XI. THE WATCH FOR GRENDEL.
Þā him Hrōðgār gewāt mid his hæleða gedryht, eodur Scyldinga ūt of healle; 665 wolde wīg-fruma Wealhþēo sēcan, cwēn tō gebeddan Hæfde kyninga wuldor Grendle tō-gēanes, swā guman gefrungon, sele-weard āseted, sundor-nytte behēold ymb aldor Dena, eoton weard ābēad; 670 hūru Gēata lēod georne truwode mōdgan mægnes, metodes hyldo. Þā hē him of dyde īsern-byrnan, helm of hafelan, sealde his hyrsted sweord, īrena cyst ombiht-þegne, 675 and gehealdan hēt hilde-geatwe. Gespræc þā se gōda gylp-worda sum Bēowulf Gēata, ǣr hē on bed stige: "Nō ic mē an here-wǣsmum hnāgran talige "gūð-geweorca, þonne Grendel hine; 680 "forþan ic hine sweorde swebban nelle, "aldre benēotan, þēah ic eal mǣge. "Nāt hē þāra gōda, þæt hē mē on-gēan slēa, "rand gehēawe, þēah þe hē rōf sīe "nīð-geweorca; ac wit on niht sculon 685 "secge ofersittan, gif hē gesēcean dear "wīg ofer wǣpen, and siððan wītig god "on swā hwæðere hond hālig dryhten "mǣrðo dēme, swā him gemet þince." Hylde hine þā heaðo-dēor, hlēor-bolster onfēng 690 eorles andwlitan; and hine ymb monig snellīc sǣ-rinc sele-reste gebēah. Nǣnig heora þōhte þæt hē þanon scolde eft eard-lufan ǣfre gesēcean, folc oððe frēo-burh, þǣr hē āfēded wæs, 695 ac hīe hæfdon gefrūnen, þæt hīe ǣr tō fela micles in þǣm wīn-sele wæl-dēað fornam, Denigea lēode. Ac him dryhten forgeaf wīg-spēda gewiofu, Wedera lēodum frōfor and fultum, þæt hīe fēond heora 700 þurh ānes cræft ealle ofercōmon, selfes mihtum: sōð is gecȳðed, þæt mihtig god manna cynnes wēold wīde-ferhð. Cōm on wanre niht scrīðan sceadu-genga. Scēotend swǣfon, 705 þā þæt horn-reced healdan scoldon, ealle būton ānum. Þæt wæs yldum cūð, þæt hīe ne mōste, þā metod nolde, se syn-scaða under sceadu bregdan; ac hē wæccende wrāðum on andan 710 bād bolgen-mōd beadwa geþinges.
XII. GRENDEL'S RAID.
Þā cōm of mōre under mist-hleoðum Grendel gongan, godes yrre bær. Mynte se mān-scaða manna cynnes sumne besyrwan in sele þām hēan; 715 wōd under wolcnum, tō þæs þe hē wīn-reced, gold-sele gumena, gearwost wisse fǣttum fāhne. Ne wæs þæt forma sīð, þæt hē Hrōðgāres hām gesōhte: nǣfre hē on aldor-dagum ǣr nē siððan 720 heardran hæle, heal-þegnas fand! Cōm þā tō recede rinc sīðian drēamum bedǣled. Duru sōna onarn fȳr-bendum fæst, syððan hē hire folmum hrān; onbræd þā bealo-hȳdig, þā hē ābolgen wæs, 725 recedes mūðan. Raðe æfter þon on fāgne flōr fēond treddode, ēode yrre-mōd; him of ēagum stōd līge gelīcost lēoht unfǣger. Geseah hē in recede rinca manige, 730 swefan sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere, mago-rinca hēap: þā his mōd āhlōg, mynte þæt hē gedǣlde, ǣr þon dæg cwōme, atol āglǣca, ānra gehwylces līf wið līce, þā him ālumpen wæs 735 wist-fylle wēn. Ne wæs þæt wyrd þā gēn, þæt hē mā mōste manna cynnes þicgean ofer þā niht. Þrȳð-swȳð behēold mǣg Higelāces, hū se mān-scaða under fǣr-gripum gefaran wolde. 740 Nē þæt se āglǣca yldan þōhte, ac hē gefēng hraðe forman siðe slǣpendne rinc, slāt unwearnum, bāt bān-locan, blōd ēdrum dranc, syn-snǣdum swealh: sōna hæfde 745 unlyfigendes eal gefeormod fēt and folma. Forð nēar ætstōp, nam þā mid handa hige-þīhtigne rinc on ræste; rǣhte ongēan fēond mid folme, hē onfēng hraðe 750 inwit-þancum and wið earm gesæt. Sōna þæt onfunde fyrena hyrde, þæt hē ne mētte middan-geardes eorðan scēata on elran men mund-gripe māran: hē on mōde wearð 755 forht on ferhðe, nō þȳ ǣr fram meahte; hyge wæs him hin-fūs, wolde on heolster flēon, sēcan dēofla gedræg: ne wæs his drohtoð þǣr, swylce hē on ealder-dagum ǣr gemētte. Gemunde þā se gōda mǣg Higelāces 760 ǣfen-sprǣce, up-lang āstōd and him fæste wiðfēng. Fingras burston; eoten wæs ūt-weard, eorl furður stōp. Mynte se mǣra, þǣr hē meahte swā, wīdre gewindan and on weg þanon 765 flēon on fen-hopu; wiste his fingra geweald on grames grāpum. Þæt wæs gēocor sīð, þæt se hearm-scaða tō Heorute ātēah: dryht-sele dynede, Denum eallum wearð, ceaster-būendum, cēnra gehwylcum, 770 eorlum ealu-scerwen. Yrre wǣron bēgen, rēðe rēn-weardas. Reced hlynsode; þā wæs wundor micel, þæt se wīn-sele wiðhæfde heaðo-dēorum, þæt hē on hrūsan ne fēol, fǣger fold-bold; ac hē þæs fæste wæs 775 innan and ūtan īren-bendum searo-þoncum besmiðod. Þǣr fram sylle ābēag medu-benc monig mīne gefrǣge, golde geregnad, þǣr þā graman wunnon; þæs ne wēndon ǣr witan Scyldinga, 780 þæt hit ā mid gemete manna ǣnig betlīc and bān-fāg tōbrecan meahte, listum tōlūcan, nymðe līges fæðm swulge on swaðule. Swēg up āstāg nīwe geneahhe; Norð-Denum stōd 785 atelīc egesa ānra gehwylcum þāra þe of wealle wōp gehȳrdon, gryre-lēoð galan godes andsacan, sige-lēasne sang, sār wānigean helle hæftan. Hēold hine tō fæste 790 sē þe manna wæs mægene strengest on þǣm dæge þysses līfes.
XIII. BĒOWULF TEARS OFF GRENDEL'S ARM.
Nolde eorla hlēo ǣnige þinga þone cwealm-cuman cwicne forlǣtan, nē his līf-dagas lēoda ǣnigum 795 nytte tealde. Þǣr genehost brægd eorl Bēowulfes ealde lāfe, wolde frēa-drihtnes feorh ealgian mǣres þēodnes, þǣr hīe meahton swā; hīe þæt ne wiston, þā hīe gewin drugon, 800 heard-hicgende hilde-mecgas, and on healfa gehwone hēawan þōhton, sāwle sēcan, þæt þone syn-scaðan ǣnig ofer eorðan īrenna cyst, gūð-billa nān grētan nolde; 805 ac hē sige-wǣpnum forsworen hæfde, ecga gehwylcre. Scolde his aldor-gedāl on þǣm dæge þysses līfes earmlīc wurðan and se ellor-gāst on fēonda geweald feor sīðian. 810 Þā þæt onfunde sē þe fela ǣror mōdes myrðe manna cynne fyrene gefremede (hē wæs fāg wið god) þæt him se līc-homa lǣstan nolde, ac hine se mōdega mǣg Hygelāces 815 hæfde be honda; wæs gehwæðer ōðrum lifigende lāð. Līc-sār gebād atol ǣglǣca, him on eaxle wearð syn-dolh sweotol, seonowe onsprungon burston bān-locan. Bēowulfe wearð 820 gūð-hrēð gyfeðe; scolde Grendel þonan feorh-sēoc flēon under fen-hleoðu, sēcean wyn-lēas wīc; wiste þē geornor, þæt his aldres wæs ende gegongen, dōgera dæg-rīm. Denum eallum wearð 825 æfter þām wæl-rǣse willa gelumpen. Hæfde þā gefǣlsod, sē þe ǣr feorran cōm, snotor and swȳð-ferhð sele Hrōðgāres, genered wið nīðe. Niht-weorce gefeh, ellen-mǣrðum; hæfde Ēast-Denum 830 Gēat-mecga lēod gilp gelǣsted, swylce oncȳððe ealle gebētte, inwid-sorge, þē hīe ǣr drugon and for þrēa-nȳdum þolian scoldon, torn unlȳtel. Þæt wæs tācen sweotol, 835 syððan hilde-dēor hond ālegde, earm and eaxle (þǣr wæs eal geador Grendles grāpe) under gēapne hrōf.
XIV. THE JOY AT HEOROT.
Þā wæs on morgen mīne gefrǣge ymb þā gif-healle gūð-rinc monig: 840 fērdon folc-togan feorran and nēan geond wīd-wegas wundor scēawian, lāðes lāstas. Nō his līf-gedāl sārlīc þūhte secga ǣnegum, þāra þe tīr-lēases trode scēawode, 845 hū hē wērig-mōd on weg þanon, nīða ofercumen, on nicera mere fǣge and geflȳmed feorh-lāstas bær. Þǣr wæs on blōde brim weallende, atol ȳða geswing eal gemenged 850 hātan heolfre, heoro-drēore wēol; dēað-fǣge dēog, siððan drēama lēas in fen-freoðo feorh ālegde hǣðene sāwle, þǣr him hel onfēng. Þanon eft gewiton eald-gesīðas, 855 swylce geong manig of gomen-wāðe, fram mere mōdge, mēarum rīdan, beornas on blancum. Þǣr wæs Bēowulfes mǣrðo mǣned; monig oft gecwæð, þætte sūð nē norð be sǣm tweonum 860 ofer eormen-grund ōðer nǣnig under swegles begong sēlra nǣre rond-hæbbendra, rīces wyrðra. Nē hīe hūru wine-drihten wiht ne lōgon, glædne Hrōðgār, ac þæt wæs gōd cyning. 865 Hwīlum heaðo-rōfe hlēapan lēton, on geflīt faran fealwe mēaras, þǣr him fold-wegas fægere þūhton, cystum cūðe; hwīlum cyninges þegn, guma gilp-hlæden gidda gemyndig, 870 sē þe eal-fela eald-gesegena worn gemunde, word ōðer fand sōðe gebunden: secg eft ongan sīð Bēowulfes snyttrum styrian and on spēd wrecan spel gerāde, 875 wordum wrixlan, wēl-hwylc gecwæð, þæt hē fram Sigemunde secgan hȳrde, ellen-dǣdum, uncūðes fela, Wælsinges gewin, wīde sīðas, þāra þe gumena bearn gearwe ne wiston, 880 fǣhðe and fyrene, būton Fitela mid hine, þonne hē swylces hwæt secgan wolde ēam his nefan, swā hīe ā wǣron æt nīða gehwām nȳd-gesteallan: hæfdon eal-fela eotena cynnes 885 sweordum gesǣged. Sigemunde gesprong æfter dēað-dæge dōm unlȳtel, syððan wīges heard wyrm ācwealde, hordes hyrde; hē under hārne stān, æðelinges bearn, āna genēðde 890 frēcne dǣde; ne wæs him Fitela mid. Hwæðre him gesǣlde, þæt þæt swurd þurhwōd wrǣtlīcne wyrm, þæt hit on wealle ætstōd, dryhtlīc īren; draca morðre swealt. Hæfde āglǣca elne gegongen, 895 þæt hē bēah-hordes brūcan mōste selfes dōme: sǣ-bāt gehlōd, bær on bearm scipes beorhte frætwa, Wælses eafera; wyrm hāt gemealt. Sē wæs wreccena wīde mǣrost 900 ofer wer-þēode, wīgendra hlēo ellen-dǣdum: hē þæs āron þāh. Siððan Heremōdes hild sweðrode eafoð and ellen. Hē mid eotenum wearð on fēonda geweald forð forlācen, 905 snūde forsended. Hine sorh-wylmas lemede tō lange, hē his lēodum wearð, eallum æðelingum tō aldor-ceare; swylce oft bemearn ǣrran mǣlum swīð-ferhðes sīð snotor ceorl monig, 910 sē þe him bealwa tō bōte gelȳfde, þæt þæt þēodnes bearn geþēon scolde, fæder-æðelum onfōn, folc gehealdan, hord and hlēo-burh, hæleða rīce, ēðel Scyldinga. Hē þǣr eallum wearð, 915 mǣg Higelāces manna cynne, frēondum gefægra; hine fyren onwōd.