XXXVI. WIGLAF HELPS BĒOWULF IN THE FEUD
Wīglāf wæs hāten Wēoxstānes sunu, lēoflīc lind-wiga, lēod Scylfinga, 2605 mǣg Ælfheres: geseah his mon-dryhten under here-grīman hāt þrowian. Gemunde þā þā āre, þē hē him ǣr forgeaf wīc-stede weligne Wǣgmundinga, folc-rihta gehwylc, swā his fæder āhte; 2610 ne mihte þā forhabban, hond rond gefēng, geolwe linde, gomel swyrd getēah, þæt wæs mid eldum Ēanmundes lāf, suna Ōhteres, þām æt sæcce wearð wracu wine-lēasum Wēohstānes bana 2615 mēces ecgum, and his māgum ætbær brūn-fāgne helm, hringde byrnan, eald sweord eotonisc, þæt him Onela forgeaf, his gædelinges gūð-gewǣdu, fyrd-searo fūslīc: nō ymbe þā fǣhðe spræc, 2620 þēah þe hē his brōðor bearn ābredwade. Hē frætwe gehēold fela missēra, bill and byrnan, oð þæt his byre mihte eorl-scipe efnan, swā his ǣr-fæder; geaf him þā mid Gēatum gūð-gewǣda 2625 ǣghwæs unrīm; þā hē of ealdre gewāt, frōd on forð-weg. Þā wæs forma sīð geongan cempan, þæt hē gūðe rǣs mid his frēo-dryhtne fremman sceolde; ne gemealt him se mōd-sefa, nē his mǣges lāf 2630 gewāc æt wīge: þæt se wyrm onfand, syððan hīe tōgædre gegān hæfdon. Wīglāf maðelode word-rihta fela, sægde gesīðum, him wæs sefa geōmor: "Ic þæt mǣl geman, þǣr wē medu þēgun, 2635 "þonne wē gehēton ūssum hlāforde "in bīor-sele, þē ūs þās bēagas geaf, "þæt wē him þā gūð-geatwa gyldan woldon, "gif him þyslīcu þearf gelumpe, "helmas and heard sweord: þē hē ūsic on herge gecēas 2640 "tō þyssum sīð-fate sylfes willum, "onmunde ūsic mǣrða and mē þās māðmas geaf, "þē hē ūsic gār-wīgend gōde tealde, "hwate helm-berend, þēah þe hlāford ūs "þis ellen-weorc āna āþōhte 2645 "tō gefremmanne, folces hyrde, "forþām hē manna mǣst mǣrða gefremede, "dǣda dollīcra. Nū is sē dæg cumen, "þæt ūre man-dryhten mægenes behōfað "gōdra gūð-rinca: wutun gangan tō, 2650 "helpan hild-fruman, þenden hyt sȳ, "glēd-egesa grim! God wāt on mec, "þæt mē is micle lēofre, þæt mīnne līc-haman "mid mīnne gold-gyfan glēd fæðmie. "Ne þynceð mē gerysne, þæt wē rondas beren 2655 "eft tō earde, nemne wē ǣror mǣgen "fāne gefyllan, feorh ealgian "Wedra þīodnes. Ic wāt geare, "þæt nǣron eald-gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle "Gēata duguðe gnorn þrowian, 2660 "gesīgan æt sæcce: sceal ūrum þæt sweord and helm, "byrne and byrdu-scrūd bām gemǣne." Wōd þā þurh þone wæl-rēc, wīg-heafolan bær frēan on fultum, fēa worda cwæð: "Lēofa Bīowulf, lǣst eall tela, 2665 "swā þū on geoguð-fēore geāra gecwǣde, "þæt þū ne ālǣte be þē lifigendum "dōm gedrēosan: scealt nū dǣdum rōf, "æðeling ān-hȳdig, ealle mægene "feorh ealgian; ic þē fullǣstu!" 2670 Æfter þām wordum wyrm yrre cwōm, atol inwit-gæst ōðre sīðe, fȳr-wylmum fāh fīonda nīosan, lāðra manna; līg-ȳðum forborn bord wið ronde: byrne ne meahte 2675 geongum gār-wigan gēoce gefremman: ac se maga geonga under his mǣges scyld elne geēode, þā his āgen wæs glēdum forgrunden. Þā gēn gūð-cyning mǣrða gemunde, mægen-strengo, 2680 slōh hilde-bille, þæt hyt on heafolan stōd nīðe genȳded: Nægling forbærst, geswāc æt sæcce sweord Bīowulfes gomol and grǣg-mǣl. Him þæt gifeðe ne wæs, þæt him īrenna ecge mihton 2685 helpan æt hilde; wæs sīo hond tō strong, sē þe mēca gehwane mīne gefrǣge swenge ofersōhte, þonne hē tō sæcce bær wǣpen wundrum heard, næs him wihte þē sēl. Þā wæs þēod-sceaða þriddan sīðe, 2690 frēcne fȳr-draca fǣhða gemyndig, rǣsde on þone rōfan, þā him rūm āgeald, hāt and heaðo-grim, heals ealne ymbefēng biteran bānum; hē geblōdegod wearð sāwul-drīore; swāt ȳðum wēoll.
XXXVII. BĒOWULF WOUNDED TO DEATH.
2695 Þā ic æt þearfe gefrægn þēod-cyninges and-longne eorl ellen cȳðan, cræft and cēnðu, swā him gecynde wæs; ne hēdde hē þæs heafolan, ac sīo hand gebarn mōdiges mannes, þǣr hē his mǣges healp, 2700 þæt hē þone nīð-gæst nioðor hwēne slōh, secg on searwum, þæt þæt sweord gedēaf fāh and fǣted, þæt þæt fȳr ongon sweðrian syððan. Þā gēn sylf cyning gewēold his gewitte, wæll-seaxe gebrǣ, 2705 biter and beadu-scearp, þæt hē on byrnan wæg: forwrāt Wedra helm wyrm on middan. Fēond gefyldan (ferh ellen wræc), and hī hyne þā bēgen ābroten hæfdon, sib-æðelingas: swylc sceolde secg wesan, 2710 þegn æt þearfe. Þæt þām þēodne wæs sīðast sīge-hwīle sylfes dǣdum, worlde geweorces. Þā sīo wund ongon, þē him se eorð-draca ǣr geworhte, swelan and swellan. Hē þæt sōna onfand, 2715 þæt him on brēostum bealo-nīð wēoll, attor on innan. Þā se æðeling gīong, þæt hē bī wealle, wīs-hycgende, gesæt on sesse; seah on enta geweorc, hū þā stān-bogan stapulum fæste 2720 ēce eorð-reced innan hēoldon. Hyne þā mid handa heoro-drēorigne þēoden mǣrne þegn ungemete till, wine-dryhten his wætere gelafede, hilde-sædne and his helm onspēon. 2725 Bīowulf maðelode, hē ofer benne spræc, wunde wæl-blēate (wisse hē gearwe, þæt hē dæg-hwīla gedrogen hæfde eorðan wynne; þā wæs eall sceacen dōgor-gerīmes, dēað ungemete nēah): 2730 "Nū ic suna mīnum syllan wolde "gūð-gewǣdu, þǣr mē gifeðe swā "ǣnig yrfe-weard æfter wurde, "līce gelenge. Ic þās lēode hēold "fīftig wintra: næs se folc-cyning 2735 "ymbe-sittendra ǣnig þāra, "þē mec gūð-winum grētan dorste, "egesan þēon. Ic on earde bād "mǣl-gesceafta, hēold mīn tela, "ne sōhte searo-nīðas, nē mē swōr fela 2740 "āða on unriht. Ic þæs ealles mæg, "feorh-bennum sēoc, gefēan habban: "forþām mē wītan ne þearf waldend fīra "morðor-bealo māga, þonne mīn sceaceð "līf of līce. Nū þū lungre 2745 "geong, hord scēawian under hārne stān, "Wīglāf lēofa, nū se wyrm ligeð, "swefeð sāre wund, since berēafod. "Bīo nū on ofoste, þæt ic ǣr-welan, "gold-ǣht ongite, gearo scēawige 2750 "swegle searo-gimmas, þæt ic þȳ sēft mǣge "æfter māððum-welan mīn ālǣtan "līf and lēod-scipe, þone ic longe hēold."
XXXVIII. THE JEWEL-HOARD. THE PASSING OF BEOWULF.
Þā ic snūde gefrægn sunu Wīhstānes æfter word-cwydum wundum dryhtne 2755 hȳran heaðo-sīocum, hring-net beran, brogdne beadu-sercean under beorges hrōf. Geseah þā sige-hrēðig, þā hē bī sesse gēong, mago-þegn mōdig māððum-sigla fela, gold glitinian grunde getenge, 2760 wundur on wealle and þæs wyrmes denn, ealdes ūht-flogan, orcas stondan, fyrn-manna fatu feormend-lēase, hyrstum behrorene: þǣr wæs helm monig, eald and ōmig, earm-bēaga fela, 2765 searwum gesǣled. Sinc ēaðe mæg, gold on grunde, gumena cynnes gehwone ofer-hīgian, hȳde sē þe wylle! Swylce hē siomian geseah segn eall-gylden hēah ofer horde, hond-wundra mǣst, 2770 gelocen leoðo-cræftum: of þām lēoma stōd, þæt hē þone grund-wong ongitan meahte, wrǣte giond-wlītan. Næs þæs wyrmes þǣr onsȳn ǣnig, ac hyne ecg fornam. Þā ic on hlǣwe gefrægn hord rēafian, 2775 eald enta geweorc ānne mannan, him on bearm hladan bunan and discas sylfes dōme, segn ēac genom, bēacna beorhtost; bill ǣr-gescōd (ecg wæs īren) eald-hlāfordes 2780 þām þāra māðma mund-bora wæs longe hwīle, līg-egesan wæg hātne for horde, hioro-weallende, middel-nihtum, oð þæt hē morðre swealt. Ār wæs on ofoste eft-sīðes georn, 2785 frætwum gefyrðred: hyne fyrwet bræc, hwæðer collen-ferð cwicne gemētte in þām wong-stede Wedra þēoden, ellen-sīocne, þǣr hē hine ǣr forlēt. Hē þā mid þām māðmum mǣrne þīoden, 2790 dryhten sīnne drīorigne fand ealdres æt ende: hē hine eft ongon wæteres weorpan, oð þæt wordes ord brēost-hord þurhbræc. Bēowulf maðelode, gomel on giohðe (gold scēawode): 2795 "Ic þāra frætwa frēan ealles þanc "wuldur-cyninge wordum secge, "ēcum dryhtne, þē ic hēr on starie, "þæs þe ic mōste mīnum lēodum "ǣr swylt-dæge swylc gestrȳnan. 2800 "Nū ic on māðma hord mīne bebohte "frōde feorh-lege, fremmað gē nū "lēoda þearfe; ne mæg ic hēr leng wesan. "Hātað heaðo-mǣre hlǣw gewyrcean, "beorhtne æfter bǣle æt brimes nosan; 2805 "se scel tō gemyndum mīnum lēodum "hēah hlīfian on Hrones næsse, "þæt hit sǣ-līðend syððan hātan "Bīowulfes biorh, þā þe brentingas "ofer flōda genipu feorran drīfað." 2810 Dyde him of healse hring gyldenne þīoden þrīst-hȳdig, þegne gesealde, geongum gār-wigan, gold-fāhne helm, bēah and byrnan, hēt hyne brūcan well: "Þū eart ende-lāf ūsses cynnes, 2815 "Wǣgmundinga; ealle Wyrd forswēof, "mīne māgas tō metod-sceafte, "eorlas on elne: ic him æfter sceal." Þæt wæs þām gomelan gingeste word brēost-gehygdum, ǣr hē bǣl cure, 2820 hāte heaðo-wylmas: him of hreðre gewāt sāwol sēcean sōð-fæstra dōm.