XXI. SORROW AT HEOROT: AESCHERE'S DEATH
Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scildinga: "Ne frīn þū æfter sǣlum! Sorh is genīwod "Denigea lēodum. Dēad is Æsc-here, 1325 "Yrmenlāfes yldra brōðor, "mīn rūn-wita and mīn rǣd-bora, "eaxl-gestealla, þonne wē on orlege "hafelan weredon, þonne hniton fēðan, "eoferas cnysedan; swylc scolde eorl wesan 1330 "æðeling ǣr-gōd, swylc Æsc-here wæs. "Wearð him on Heorote tō hand-banan "wæl-gǣst wǣfre; ic ne wāt hwæder "atol ǣse wlanc eft-sīðas tēah, "fylle gefrǣgnod. Hēo þā fǣhðe wræc, 1335 "þē þū gystran niht Grendel cwealdest "þurh hǣstne hād heardum clammum, "forþan hē tō lange lēode mīne "wanode and wyrde. Hē æt wīge gecrang "ealdres scyldig, and nū ōðer cwōm 1340 "mihtig mān-scaða, wolde hyre mǣg wrecan, "gē feor hafað fǣhðe gestǣled, "þæs þe þincean mæg þegne monegum, "sē þe æfter sinc-gyfan on sefan grēoteð, "hreðer-bealo hearde; nū sēo hand ligeð, 1345 "sē þe ēow wēl-hwylcra wilna dohte. "Ic þæt lond-būend lēode mīne "sele-rǣdende secgan hȳrde, "þæt hīe gesāwon swylce twēgen "micle mearc-stapan mōras healdan, 1350 "ellor-gǣstas: þǣra ōðer wæs, "þæs þe hīe gewislīcost gewitan meahton, "idese onlīcnes, ōðer earm-sceapen "on weres wæstmum wræc-lāstas træd, "næfne hē wæs māra þonne ǣnig man ōðer, 1355 "þone on geār-dagum Grendel nemdon "fold-būende: nō hīe fæder cunnon, "hwæðer him ǣnig wæs ǣr ācenned "dyrnra gāsta. Hīe dȳgel lond "warigeað, wulf-hleoðu, windige næssas, 1360 "frēcne fen-gelād, þǣr fyrgen-strēam "under næssa genipu niðer gewīteð, "flōd under foldan; nis þæt feor heonon "mīl-gemearces, þæt se mere standeð, "ofer þǣm hongiað hrīmge bearwas, 1365 "wudu wyrtum fæst, wæter oferhelmað. "Þǣr mæg nihta gehwǣm nīð-wundor sēon, "fȳr on flōde; nō þæs frōd leofað "gumena bearna, þæt þone grund wite; "þēah þe hǣð-stapa hundum geswenced, 1370 "heorot hornum trum holt-wudu sēce, "feorran geflȳmed, ǣr hē feorh seleð, "aldor on ōfre, ǣr hē in wille, "hafelan hȳdan. Nis þæt hēoru stōw: "þonon ȳð-geblond up āstīgeð 1375 "won tō wolcnum, þonne wind styreð "lāð gewidru, oð þæt lyft drysmað, "roderas rēotað. Nū is rǣd gelang "eft æt þē ānum! Eard gīt ne const, "frēcne stōwe, þǣr þū findan miht 1380 "sinnigne secg: sēc gif þū dyrre! "Ic þē þā fǣhðe fēo lēanige, "eald-gestrēonum, swā ic ǣr dyde, "wundnum golde, gyf þū on weg cymest."
XXII. BĒOWULF SEEKS THE MONSTER IN THE HAUNTS OF THE NIXIES.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: 1385 "Ne sorga, snotor guma! sēlre bið ǣghwǣm, "þæt hē his frēond wrece, þonne hē fela murne; "ūre ǣghwylc sceal ende gebīdan "worolde līfes; wyrce sē þe mōte "dōmes ǣr dēaðe! þæt bið driht-guman 1390 "unlifgendum æfter sēlest. "Ārīs, rīces weard; uton hraðe fēran, "Grendles māgan gang scēawigan! "Ic hit þē gehāte: nō hē on helm losað, "nē on foldan fæðm, nē on fyrgen-holt, 1395 "nē on gyfenes grund, gā þǣr hē wille. "Þȳs dōgor þū geþyld hafa "wēana gehwylces, swā ic þē wēne tō!" Āhlēop þā se gomela, gode þancode, mihtigan drihtne, þæs se man gespræc. 1400 Þā wæs Hrōðgāre hors gebǣted, wicg wunden-feax. Wīsa fengel geatolīc gengde; gum-fēða stōp lind-hæbbendra. Lāstas wǣron æfter wald-swaðum wīde gesȳne, 1405 gang ofer grundas; gegnum fōr þā ofer myrcan mōr, mago-þegna bær þone sēlestan sāwol-lēasne, þāra þe mid Hrōðgāre hām eahtode. Ofer-ēode þā æðelinga bearn 1410 stēap stān-hliðo, stīge nearwe, enge ān-paðas, un-cūð gelād, neowle næssas, nicor-hūsa fela; hē fēara sum beforan gengde wīsra monna, wong scēawian, 1415 oð þæt hē fǣringa fyrgen-bēamas ofer hārne stān hleonian funde, wyn-lēasne wudu; wæter under stōd drēorig and gedrēfed. Denum eallum wæs, winum Scyldinga, weorce on mōde, 1420 tō geþolianne þegne monegum, oncȳð eorla gehwǣm, syððan Æsc-heres on þām holm-clife hafelan mētton. Flōd blōde wēol (folc tō sǣgon) hātan heolfre. Horn stundum song 1425 fūslīc fyrd-lēoð. Fēða eal gesæt; gesāwon þā æfter wætere wyrm-cynnes fela, sellīce sǣ-dracan sund cunnian, swylce on næs-hleoðum nicras licgean, þā on undern-mǣl oft bewitigað 1430 sorh-fulne sīð on segl-rāde, wyrmas and wil-dēor; hīe on weg hruron bitere and gebolgne, bearhtm ongeāton, gūð-horn galan. Sumne Gēata lēod of flān-bogan fēores getwǣfde, 1435 ȳð-gewinnes, þæt him on aldre stōd here-strǣl hearda; hē on holme wæs sundes þē sǣnra, þē hyne swylt fornam. Hræðe wearð on ȳðum mid eofer-sprēotum heoro-hōcyhtum hearde genearwod, 1440 nīða genǣged and on næs togen wundorlīc wǣg-bora; weras scēawedon gryrelīcne gist. Gyrede hine Bēowulf eorl-gewǣdum, nalles for ealdre mearn: scolde here-byrne hondum gebrōden, 1445 sīd and searo-fāh, sund cunnian, sēo þe bān-cofan beorgan cūðe, þæt him hilde-grāp hreðre ne mihte, eorres inwit-feng, aldre gesceððan; ac se hwīta helm hafelan werede, 1450 sē þe mere-grundas mengan scolde, sēcan sund-gebland since geweorðad, befongen frēa-wrāsnum, swā hine fyrn-dagum worhte wǣpna smið, wundrum tēode, besette swīn-līcum, þæt hine syððan nō 1455 brond nē beado-mēcas bītan ne meahton. Næs þæt þonne mǣtost mægen-fultuma, þæt him on þearfe lāh þyle Hrōðgāres; wæs þǣm hæft-mēce Hrunting nama, þæt wæs ān foran eald-gestrēona; 1460 ecg wæs īren āter-tēarum fāh, āhyrded heaðo-swāte; nǣfre hit æt hilde ne swāc manna ǣngum þāra þe hit mid mundum bewand, sē þe gryre-sīðas gegān dorste, folc-stede fāra; næs þæt forma sīð, 1465 þæt hit ellen-weorc æfnan scolde. Hūru ne gemunde mago Ecglāfes eafoðes cræftig, þæt hē ǣr gespræc wīne druncen, þā hē þæs wǣpnes onlāh sēlran sweord-frecan: selfa ne dorste 1470 under ȳða gewin aldre genēðan, driht-scype drēogan; þǣr hē dōme forlēas, ellen-mǣrðum. Ne wæs þǣm ōðrum swā, syððan hē hine tō gūðe gegyred hæfde.
XXIII. THE BATTLE WITH THE WATER-DRAKE.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: 1475 "geþenc nū, se mǣra maga Healfdenes, "snottra fengel, nū ic eom sīðes fūs, "gold-wine gumena, hwæt wit geō sprǣcon, "gif ic æt þearfe þīnre scolde "aldre linnan, þæt þū mē ā wǣre 1480 "forð-gewitenum on fæder stǣle; "wes þū mund-bora mīnum mago-þegnum, "hond-gesellum, gif mec hild nime: "swylce þū þā mādmas, þē þū mē sealdest, "Hrōðgār lēofa, Higelāce onsend. 1485 "Mæg þonne on þǣm golde ongitan Gēata dryhten, "gesēon sunu Hrēðles, þonne hē on þæt sinc starað, "þæt ic gum-cystum gōdne funde "bēaga bryttan, brēac þonne mōste. "And þū Unferð lǣt ealde lāfe, 1490 "wrǣtlīc wǣg-sweord wīd-cūðne man "heard-ecg habban; ic mē mid Hruntinge "dōm gewyrce, oððe mec dēað nimeð." Æfter þǣm wordum Weder-Gēata lēod efste mid elne, nalas andsware 1495 bīdan wolde; brim-wylm onfēng hilde-rince. Þā wæs hwīl dæges, ǣr hē þone grund-wong ongytan mehte. Sōna þæt onfunde, sē þe flōda begong heoro-gīfre behēold hund missēra, 1500 grim and grǣdig, þæt þǣr gumena sum æl-wihta eard ufan cunnode. Grāp þā tōgēanes, gūð-rinc gefēng atolan clommum; nō þȳ ǣr in gescōd hālan līce: hring ūtan ymb-bearh, 1505 þæt hēo þone fyrd-hom þurh-fōn ne mihte, locene leoðo-syrcan lāðan fingrum. Bær þā sēo brim-wylf, þā hēo tō botme cōm, hringa þengel tō hofe sīnum, swā hē ne mihte nō (hē þæs mōdig wæs) 1510 wǣpna gewealdan, ac hine wundra þæs fela swencte on sunde, sǣ-dēor monig hilde-tūxum here-syrcan bræc, ēhton āglǣcan. Þā se eorl ongeat, þæt hē in nið-sele nāt-hwylcum wæs, 1515 þǣr him nǣnig wæter wihte ne sceðede, nē him for hrōf-sele hrīnan ne mehte fǣr-gripe flōdes: fȳr-lēoht geseah, blācne lēoman beorhte scīnan. Ongeat þā se gōda grund-wyrgenne, 1520 mere-wīf mihtig; mægen-rǣs forgeaf hilde-bille, hond swenge ne oftēah, þæt hire on hafelan hring-mǣl āgōl grǣdig gūð-lēoð. Þā se gist onfand, þæt se beado-lēoma bītan nolde, 1525 aldre sceððan, ac sēo ecg geswāc þēodne æt þearfe: þolode ǣr fela hond-gemōta, helm oft gescær, fǣges fyrd-hrægl: þæt wæs forma sīð dēorum māðme, þæt his dōm ālæg. 1530 Eft wæs ān-rǣd, nalas elnes læt, mǣrða gemyndig mǣg Hygelāces; wearp þā wunden-mǣl wrǣttum gebunden yrre ōretta, þæt hit on eorðan læg, stīð and stȳl-ecg; strenge getruwode, 1535 mund-gripe mægenes. Swā sceal man dōn, þonne hē æt gūðe gegān þenceð longsumne lof, nā ymb his līf cearað. Gefēng þā be eaxle (nalas for fǣhðe mearn) Gūð-Gēata lēod Grendles mōdor; 1540 brægd þā beadwe heard, þā hē gebolgen wæs, feorh-genīðlan, þæt hēo on flet gebēah. Hēo him eft hraðe and-lēan forgeald grimman grāpum and him tōgēanes fēng; oferwearp þā wērig-mōd wigena strengest, 1545 fēðe-cempa, þæt hē on fylle wearð. Ofsæt þā þone sele-gyst and hyre seaxe getēah, brād and brūn-ecg wolde hire bearn wrecan, āngan eaferan. Him on eaxle læg brēost-net brōden; þæt gebearh fēore, 1550 wið ord and wið ecge ingang forstōd. Hæfde þā forsīðod sunu Ecgþēowes under gynne grund, Gēata cempa, nemne him heaðo-byrne helpe gefremede, here-net hearde, and hālig god 1555 gewēold wīg-sigor, wītig drihten; rodera rǣdend hit on ryht gescēd, ȳðelīce syððan hē eft āstōd.