VIII. HROTHGAR TELLS OF GRENDEL.
Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scyldinga: "for were-fyhtum þū, wine mīn Bēowulf, "and for ār-stafum ūsic sōhtest. "Geslōh þin fæder fǣhðe mǣste, 460 "wearð hē Heaðolāfe tō hand-bonan "mid Wilfingum; þā hine Wedera cyn "for here-brōgan habban ne mihte. "Þanon hē gesōhte Sūð-Dena folc "ofer ȳða gewealc, Ār-Scyldinga; 465 "þā ic furðum wēold folce Deninga, "and on geogoðe hēold gimme-rīce "hord-burh hæleða: þā wæs Heregār dēad, "mīn yldra mǣg unlifigende, "bearn Healfdenes. Sē wæs betera þonne ic! 470 "Siððan þā fǣhðe fēo þingode; "sende ic Wylfingum ofer wæteres hrycg "ealde mādmas: hē mē āðas swōr. "Sorh is mē tō secganne on sefan mīnum "gumena ǣngum, hwæt mē Grendel hafað 475 "hȳnðo on Heorote mid his hete-þancum, "fǣr-nīða gefremed. Is mīn flet-werod, "wīg-hēap gewanod; hīe Wyrd forswēop "on Grendles gryre. God ēaðe mæg "þone dol-scaðan dǣda getwǣfan! 480 "Ful oft gebēotedon bēore druncne "ofer ealo-wǣge ōret-mecgas, "þæt hīe in bēor-sele bīdan woldon "Grendles gūðe mid gryrum ecga. "Þonne wæs þēos medo-heal on morgen-tīd, 485 "driht-sele drēor-fāh, þonne dæg līxte, "eal benc-þelu blōde bestȳmed, "heall heoru-drēore: āhte ic holdra þȳ lǣs, "dēorre duguðe, þē þā dēað fornam. "Site nū tō symle and onsǣl meoto, 490 "sige-hrēð secgum, swā þīn sefa hwette!" Þā wæs Gēat-mæcgum geador ætsomne on bēor-sele benc gerȳmed; þǣr swīð-ferhðe sittan ēodon þrȳðum dealle. Þegn nytte behēold, 495 sē þe on handa bær hroden ealo-wǣge, scencte scīr wered. Scop hwīlum sang hādor on Heorote; þǣr wæs hæleða drēam, duguð unlȳtel Dena and Wedera.
IX. HUNFERTH OBJECTS TO BĒOWULF.
Unferð maðelode, Ecglāfes bearn, 500 þē æt fōtum sæt frēan Scyldinga; onband beadu-rūne (wæs him Bēowulfes sīð, mōdges mere-faran, micel æf-þunca, forþon þe hē ne ūðe, þæt ǣnig ōðer man ǣfre mǣrða þon mā middan-geardes 505 gehēdde under heofenum þonne hē sylfa): "Eart þū sē Bēowulf, sē þe wið Brecan wunne, "on sīdne sǣ ymb sund flite, "þǣr git for wlence wada cunnedon "and for dol-gilpe on dēop wæter 510 "aldrum nēðdon? Nē inc ǣnig mon, "nē lēof nē lāð, belēan mihte "sorh-fullne sīð; þā git on sund rēon, "þǣr git ēagor-strēam earmum þehton, "mǣton mere-strǣta, mundum brugdon, 515 "glidon ofer gār-secg; geofon ȳðum wēol, "wintres wylme. Git on wæteres ǣht "seofon niht swuncon; hē þē æt sunde oferflāt, "hæfde māre mægen. Þā hine on morgen-tīd "on Heaðo-rǣmas holm up ætbær, 520 "þonon hē gesōhte swǣsne ēðel "lēof his lēodum lond Brondinga, "freoðo-burh fægere, þǣr hē folc āhte, "burg and bēagas. Bēot eal wið þē "sunu Bēanstānes sōðe gelǣste. 525 "Þonne wēne ic tō þē wyrsan geþinges, "þēah þū heaðo-rǣsa gehwǣr dohte, "grimre gūðe, gif þū Grendles dearst "niht-longne fyrst nēan bīdan!" Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: 530 "Hwæt! þū worn fela, wine mīn Unferð, "bēore druncen ymb Brecan sprǣce, "sægdest from his sīðe! Sōð ic talige, "þæt ic mere-strengo māran āhte, "earfeðo on ȳðum, þonne ǣnig ōðer man. 535 "Wit þæt gecwǣdon cniht-wesende "and gebēotedon (wǣron bēgen þā gīt "on geogoð-feore) þæt wit on gār-secg ūt "aldrum nēðdon; and þæt geæfndon swā. "Hæfdon swurd nacod, þā wit on sund rēon, 540 "heard on handa, wit unc wið hron-fixas "werian þōhton. Nō hē wiht fram mē "flōd-ȳðum feor flēotan meahte, "hraðor on holme, nō ic fram him wolde. "Þā wit ætsomne on sǣ wǣron 545 "fīf nihta fyrst, oð þæt unc flōd tōdrāf, "wado weallende, wedera cealdost, "nīpende niht and norðan wind "heaðo-grim andhwearf; hrēo wǣron ȳða, "Wæs mere-fixa mōd onhrēred: 550 "þǣr mē wið lāðum līc-syrce mīn, "heard hond-locen, helpe gefremede; "beado-hrægl brōden on brēostum læg, "golde gegyrwed. Mē tō grunde tēah "fāh fēond-scaða, fæste hæfde 555 "grim on grāpe: hwæðre mē gyfeðe wearð, "þæt ic āglǣcan orde gerǣhte, "hilde-bille; heaðo-rǣs fornam "mihtig mere-dēor þurh mīne hand.
X. BĒOWULF'S CONTEST WITH BRECA.-THE FEAST.
"Swā mec gelōme lāð-getēonan 560 "þrēatedon þearle. Ic him þēnode "dēoran sweorde, swā hit gedēfe wæs; "næs hīe þǣre fylle gefēan hæfdon, "mān-fordǣdlan, þæt hīe mē þēgon, "symbel ymb-sǣton sǣ-grunde nēah, 565 "ac on mergenne mēcum wunde "be ȳð-lāfe uppe lǣgon, "sweordum āswefede, þæt syððan nā "ymb brontne ford brim-līðende "lāde ne letton. Lēoht ēastan cōm, 570 "beorht bēacen godes; brimu swaðredon, "þæt ic sǣ-næssas gesēon mihte, "windige weallas. Wyrd oft nereð "unfǣgne eorl, ðonne his ellen dēah! "Hwæðere mē gesǣlde, þæt ic mid sweorde ofslōh 575 "niceras nigene. Nō ic on niht gefrægn "under heofones hwealf heardran feohtan, "nē on ēg-strēamum earmran mannan; "hwæðere ic fāra feng fēore gedīgde, "siðes wērig. Þā mec sǣ oðbær, 580 "flōd æfter faroðe, on Finna land, "wadu weallendu. Nō ic wiht fram þē "swylcra searo-nīða secgan hȳrde, "billa brōgan: Breca nǣfre gīt "æt heaðo-lāce, nē gehwæðer incer 585 "swā dēorlīce dǣd gefremede "fāgum sweordum . . . . . . . ". . . . . . . nō ic þæs gylpe; "þēah þū þīnum brōðrum tō banan wurde, "hēafod-mǣgum; þæs þū in helle scealt 590 "werhðo drēogan, þēah þīn wit duge, "Secge ic þē tō sōðe, sunu Ecglāfes, "þæt nǣfre Grendel swā fela gryra gefremede, "atol ǣglǣca ealdre þīnum, "hȳnðo on Heorote, gif þīn hige wǣre, 595 "sefa swā searo-grim, swā þū self talast. "Ac hē hafað onfunden, þæt hē þā fǣhðe ne þearf, "atole ecg-þræce ēower lēode "swīðe onsittan, Sige-Scyldinga; "nymeð nȳd-bāde, nǣnegum ārað 600 "lēode Deniga, ac hē on lust wīgeð, "swefeð ond sendeð, secce ne wēneð "tō Gār-Denum. Ac him Gēata sceal "eafoð and ellen ungeāra nū "gūðe gebēodan. Gǣð eft sē þe mōt 605 "tō medo mōdig, siððan morgen-lēoht "ofer ylda bearn ōðres dōgores, "sunne swegl-wered sūðan scīneð!" Þā wæs on sālum sinces brytta gamol-feax and gūð-rōf, gēoce gelȳfde 610 brego Beorht-Dena; gehȳrde on Bēowulfe folces hyrde fæst-rǣdne geþōht. Þǣr wæs hæleða hleahtor; hlyn swynsode, word wǣron wynsume. Ēode Wealhþēow forð, cwēn Hrōðgāres, cynna gemyndig, 615 grētte gold-hroden guman on healle, and þā frēolīc wīf ful gesealde ǣrest Ēast-Dena ēðel-wearde, bæd hine blīðne æt þǣre bēor-þege, lēodum lēofne; hē on lust geþeah 620 symbel and sele-ful, sige-rōf kyning. Ymb-ēode þā ides Helminga duguðe and geogoðe dǣl ǣghwylcne; sinc-fato sealde, oð þæt sǣl ālamp, þæt hīo Bēowulfe, bēag-hroden cwēn, 625 mōde geþungen, medo-ful ætbær; grētte Gēata lēod, gode þancode wīs-fæst wordum, þæs þe hire se willa gelamp, þæt hēo on ǣnigne eorl gelȳfde fyrena frōfre. Hē þæt ful geþeah, 630 wæl-rēow wiga æt Wealhþēon, and þā gyddode gūðe gefȳsed, Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: "Ic þæt hogode, þā ic on holm gestāh, "sǣ-bāt gesæt mid mīnra secga gedriht, 635 "þæt ic ānunga ēowra lēoda "willan geworhte, oððe on wæl crunge, "fēond-grāpum fæst. Ic gefremman sceal "eorlīc ellen, oððe ende-dæg "on þisse meodu-healle mīnne gebīdan." 640 Þām wīfe þā word wēl līcodon, gilp-cwide Gēates; ēode gold-hroden frēolīcu folc-cwēn tō hire frēan sittan. Þā wæs eft swā ǣr inne on healle þrȳð-word sprecen, þēod on sǣlum, 645 sige-folca swēg, oð þæt semninga sunu Healfdenes sēcean wolde ǣfen-ræste; wiste æt þǣm āhlǣcan tō þǣm hēah-sele hilde geþinged, siððan hīe sunnan lēoht gesēon ne meahton, 650 oððe nīpende niht ofer ealle, scadu-helma gesceapu scrīðan cwōman, wan under wolcnum. Werod eall ārās. Grētte þā giddum guma ōðerne, Hrōðgār Bēowulf, and him hǣl ābēad, 655 wīn-ærnes geweald and þæt word ācwæð: "Nǣfre ic ǣnegum men ǣr ālȳfde, "siððan ic hond and rond hebban mihte, "þrȳð-ærn Dena būton þē nū þā. "Hafa nū and geheald hūsa sēlest; 660 "gemyne mǣrðo, mægen-ellen cȳð, "waca wið wrāðum! Ne bið þē wilna gād, "gif þū þæt ellen-weorc aldre gedīgest."