XVIII. THE GLEEMAN'S TALE IS ENDED.
"Gewiton him þā wīgend wīca nēosian, "frēondum befeallen Frȳsland gesēon, "hāmas and hēa-burh. Hengest þā gȳt "wæl-fāgne winter wunode mid Finne 1130 "ealles unhlitme; eard gemunde, "þēah þe hē ne meahte on mere drīfan "hringed-stefnan; holm storme wēol, "won wið winde; winter ȳðe belēac "īs-gebinde oð þæt ōðer cōm 1135 "geār in geardas, swā nū gȳt dēð, "þā þe syngales sēle bewitiað, "wuldor-torhtan weder. Þā wæs winter scacen, "fæger foldan bearm; fundode wrecca, "gist of geardum; hē tō gyrn-wræce 1140 "swīðor þōhte, þonne tō sǣ-lāde, "gif hē torn-gemōt þurhtēon mihte, "þæt hē Eotena bearn inne gemunde. "Swā hē ne forwyrnde worold-rǣdenne, "þonne him Hūnlāfing hilde-lēoman, 1145 "billa sēlest, on bearm dyde: "þæs wǣron mid Eotenum ecge cūðe. "Swylce ferhð-frecan Fin eft begeat "sweord-bealo slīðen æt his selfes hām, "siððan grimne gripe Gūðlaf ond Ōslāf 1150 "æfter sǣ-siðe sorge mǣndon, "ætwiton wēana dǣl; ne meahte wǣfre mōd "forhabban in hreðre. Þā wæs heal hroden "fēonda fēorum, swilce Fin slægen, "cyning on corðre, and sēo cwēn numen. 1155 "Scēotend Scyldinga tō scypum feredon "eal in-gesteald eorð-cyninges, "swylce hīe æt Finnes hām findan meahton "sigla searo-gimma. Hīe on sǣ-lāde "drihtlīce wīf tō Denum feredon, 1160 "lǣddon tō lēodum." Lēoð wæs āsungen, glēo-mannes gyd. Gamen eft āstāh, beorhtode benc-swēg, byrelas sealdon wīn of wunder-fatum. Þā cwōm Wealhþēo forð gān under gyldnum bēage, þǣr þā gōdan twēgen 1165 sǣton suhter-gefæderan; þā gȳt wæs hiera sib ætgædere ǣghwylc ōðrum trȳwe. Swylce þǣr Unferð þyle æt fōtum sæt frēan Scyldinga: gehwylc hiora his ferhðe trēowde, þæt hē hæfde mōd micel, þēah þe hē his māgum nǣre ārfæst æt ecga gelācum. Spræc þā ides Scyldinga: 1170 "Onfōh þissum fulle, frēo-drihten mīn, "sinces brytta; þū on sǣlum wes, "gold-wine gumena, and tō Gēatum sprec "mildum wordum! Swā sceal man dōn. "Bēo wið Gēatas glæd, geofena gemyndig; 1175 "nēan and feorran þū nū friðu hafast. "Mē man sægde, þæt þū þē for sunu wolde "here-rinc habban. Heorot is gefǣlsod, "bēah-sele beorhta; brūc þenden þū mōte "manigra mēda and þīnum māgum lǣf 1180 "folc and rīce, þonne þū forð scyle "metod-sceaft sēon. Ic mīnne can "glædne Hrōðulf, þæt hē þā geogoðe wile "ārum healdan, gyf þū ǣr þonne hē, "wine Scildinga, worold oflǣtest; 1185 "wēne ic, þæt hē mid gōde gyldan wille "uncran eaferan, gif hē þæt eal gemon, "hwæt wit tō willan and tō worð-myndum "umbor wesendum ǣr ārna gefremedon." Hwearf þā bī bence, þǣr hyre byre wǣron, 1190 Hrēðrīc and Hrōðmund, and hæleða bearn, giogoð ætgædere; þǣr se gōda sæt Bēowulf Gēata be þǣm gebrōðrum twǣm.
XIX. BĒOWULF'S JEWELLED COLLAR. THE HEROES REST.
Him wæs ful boren and frēond-laðu wordum bewægned and wunden gold 1195 ēstum geēawed, earm-hrēade twā, hrægl and hringas, heals-bēaga mǣst þāra þe ic on foldan gefrægen hæbbe. Nǣnigne ic under swegle sēlran hȳrde hord-māððum hæleða, syððan Hāma ætwæg 1200 tō þǣre byrhtan byrig Brōsinga mene, sigle and sinc-fæt, searo-nīðas fealh Eormenrīces, gecēas ēcne rǣd. Þone hring hæfde Higelāc Gēata, nefa Swertinges, nȳhstan sīðe, 1205 siððan hē under segne sinc ealgode, wæl-rēaf werede; hyne Wyrd fornam, syððan hē for wlenco wēan āhsode, fǣhðe tō Frȳsum; hē þā frætwe wæg, eorclan-stānas ofer ȳða ful, 1210 rīce þēoden, hē under rande gecranc; gehwearf þā in Francna fæðm feorh cyninges, brēost-gewǣdu and se bēah somod: wyrsan wīg-frecan wæl rēafedon æfter gūð-sceare, Gēata lēode 1215 hreā-wīc hēoldon. Heal swēge onfēng. Wealhþēo maðelode, hēo fore þǣm werede spræc: "Brūc þisses bēages, Bēowulf, lēofa "hyse, mid hǣle, and þisses hrægles nēot "þēod-gestrēona, and geþēoh tela, 1220 "cen þec mid cræfte and þyssum cnyhtum wes "lāra līðe! ic þē þæs lēan geman. "Hafast þū gefēred, þæt þē feor and nēah "ealne wīde-ferhð weras ehtigað, "efne swā sīde swā sǣ bebūgeð 1225 "windige weallas. Wes, þenden þū lifige, "æðeling ēadig! ic þē an tela "sinc-gestrēona. Bēo þū suna mīnum "dǣdum gedēfe drēam healdende! "Hēr is ǣghwylc eorl ōðrum getrȳwe, 1230 "mōdes milde, man-drihtne hold, "þegnas syndon geþwǣre, þēod eal gearo: "druncne dryht-guman, dōð swā ic bidde!" Ēode þā tō setle. Þǣr wæs symbla cyst, druncon wīn weras: wyrd ne cūðon, 1235 geō-sceaft grimme, swā hit āgangen wearð eorla manegum, syððan ǣfen cwōm and him Hrōðgār gewāt tō hofe sīnum, rīce tō ræste. Reced weardode unrīm eorla, swā hīe oft ǣr dydon: 1240 benc-þelu beredon, hit geond-brǣded wearð beddum and bolstrum. Bēor-scealca sum fūs and fǣge flet-ræste gebēag. Setton him tō hēafdum hilde-randas, bord-wudu beorhtan; þǣr on bence wæs 1245 ofer æðelinge ȳð-gesēne heaðo-stēapa helm, hringed byrne, þrec-wudu þrymlīc. Wæs þēaw hyra, þæt hīe oft wǣron an wīg gearwe, gē æt hām gē on herge, gē gehwæðer þāra 1250 efne swylce mǣla, swylce hira man-dryhtne þearf gesǣlde; wæs sēo þēod tilu.
XX. GRENDEL'S MOTHER ATTACKS THE RING-DANES.
Sigon þā tō slǣpe. Sum sāre angeald ǣfen-ræste, swā him ful-oft gelamp, siððan gold-sele Grendel warode, 1255 unriht æfnde, oð þæt ende becwōm, swylt æfter synnum. Þæt gesȳne wearð, wīd-cūð werum, þætte wrecend þā gȳt lifde æfter lāðum, lange þrāge æfter gūð-ceare; Grendles mōdor, 1260 ides āglǣc-wīf yrmðe gemunde, sē þe wæter-egesan wunian scolde, cealde strēamas, siððan Cain wearð tō ecg-banan āngan brēðer, fæderen-mǣge; hē þā fāg gewāt, 1265 morðre gemearcod man-drēam flēon, wēsten warode. Þanon wōc fela geōsceaft-gāsta; wæs þǣra Grendel sum, heoro-wearh hetelīc, sē æt Heorote fand wæccendne wer wīges bīdan, 1270 þǣr him āglǣca æt-grǣpe wearð; hwæðre hē gemunde mægenes strenge, gim-fæste gife, þē him god sealde, and him tō anwaldan āre gelȳfde, frōfre and fultum: þȳ hē þone fēond ofercwōm, 1275 gehnǣgde helle gāst: þā hē hēan gewāt, drēame bedǣled dēað-wīc sēon, man-cynnes fēond. And his mōdor þā gȳt gīfre and galg-mōd gegān wolde sorh-fulne sīð, suna dēað wrecan. 1280 Cōm þā tō Heorote, þǣr Hring-Dene geond þæt sæld swǣfun. Þā þǣr sōna wearð ed-hwyrft eorlum, siððan inne fealh Grendles mōdor; wæs se gryre lǣssa efne swā micle, swā bið mægða cræft, 1285 wīg-gryre wīfes be wǣpned-men, þonne heoru bunden, hamere geþuren, sweord swāte fāh swīn ofer helme, ecgum dyhtig andweard scireð. Þā wæs on healle heard-ecg togen, 1290 sweord ofer setlum, sīd-rand manig hafen handa fæst; helm ne gemunde, byrnan sīde, þe hine se brōga angeat. Hēo wæs on ofste, wolde ūt þanon fēore beorgan, þā hēo onfunden wæs; 1295 hraðe hēo æðelinga ānne hæfde fæste befangen, þā hēo tō fenne gang; sē wæs Hrōðgāre hæleða lēofost on gesīðes hād be sǣm tweonum, rīce rand-wiga, þone þe hēo on ræste ābrēat, 1300 blǣd-fæstne beorn. Næs Bēowulf þǣr, ac wæs ōðer in ǣr geteohhod æfter māððum-gife mǣrum Gēate. Hrēam wearð on Heorote. Hēo under heolfre genam cūðe folme; cearu wæs genīwod 1305 geworden in wīcum: ne wæs þæt gewrixle til, þæt hīe on bā healfa bicgan scoldon frēonda fēorum. Þā wæs frōd cyning, hār hilde-rinc, on hrēon mōde, syððan hē aldor-þegn unlyfigendne, 1310 þone dēorestan dēadne wisse. Hraðe wæs tō būre Bēowulf fetod, sigor-ēadig secg. Samod ǣr-dæge ēode eorla sum, æðele cempa self mid gesīðum, þǣr se snottra bād, 1315 hwæðre him al-walda ǣfre wille æfter wēa-spelle wyrpe gefremman. Gang þā æfter flōre fyrd-wyrðe man mid his hand-scale (heal-wudu dynede) þæt hē þone wīsan wordum hnǣgde 1320 frēan Ingwina; frægn gif him wǣre æfter nēod-laðu niht getǣse.