XXIV. BĒOWULF SLAYS THE SPRITE.
Geseah þā on searwum sige-ēadig bil, eald sweord eotenisc ecgum þȳhtig, 1560 wigena weorð-mynd: þæt wæs wǣpna cyst, būton hit wæs māre þonne ǣnig mon ōðer tō beadu-lāce ætberan meahte gōd and geatolīc gīganta geweorc. Hē gefēng þā fetel-hilt, freca Scildinga, 1565 hrēoh and heoro-grim hring-mǣl gebrægd, aldres orwēna, yrringa slōh, þæt hire wið halse heard grāpode, bān-hringas bræc, bil eal þurh-wōd fǣgne flǣsc-homan, hēo on flet gecrong; 1570 sweord wæs swātig, secg weorce gefeh. Līxte se lēoma, lēoht inne stōd, efne swā of hefene hādre scīneð rodores candel. Hē æfter recede wlāt, hwearf þā be wealle, wǣpen hafenade 1575 heard be hiltum Higelāces þegn, yrre and ān-rǣd. Næs sēo ecg fracod hilde-rince, ac hē hraðe wolde Grendle forgyldan gūð-rǣsa fela þāra þe hē geworhte tō West-Denum 1580 oftor micle þonne on ǣnne sīð, þonne hē Hrōðgāres heorð-genēatas slōh on sweofote, slǣpende fræt folces Denigea fȳf-tȳne men and ōðer swylc ūt of-ferede, 1585 lāðlīcu lāc. Hē him þæs lēan forgeald, rēðe cempa, tō þæs þe hē on ræste geseah gūð-wērigne Grendel licgan, aldor-lēasne, swā him ǣr gescōd hild æt Heorote; hrā wīde sprong, 1590 syððan hē æfter dēaðe drepe þrowade, heoro-sweng heardne, and hine þā hēafde becearf, Sōna þæt gesāwon snottre ceorlas, þā þe mid Hrōðgāre on holm wliton, þæt wæs ȳð-geblond eal gemenged, 1595 brim blōde fāh: blonden-feaxe gomele ymb gōdne ongeador sprǣcon, þæt hig þæs æðelinges eft ne wēndon, þæt hē sige-hrēðig sēcean cōme mǣrne þēoden; þā þæs monige gewearð, 1600 þæt hine sēo brim-wylf ābroten hæfde. Þā cōm nōn dæges. Næs ofgēafon hwate Scyldingas; gewāt him hām þonon gold-wine gumena. Gistas sētan, mōdes sēoce, and on mere staredon, 1605 wiston and ne wēndon, þæt hīe heora wine-drihten selfne gesāwon. Þā þæt sweord ongan æfter heaðo-swāte hilde-gicelum wīg-bil wanian; þæt wæs wundra sum, þæt hit eal gemealt īse gelīcost, 1610 þonne forstes bend fæder onlǣteð, onwindeð wæl-rāpas, sē þe geweald hafað sǣla and mǣla; þæt is sōð metod. Ne nom hē in þǣm wīcum, Weder-Gēata lēod, māðm-ǣhta mā, þēh hē þǣr monige geseah, 1615 būton þone hafelan and þā hilt somod, since fāge; sweord ǣr gemealt, forbarn brōden mǣl: wæs þæt blōd tō þæs hāt, ǣttren ellor-gǣst, sē þǣr inne swealt. Sōna wæs on sunde, sē þe ǣr æt sæcce gebād 1620 wīg-hryre wrāðra, wæter up þurh-dēaf; wǣron ȳð-gebland eal gefǣlsod, ēacne eardas, þā se ellor-gāst oflēt līf-dagas and þās lǣnan gesceaft. Cōm þā tō lande lid-manna helm 1625 swīð-mōd swymman, sǣ-lāce gefeah, mægen-byrðenne þāra þe hē him mid hæfde. Ēodon him þā tōgēanes, gode þancodon, þrȳðlīc þegna hēap, þēodnes gefēgon, þæs þe hī hyne gesundne gesēon mōston. 1630 Þā wæs of þǣm hrōran helm and byrne lungre ālȳsed: lagu drūsade, wæter under wolcnum, wæl-drēore fāg. Fērdon forð þonon fēðe-lāstum ferhðum fægne, fold-weg mǣton, 1635 cūðe strǣte; cyning-balde men from þǣm holm-clife hafelan bǣron earfoðlīce heora ǣghwæðrum fela-mōdigra: fēower scoldon on ðæm wæl-stenge weorcum geferian 1640 tō þǣm gold-sele Grendles hēafod, oð þæt semninga tō sele cōmon frome fyrd-hwate fēower-tȳne Gēata gongan; gum-dryhten mid mōdig on gemonge meodo-wongas træd. 1645 Þā cōm in gān ealdor þegna, dǣd-cēne mon dōme gewurðad, hæle hilde-dēor. Hrōðgār grētan: Þā wæs be feaxe on flet boren Grendles hēafod, þǣr guman druncon, 1650 egeslīc for eorlum and þǣre idese mid: wlite-sēon wrǣtlīc weras onsāwon.
XXV. HROTHGAR'S GRATITUDE: HE DISCOURSES.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: "Hwæt! wē þē þās sǣ-lāc, sunu Healfdenes, "lēod Scyldinga, lustum brōhton, 1655 "tīres tō tācne, þē þū hēr tō lōcast. "Ic þæt unsōfte ealdre gedīgde: "wigge under wætere weorc genēðde "earfoðlīce, æt-rihte wæs "gūð getwǣfed, nymðe mec god scylde. 1660 "Ne meahte ic æt hilde mid Hruntinge "wiht gewyrcan, þēah þæt wǣpen duge, "ac mē geūðe ylda waldend, "þæt ic on wāge geseah wlitig hangian "eald sweord ēacen (oftost wīsode 1665 "winigea lēasum) þæt ic þȳ wǣpne gebrǣ. "Ofslōh þā æt þǣre sæcce (þā mē sǣl āgeald) "hūses hyrdas. Þā þæt hilde-bil "forbarn, brogden mǣl, swā þæt blōd gesprang, "hātost heaðo-swāta: ic þæt hilt þanan 1670 "fēondum ætferede; fyren-dǣda wræc, "dēað-cwealm Denigea, swā hit gedēfe wæs. "Ic hit þē þonne gehāte, þæt þū on Heorote mōst "sorh-lēas swefan mid þīnra secga gedryht, "and þegna gehwylc þīnra lēoda, 1675 "duguðe and iogoðe, þæt þū him ondrǣdan ne þearft, "þēoden Scyldinga, on þā healfe, "aldor-bealu eorlum, swā þū ǣr dydest." Þā wæs gylden hilt gamelum rince. hārum hild-fruman, on hand gyfen, 1680 enta ǣr-geweorc, hit on ǣht gehwearf æfter dēofla hryre Denigea frēan, wundor-smiða geweorc, and þā þās worold ofgeaf grom-heort guma, godes andsaca, morðres scyldig, and his mōdor ēac; 1685 on geweald gehwearf worold-cyninga þǣm sēlestan be sǣm twēonum þāra þe on Sceden-igge sceattas dǣlde. Hrōðgār maðelode, hylt scēawode, ealde lāfe, on þǣm wæs ōr writen 1690 fyrn-gewinnes: syððan flōd ofslōh, gifen gēotende, gīganta cyn, frēcne gefērdon: þæt wæs fremde þēod ēcean dryhtne, him þæs ende-lēan þurh wæteres wylm waldend sealde. 1695 Swā wæs on þǣm scennum scīran goldes þurh rūn-stafas rihte gemearcod, geseted and gesǣd, hwām þæt sweord geworht, īrena cyst ǣrest wǣre, wreoðen-hilt and wyrm-fāh. þā se wīsa spræc 1700 sunu Healfdenes (swīgedon ealle): "Þæt lā mæg secgan, sē þe sōð and riht "fremeð on folce, (feor eal gemon "eald ēðel-weard), þæt þes eorl wǣre "geboren betera! Blǣd is ārǣred 1705 "geond wīd-wegas, wine mīn Bēowulf, "þīn ofer þēoda gehwylce. Eal þū hit geþyldum healdest, "mægen mid mōdes snyttrum. Ic þē sceal mīne gelǣstan "frēode, swā wit furðum sprǣcon; þū scealt tō frōfre weorðan "eal lang-twidig lēodum þīnum, 1710 "hæleðum tō helpe. Ne wearð Heremōd swā "eaforum Ecgwelan, Ār-Scyldingum; "ne gewēox hē him tō willan, ac tō wæl-fealle "and tō dēað-cwalum Deniga lēodum; "brēat bolgen-mōd bēod-genēatas, 1715 "eaxl-gesteallan, oð þæt hē āna hwearf, "mǣre þēoden. mon-drēamum from: "þēah þe hine mihtig god mægenes wynnum, "eafeðum stēpte, ofer ealle men "forð gefremede, hwæðere him on ferhðe grēow 1720 "brēost-hord blōd-rēow: nallas bēagas geaf "Denum æfter dōme; drēam-lēas gebād, "þæt hē þæs gewinnes weorc þrowade, "lēod-bealo longsum. Þū þē lǣr be þon, "gum-cyste ongit! ic þis gid be þē 1725 "āwræc wintrum frōd. Wundor is tō secganne, "hū mihtig god manna cynne "þurh sīdne sefan snyttru bryttað, "eard and eorl-scipe, hē āh ealra geweald. "Hwīlum hē on lufan lǣteð hworfan 1730 "monnes mōd-geþonc mǣran cynnes, "seleð him on ēðle eorðan wynne, "tō healdanne hlēo-burh wera, "gedēð him swā gewealdene worolde dǣlas, "sīde rīce, þæt hē his selfa ne mæg 1735 "for his un-snyttrum ende geþencean; "wunað hē on wiste, nō hine wiht dweleð, "ādl nē yldo, nē him inwit-sorh "on sefan sweorceð, nē gesacu ōhwǣr, "ecg-hete ēoweð, ac him eal worold 1740 "wendeð on willan; hē þæt wyrse ne con, "oð þæt him on innan ofer-hygda dǣl "weaxeð and wridað, þonne se weard swefeð, "sāwele hyrde: bið se slǣp tō fæst, "bisgum gebunden, bona swīðe nēah, 1745 "sē þe of flān-bogan fyrenum scēoteð.
XXVI. THE DISCOURSE IS ENDED.-BĒOWULF PREPARES TO LEAVE.
"Þonne bið on hreðre under helm drepen "biteran strǣle: him bebeorgan ne con "wom wundor-bebodum wergan gāstes; "þinceð him tō lȳtel, þæt hē tō lange hēold, 1750 "gȳtsað grom-hȳdig, nallas on gylp seleð "fǣtte bēagas and hē þā forð-gesceaft "forgyteð and forgȳmeð, þæs þe him ǣr god sealde "wuldres waldend, weorð-mynda dǣl. "Hit on ende-stæf eft gelimpeð, 1755 "þæt se līc-homa lǣne gedrēoseð, "fǣge gefealleð; fēhð ōðer tō, "sē þe unmurnlīce mādmas dǣleð, "eorles ǣr-gestrēon, egesan ne gȳmeð. "Bebeorh þē þone bealo-nīð, Bēowulf lēofa, 1760 "secg se betsta, and þē þæt sēlre gecēos, "ēce rǣdas; oferhȳda ne gȳm, "mǣre cempa! Nū is þīnes mægnes blǣd "āne hwīle; eft sōna bið, "þæt þec ādl oððe ecg eafoðes getwǣfeð, 1765 "oððe fȳres feng oððe flōdes wylm, "oððe gripe mēces oððe gāres fliht, "oððe atol yldo, oððe ēagena bearhtm "forsiteð and forsworceð; semninga bið, "þæt þec, dryht-guma, dēað oferswȳðeð. 1770 "Swā ic Hring-Dena hund missēra "wēold under wolcnum, and hig wigge belēac "manigum mǣgða geond þysne middan-geard, "æscum and ecgum, þæt ic mē ǣnigne "under swegles begong gesacan ne tealde. 1775 "Hwæt! mē þæs on ēðle edwenden cwōm, "gyrn æfter gomene, seoððan Grendel wearð, "eald-gewinna, in-genga mīn: "ic þǣre sōcne singāles wæg "mōd-ceare micle. Þæs sig metode þanc, 1780 "ēcean drihtne, þæs þe ic on aldre gebād, "þæt ic on þone hafelan heoro-drēorigne "ofer eald gewin ēagum starige! "Gā nū tō setle, symbel-wynne drēoh "wīgge weorðad: unc sceal worn fela 1785 "māðma gemǣnra, siððan morgen bið." Gēat wæs glæd-mōd, gēong sōna tō, setles nēosan, swā se snottra heht. Þā wæs eft swā ǣr ellen-rōfum, flet-sittendum fægere gereorded 1790 nīowan stefne. Niht-helm geswearc deorc ofer dryht-gumum. Duguð eal ārās; wolde blonden-feax beddes nēosan, gamela Scylding. Gēat ungemetes wēl, rōfne rand-wigan restan lyste: 1795 sōna him sele-þegn sīðes wērgum, feorran-cundum forð wīsade, se for andrysnum ealle beweotede þegnes þearfe, swylce þȳ dōgore hēaðo-līðende habban scoldon. 1800 Reste hine þā rūm-heort; reced hlīfade gēap and gold-fāh, gæst inne swæf, oð þæt hrefn blaca heofones wynne blīð-heort bodode. Þā cōm beorht sunne scacan ofer grundas; scaðan ōnetton, 1805 wǣron æðelingas eft tō lēodum fūse tō farenne, wolde feor þanon cuma collen-ferhð cēoles nēosan. Heht þā se hearda Hrunting beran, sunu Ecglāfes, heht his sweord niman, 1810 lēoflīc īren; sægde him þæs lēanes þanc, cwæð hē þone gūð-wine gōdne tealde, wīg-cræftigne, nales wordum lōg mēces ecge: þæt wæs mōdig secg. And þā sīð-frome searwum gearwe 1815 wīgend wǣron, ēode weorð Denum æðeling tō yppan, þǣr se ōðer wæs hæle hilde-dēor, Hrōðgār grētte.