Dena, þæt hē ēower æðelu can "and gē him syndon ofer sǣ-wylmas, "heard-hicgende, hider wil-cuman. 395 "Nū gē mōton gangan in ēowrum guð-geatawum, "under here-grīman, Hrōðgār gesēon; "lǣtað hilde-bord hēr onbidian, "wudu wæl-sceaftas, worda geþinges." Ārās þā se rīca, ymb hine rinc manig, 400 þrȳðlīc þegna hēap; sume þǣr bidon, heaðo-rēaf hēoldon, swā him se hearda bebēad. Snyredon ætsomne, þā secg wīsode under Heorotes hrōf; hyge-rōf ēode, heard under helme, þæt hē on heoðe gestōd. 405 Bēowulf maðelode (on him byrne scān, searo-net sēowed smiðes or-þancum): "Wes þū Hrōðgār hāl! ic eom Higelāces "mǣg and mago-þegn; hæbbe ic mǣrða fela "ongunnen on geogoðe. Mē wearð Grendles þing 410 "on mīnre ēðel-tyrf undyrne cūð: "secgað sǣ-līðend, þæt þes sele stande, "reced sēlesta, rinca gehwylcum "īdel and unnyt, siððan ǣfen-lēoht "under heofenes hādor beholen weorðeð. 415 "Þā mē þæt gelǣrdon lēode mīne, "þā sēlestan, snotere ceorlas, "þēoden Hrōðgār, þæt ic þē sōhte; "forþan hīe mægenes cræft mīnne cūðon: "selfe ofersāwon, þā ic of searwum cwōm, 420 "fāh from fēondum, þǣr ic fīfe geband, "ȳðde eotena cyn, and on ȳðum slōg "niceras nihtes, nearo-þearfe drēah, "wræc Wedera nīð (wēan āhsodon) "forgrand gramum; and nū wið Grendel sceal, 425 "wið þām āglǣcan, āna gehegan "þing wið þyrse. Ic þē nū þā, "brego Beorht-Dena, biddan wille, "eodor Scyldinga, ānre bēne; "þæt þū mē ne forwyrne, wīgendra hlēo, 430 "frēo-wine folca, nū ic þus feorran cōm, "þæt ic mōte āna and mīnra eorla gedryht, "þes hearda hēap, Heorot fǣlsian. "Hæbbe ic ēac geāhsod, þæt se ǣglǣca "for his won-hȳdum wǣpna ne rēceð; 435 "ic þæt þonne forhicge, swā mē Higelāc sīe, "mīn mon-drihten, mōdes blīðe, "þæt ic sweord bere oððe sīdne scyld "geolo-rand tō gūðe; ac ic mid grāpe sceal "fōn wið fēonde and ymb feorh sacan, 440 "lāð wið lāðum; þǣr gelȳfan sceal "dryhtnes dōme sē þe hine dēað nimeð. "Wēn' ic þæt hē wille, gif hē wealdan mōt, "in þǣm gūð-sele Gēatena lēode "etan unforhte, swā hē oft dyde 445 "mægen Hrēðmanna. Nā þū mīnne þearft "hafalan hȳdan, ac hē mē habban wile "drēore fāhne, gif mec dēað nimeð; "byreð blōdig wæl, byrgean þenceð, "eteð ān-genga unmurnlīce, 450 "mearcað mōr-hopu: nō þū ymb mīnes ne þearft "līces feorme leng sorgian. "Onsend Higelāce, gif mec hild nime, "beadu-scrūda betst, þæt mīne brēost wereð, "hrægla sēlest; þæt is Hrēðlan lāf, 455 "Wēlandes geweorc. Gǣð ā Wyrd swā hīo scel!"