XXVII. THE PARTING WORDS.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: "Nū wē sǣ-līðend secgan wyllað 1820 "feorran cumene, þæt wē fundiað "Higelāc sēcan. Wǣron hēr tela "willum bewenede; þū ūs wēl dohtest. "Gif ic þonne on eorðan ōwihte mæg "þīnre mōd-lufan māran tilian, 1825 "gumena dryhten, þonne ic gȳt dyde, "gūð-geweorca ic bēo gearo sōna. "Gif ic þæt gefricge ofer flōda begang, "þæt þec ymbe-sittend egesan þȳwað, "swā þec hetende hwīlum dydon, 1830 "ic þē þūsenda þegna bringe, "hæleða tō helpe. Ic on Higelāce wāt, "Gēata dryhten, þēah þe hē geong sȳ, "folces hyrde, þæt hē mec fremman wile "wordum and worcum, þæt ic þē wēl herige, 1835 "and þē tō gēoce gār-holt bere "mægenes fultum, þǣr þē bið manna þearf; "gif him þonne Hrēðrīc tō hofum Gēata "geþingeð, þēodnes bearn, hē mæg þǣr fela "frēonda findan: feor-cȳððe bēoð 1840 "sēlran gesōhte þǣm þe him selfa dēah." Hrōðgār maðelode him on andsware: "Þē þā word-cwydas wittig drihten "on sefan sende! ne hȳrde ic snotorlīcor "on swā geongum feore guman þingian: 1845 "þū eart mægenes strang and on mōde frōd, "wīs word-cwida. Wēn ic talige, "gif þæt gegangeð, þæt þe gār nymeð, "hild heoru-grimme Hrēðles eaferan, "ādl oððe īren ealdor þīnne, 1850 "folces hyrde, and þū þīn feorh hafast, "þæt þe Sǣ-Gēatas sēlran næbben "tō gecēosenne cyning ǣnigne, "hord-weard hæleða, gif þū healdan wylt "māga rīce. Mē þīn mōd-sefa 1855 "līcað leng swā wēl, lēofa Bēowulf: "hafast þū gefēred, þæt þām folcum sceal, "Gēata lēodum and Gār-Denum "sib gemǣnum and sacu restan, "inwit-nīðas, þē hīe ǣr drugon; 1860 "wesan, þenden ic wealde wīdan rīces, "māðmas gemǣne, manig ōðerne "gōdum gegrētan ofer ganotes bæð; "sceal hring-naca ofer hēaðu bringan "lāc and luf-tācen. Ic þā lēode wāt 1865 "gē wið fēond gē wið frēond fæste geworhte "ǣghwæs untǣle ealde wīsan." Þā gīt him eorla hlēo inne gesealde, mago Healfdenes māðmas twelfe, hēt hine mid þǣm lācum lēode swǣse 1870 sēcean on gesyntum, snūde eft cuman. Gecyste þā cyning æðelum gōd, þēoden Scildinga, þegen betstan and be healse genam; hruron him tēaras, blonden-feaxum: him wæs bēga wēn, 1875 ealdum infrōdum, ōðres swīðor, þæt hī seoððan gesēon mōston mōdige on meðle. Wæs him se man tō þon lēof, þæt hē þone brēost-wylm forberan ne mehte, ac him on hreðre hyge-bendum fæst 1880 æfter dēorum men dyrne langað beorn wið blōde. Him Bēowulf þanan, gūð-rinc gold-wlanc græs-moldan træd, since hrēmig: sǣ-genga bād āgend-frēan, sē þe on ancre rād. 1885 Þā wæs on gange gifu Hrōðgāres oft geæhted: þæt wæs ān cyning ǣghwæs orleahtre, oð þæt hine yldo benam mægenes wynnum, sē þe oft manegum scōd.
XXVIII. BĒOWULF RETURNS TO GEATLAND.-THE QUEENS HYGD AND THRYTHO.
Cwōm þā tō flōde fela-mōdigra 1890 hæg-stealdra hēap; hring-net bǣron, locene leoðo-syrcan. Land-weard onfand eft-sīð eorla, swā hē ǣr dyde; nō hē mid hearme of hlīðes nosan gæstas grētte, ac him tōgēanes rād; 1895 cwæð þæt wilcuman Wedera lēodum scawan scīr-hame tō scipe fōron. Þā wæs on sande sǣ-gēap naca hladen here-wǣdum, hringed-stefna mēarum and māðmum: mæst hlīfade 1900 ofer Hrōðgāres hord-gestrēonum. Hē þǣm bāt-wearde bunden golde swurd gesealde, þæt hē syððan wæs on meodu-bence māðme þȳ weorðra, yrfe-lāfe. Gewāt him on ȳð-nacan, 1905 drēfan dēop wæter, Dena land ofgeaf. Þā wæs be mæste mere-hrægla sum, segl sāle fæst. Sund-wudu þunede, nō þǣr wēg-flotan wind ofer ȳðum sīðes getwǣfde; sǣ-genga fōr, 1910 flēat fāmig-heals forð ofer ȳðe, bunden-stefna ofer brim-strēamas, þæt hīe Gēata clifu ongitan meahton, cūðe næssas. Cēol up geþrang, lyft-geswenced on lande stōd. 1915 Hraðe wæs æt holme hȳð-weard gearo, sē þe ǣr lange tīd, lēofra manna fūs, æt faroðe feor wlātode; sǣlde tō sande sīd-fæðme scip oncer-bendum fæst, þȳ lǣs hym ȳða þrym 1920 wudu wynsuman forwrecan meahte. Hēt þā up beran æðelinga gestrēon, frætwe and fǣt-gold; næs him feor þanon tō gesēcanne sinces bryttan: Higelāc Hrēðling þǣr æt hām wunað, 1925 selfa mid gesīðum sǣ-wealle nēah; bold wæs betlīc, brego-rōf cyning, hēa on healle, Hygd swīðe geong, wīs, wēl-þungen, þēah þe wintra lȳt under burh-locan gebiden hæbbe 1930 Hæreðes dōhtor: næs hīo hnāh swā þēah, nē tō gnēað gifa Gēata lēodum, māðm-gestrēona. Mod Þrȳðo wæg, fremu folces cwēn, firen ondrysne: nǣnig þæt dorste dēor genēðan 1935 swǣsra gesīða, nefne sin-frēa, þæt hire an dæges ēagum starede; ac him wæl-bende weotode tealde, hand-gewriðene: hraðe seoððan wæs æfter mund-gripe mēce geþinged, 1940 þæt hit sceaðen-mǣl scȳran mōste, cwealm-bealu cȳðan. Ne bið swylc cwēnlīc þēaw idese tō efnanne, þēah þe hīo ǣnlīcu sȳ, þætte freoðu-webbe fēores onsæce æfter līge-torne lēofne mannan. 1945 Hūru þæt onhōhsnode Heminges mǣg; ealo drincende ōðer sǣdan, þæt hīo lēod-bealewa lǣs gefremede, inwit-nīða, syððan ǣrest wearð gyfen gold-hroden geongum cempan, 1950 æðelum dīore, syððan hīo Offan flet ofer fealone flōd be fæder lāre sīðe gesōhte, þǣr hīo syððan wēl in gum-stōle, gōde mǣre, līf-gesceafta lifigende brēac, 1955 hīold hēah-lufan wið hæleða brego, ealles mon-cynnes mīne gefrǣge þone sēlestan bī sǣm twēonum eormen-cynnes; forþām Offa wæs geofum and gūðum gār-cēne man, 1960 wīde geweorðod; wīsdōme hēold ēðel sīnne, þonon Ēomǣr wōc hæleðum tō helpe, Heminges mǣg, nefa Gārmundes, nīða cræftig.
XXIX. HIS ARRIVAL. HYGELAC'S RECEPTION.
Gewāt him þā se hearda mid his hond-scole 1965 sylf æfter sande sǣ-wong tredan, wīde waroðas. Woruld-candel scān, sigel sūðan fūs: hī sīð drugon, elne geēodon, tō þæs þe eorla hlēo, bonan Ongenþēowes burgum on innan, 1970 geongne gūð-cyning gōdne gefrūnon hringas dǣlan. Higelāce wæs sīð Bēowulfes snūde gecȳðed, þæt þǣr on worðig wīgendra hlēo, lind-gestealla lifigende cwōm, 1975 heaðo-lāces hāl tō hofe gongan. Hraðe wæs gerȳmed, swā se rīca bebēad, fēðe-gestum flet innan-weard. Gesæt þā wið sylfne, sē þā sæcce genæs, mǣg wið mǣge, syððan man-dryhten 1980 þurh hlēoðor-cwyde holdne gegrētte mēaglum wordum. Meodu-scencum hwearf geond þæt reced Hæreðes dōhtor: lufode þā lēode, līð-wǣge bær hǣlum tō handa. Higelāc ongan 1985 sīnne geseldan in sele þām hēan fægre fricgean, hyne fyrwet bræc, hwylce Sǣ-Gēata sīðas wǣron: "Hū lomp ēow on lāde, lēofa Bīowulf, "þā þū fǣringa feorr gehogodest, 1990 "sæcce sēcean ofer sealt wæter, "hilde tō Hiorote? Ac þū Hrōðgāre "wīd-cūðne wēan wihte gebēttest, "mǣrum þēodne? Ic þæs mōd-ceare "sorh-wylmum sēað, sīðe ne truwode 1995 "lēofes mannes; ic þē lange bæd, "þæt þū þone wæl-gǣst wihte ne grētte, "lēte Sūð-Dene sylfe geweorðan "gūðe wið Grendel. Gode ic þanc secge, "þæs þe ic þē gesundne gesēon mōste." 2000 Bīowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþīowes: "Þæt is undyrne, dryhten Higelāc, "mǣre gemēting monegum fīra, "hwylc orleg-hwīl uncer Grendles "wearð on þām wange, þǣr hē worna fela 2005 "Sige-Scildingum sorge gefremede, "yrmðe tō aldre; ic þæt eal gewræc, "swā ne gylpan þearf Grendeles māga "ǣnig ofer eorðan ūht-hlem þone, "sē þe lengest leofað lāðan cynnes, 2010 "fenne bifongen. Ic þǣr furðum cwōm, "tō þām hring-sele Hrōðgār grētan: "sōna mē se mǣra mago Healfdenes, "syððan hē mōd-sefan mīnne cūðe, "wið his sylfes sunu setl getǣhte. 2015 "Weorod wæs on wynne; ne seah ic wīdan feorh "under heofenes hwealf heal-sittendra "medu-drēam māran. Hwīlum mǣru cwēn, "friðu-sibb folca flet eall geond-hwearf, "bǣdde byre geonge; oft hīo bēah-wriðan 2020 "secge sealde, ǣr hīo tō setle gēong. "Hwīlum for duguðe dōhtor Hrōðgāres "eorlum on ende ealu-wǣge bær, "þā ic Frēaware flet-sittende "nemnan hȳrde, þǣr hīo nægled sinc 2025 "hæleðum sealde: sīo gehāten wæs, "geong gold-hroden, gladum suna Frōdan; "hafað þæs geworden wine Scyldinga "rīces hyrde and þæt rǣd talað, "þæt hē mid þȳ wīfe wæl-fǣhða dǣl, 2030 "sæcca gesette. Oft nō seldan hwǣr "æfter lēod-hryre lȳtle hwīle "bon-gār būgeð, þēah sēo brȳd duge!