Hwīlum flītende fealwe strǣte mēarum mǣton. Þā wæs morgen-lēoht scofen and scynded. Ēode scealc monig 920 swīð-hicgende tō sele þām hēan, searo-wundor sēon, swylce self cyning, of brȳd-būre bēah-horda weard, tryddode tīr-fæst getrume micle, cystum gecȳðed, and his cwēn mid him 925 medo-stīg gemæt mægða hōse.
XV. HROTHGAR'S GRATULATION.
Hrōðgār maðelode (hē tō healle gēong, stōd on stapole, geseah stēapne hrōf golde fāhne and Grendles hond): "þisse ansȳne al-wealdan þanc 930 "lungre gelimpe! Fela ic lāðes gebād, "grynna æt Grendle: ā mæg god wyrcan "wunder æfter wundre, wuldres hyrde! "Þæt wæs ungeāra, þæt ic ǣnigra mē "wēana ne wēnde tō wīdan feore 935 "bōte gebīdan þonne blōde fāh "hūsa sēlest heoro-drēorig stōd; "wēa wīd-scofen witena gehwylcne "þāra þe ne wēndon, þæt hīe wīde-ferhð "lēoda land-geweorc lāðum beweredon 940 "scuccum and scinnum. Nū scealc hafað "þurh drihtnes miht dǣd gefremede, "þē wē ealle ǣr ne meahton "snyttrum besyrwan. Hwæt! þæt secgan mæg "efne swā hwylc mægða, swā þone magan cende 945 "æfter gum-cynnum, gyf hēo gȳt lyfað, "þæt hyre eald-metod ēste wǣre "bearn-gebyrdo. Nū ic Bēowulf "þec, secg betsta, mē for sunu wylle "frēogan on ferhðe; heald forð tela 950 "nīwe sibbe. Ne bið þē nǣnigra gād "worolde wilna, þē ic geweald hæbbe. "Ful-oft ic for lǣssan lēan teohhode "hord-weorðunge hnāhran rince, "sǣmran æt sæcce. Þū þē self hafast 955 "dǣdum gefremed, þæt þīn dōm lyfað "āwa tō aldre. Alwalda þec "gōde forgylde, swā hē nū gȳt dyde!" Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: "Wē þæt ellen-weorc ēstum miclum, 960 "feohtan fremedon, frēcne genēðdon "eafoð uncūðes; ūðe ic swīðor, "þæt þū hinc selfne gesēon mōste, "fēond on frætewum fyl-wērigne! "Ic hine hrædlīce heardan clammum 965 "on wæl-bedde wrīðan þōhte, "þæt hē for mund-gripe mīnum scolde "licgean līf-bysig, būtan his līc swice; "ic hine ne mihte, þā metod nolde, "ganges getwǣman, nō ic him þæs georne ætfealh, 970 "feorh-genīðlan; wæs tō fore-mihtig "fēond on fēðe. Hwæðere hē his folme forlēt "tō līf-wraðe lāst weardian, "earm and eaxle; nō þǣr ǣnige swā þēah "fēa-sceaft guma frōfre gebohte: 975 "nō þȳ leng leofað lāð-getēona "synnum geswenced, ac hyne sār hafað "in nȳd-gripe nearwe befongen, "balwon bendum: þǣr ābīdan sceal "maga māne fāh miclan dōmes, 980 "hū him scīr metod scrīfan wille." Þā wæs swīgra secg, sunu Ecglāfes, on gylp-sprǣce gūð-geweorca, siððan æðelingas eorles cræfte ofer hēahne hrōf hand scēawedon, 985 fēondes fingras, foran ǣghwylc; wæs stēde nægla gehwylc, stȳle gelīcost, hǣðenes hand-sporu hilde-rinces egle unhēoru; ǣg-hwylc gecwæð, þæt him heardra nān hrīnan wolde 990 īren ǣr-gōd, þæt þæs āhlǣcan blōdge beadu-folme onberan wolde.
XVI. THE BANQUET AND THE GIFTS.
Þā wæs hāten hreðe Heort innan-weard folmum gefrætwod: fela þǣra wæs wera and wīfa, þē þæt wīn-reced, 995 gest-sele gyredon. Gold-fāg scinon web æfter wāgum, wundor-sīona fela secga gehwylcum þāra þe on swylc starað Wæs þæt beorhte bold tōbrocen swīðe eal inne-weard īren-bendum fæst, 1000 heorras tōhlidene; hrōf āna genæs ealles ansund, þā se āglǣca fyren-dǣdum fāg on flēam gewand, aldres or-wēna. Nō þæt ȳðe byð tō beflēonne (fremme sē þe wille!) 1005 ac gesacan sceal sāwl-berendra nȳde genȳdde niðða bearna grund-būendra gearwe stōwe, þǣr his līc-homa leger-bedde fæst swefeð æfter symle. Þā wæs sǣl and mǣl, 1010 þæt tō healle gang Healfdenes sunu; wolde self cyning symbel þicgan. Ne gefrægen ic þā mǣgðe māran weorode ymb hyra sinc-gyfan sēl gebǣran. Bugon þā tō bence blǣd-āgende, 1015 fylle gefǣgon. Fægere geþǣgon medo-ful manig māgas þāra swīð-hicgende on sele þām hēan, Hrōðgār and Hrōðulf. Heorot innan wæs frēondum āfylled; nalles fācen-stafas 1020 Þēod-Scyldingas þenden fremedon. Forgeaf þā Bēowulfe bearn Healfdenes segen gyldenne sigores tō lēane, hroden hilte-cumbor, helm and byrnan; mǣre māððum-sweord manige gesāwon 1025 beforan beorn beran. Bēowulf geþah ful on flette; nō hē þǣre feoh-gyfte for scēotendum scamigan þorfte, ne gefrægn ic frēondlīcor fēower mādmas golde gegyrede gum-manna fela 1030 in ealo-bence ōðrum gesellan. Ymb þæs helmes hrōf hēafod-beorge wīrum bewunden walan ūtan hēold, þæt him fēla lāfe frēcne ne meahton scūr-heard sceððan, þonne scyld-freca 1035 ongēan gramum gangan scolde. Heht þā eorla hlēo eahta mēaras, fǣted-hlēore, on flet tēon in under eoderas; þāra ānum stōd sadol searwum fāh since gewurðad, 1040 þæt wæs hilde-setl hēah-cyninges, þonne sweorda gelāc sunu Healfdenes efnan wolde; nǣfre on ōre læg wīd-cūðes wīg, þonne walu fēollon. And þā Bēowulfe bēga gehwæðres 1045 eodor Ingwina onweald getēah, wicga and wǣpna; hēt hine wēl brūcan. Swā manlīce mǣre þēoden, hord-weard hæleða heaðo-rǣsas geald mēarum and mādmum, swā hȳ nǣfre man lyhð, 1050 sē þe secgan wile sōð æfter rihte.
XVII. SONG OF HROTHGAR'S POET-THE LAY OF HNAEF AND HENGEST.
Þā gȳt ǣghwylcum eorla drihten þāra þe mid Bēowulfe brim-lāde tēah, on þǣre medu-bence māððum gesealde, yrfe-lāfe, and þone ǣnne heht 1055 golde forgyldan, þone þe Grendel ǣr māne ācwealde, swā hē hyra mā wolde, nefne him wītig god wyrd forstōde and þæs mannes mōd: metod eallum wēold gumena cynnes, swā hē nū gīt dēð; 1060 forþan bið andgit ǣghwǣr sēlest, ferhðes fore-þanc! fela sceal gebīdan lēofes and lāðes, sē þe longe hēr on þyssum win-dagum worolde brūceð. Þǣr wæs sang and swēg samod ætgædere 1065 fore Healfdenes hilde-wīsan, gomen-wudu grēted, gid oft wrecen, þonne heal-gamen Hrōðgāres scop æfter medo-bence mǣnan scolde Finnes eaferum, þā hīe se fǣr begeat: 1070 "Hæleð Healfdenes, Hnæf Scyldinga, "in Fr..es wæle feallan scolde. "Nē hūru Hildeburh herian þorfte "Eotena trēowe: unsynnum wearð "beloren lēofum æt þām lind-plegan 1075 "bearnum and brōðrum; hīe on gebyrd hruron "gāre wunde; þæt wæs geōmuru ides. "Nalles hōlinga Hōces dōhtor "meotod-sceaft bemearn, syððan morgen cōm, "þā hēo under swegle gesēon meahte 1080 "morðor-bealo māga, þǣr hēo ǣr mǣste hēold "worolde wynne: wīg ealle fornam "Finnes þegnas, nemne fēaum ānum, "þæt hē ne mehte on þǣm meðel-stede "wīg Hengeste wiht gefeohtan, 1085 "nē þā wēa-lāfe wīge forþringan "þōodnes þegne; ac hig him geþingo budon, "þæt hīe him ōðer flet eal gerȳmdon, "healle and hēah-setl, þæt hīe healfre geweald "wið Eotena bearn āgan mōston, 1090 "and æt feoh-gyftum Folcwaldan sunu "dōgra gehwylce Dene weorðode, "Hengestes hēap hringum wenede, "efne swā swīðe sinc-gestrēonum "fǣttan goldes, swā hē Frēsena cyn 1095 "on bēor-sele byldan wolde. "Þā hīe getruwedon on twā healfa "fæste frioðu-wǣre; Fin Hengeste "elne unflitme āðum benemde, "þæt hē þā wēa-lāfe weotena dōme 1100 "ārum heolde, þæt þǣr ǣnig mon "wordum nē worcum wǣre ne brǣce, "nē þurh inwit-searo ǣfre gemǣnden, "þēah hīe hira bēag-gyfan banan folgedon "þēoden-lēase, þā him swā geþearfod wæs: 1105 "gyf þonne Frȳsna hwylc frēcnan sprǣce "þæs morðor-hetes myndgiend wǣre, "þonne hit sweordes ecg syððan scolde. "Āð wæs geæfned and icge gold "āhæfen of horde. Here-Scyldinga 1110 "betst beado-rinca wæs on bǣl gearu; "æt þǣm āde wæs ēð-gesȳne "swāt-fāh syrce, swȳn eal-gylden, "eofer īren-heard, æðeling manig "wundum āwyrded; sume on wæle crungon. 1115 "Hēt þā Hildeburh æt Hnæfes āde "hire selfre sunu sweoloðe befæstan, "bān-fatu bærnan and on bǣl dōn. "Earme on eaxle ides gnornode, "geōmrode giddum; gūð-rinc āstāh. 1120 "Wand tō wolcnum wæl-fȳra mǣst, "hlynode for hlāwe; hafelan multon, "ben-geato burston, þonne blōd ætspranc "lāð-bite līces. Līg ealle forswealg, "gǣsta gīfrost, þāra þe þǣr gūð fornam 1125 "bēga folces; wæs hira blǣd scacen.