rēoc ond rēþe, ond on ræste genam
þrītig þegna; þanon eft gewāt
hūðe hrēmig tō hām faran,
mid þǣre wæl-fylle wīca nēosan.
Đā wæs on ūhtan mid ǣr-dæge
Grendles gūð-cræft gumum undyrne;
þā wæs æfter wiste wōp up āhafen,
micel morgen-swēg. Mǣre þēoden,
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æþeling ǣr-gōd, unblīðe sæt,
þolode ðrȳð-swȳð, þegn-sorge drēah,
syðþan hīe þæs lāðan lāst scēawedon
wergan gāstes. Wæs þæt gewin tō strang,
lāð ond longsum. Næs hit lengra fyrst,
ac ymb āne niht eft gefremede
morð-beala māre ond nō mearn fore,
fǣhðe ond fyrene; wæs tō fæst on þām.
Þā wæs eāð-fynde þe him elles hwǣr
gerūmlīcor ræste sōhte,
140
bed æfter būrum, ðā him gebēacnod wæs,
gesægd sōðlīce sweotolan tācne
heal-ðegnes hete; hēold hyne syðþan
fyr ond fæstor sē þǣm fēonde ætwand.
Swā rīxode ond wið rihte wan
āna wið eallum, oðþæt īdel stōd
hūsa sēlest. Wæs sēo hwīl micel:
twelf wintra tīd torn geþolode
wine Scyldinga, wēana gehwelcne,
sīdra sorga; forðām secgum wearð,
150
ylda bearnum, undyrne cūð,
gyddum geōmore, þætte Grendel wan
hwīle wið Hrōþgār, hete-nīðas wæg,
fyrene ond fǣhðe fela missēra,
singāle sæce; sibbe ne wolde
wið manna hwone mægenes Deniga,
feorh-bealo feorran, fēa þingian,
nē þǣr nǣnig witena wēnan þorfte
beorhtre bōte tō banan folmum;
ac se ǣglǣca ēhtende wæs,
160
deorc dēaþ-scūa duguþe ond geogoþe,
seomade ond syrede; sin-nihte hēold
mistige mōras; men ne cunnon
hwyder hel-rūnan hwyrftum scrīþað.
Swā fela fyrena fēond man-cynnes,
atol ān-gengea, oft gefremede,
heardra hȳnða; Heorot eardode,
sinc-fāge sel sweartum nihtum;
nō hē þone gif-stōl grētan mōste,
māþðum for Metode, nē his myne wisse.
170
Þæt wæs wrǣc micel wine Scyldinga,
mōdes brecða. Monig oft gesæt
rīce tō rūne, rǣd eahtedon,
hwæt swīð-ferhðum sēlest wǣre
wið fǣr-gryrum tō gefremmanne.
Hwīlum hīe gehēton æt hærg-trafum
wīg-weorþunga, wordum bǣdon,
þæt him gāst-bona gēoce gefremede
wið þēod-þrēaum. Swylc wæs þēaw hyra,
hǣþenra hyht; helle gemundon
180
in mōd-sefan, Metod hīe ne cūþon,
nē hīe hūru heofena Helm herian ne cūþon,
wuldres Waldend. Wā bið þǣm ðe sceal
þurh slīðne nīð sāwle bescūfan
in fȳres fæþm, frōfre ne wēnan,
wihte gewendan! Wēl bið þǣm þe mōt
æfter dēað-dæge Drihten sēcean
ond tō Fæder fæþmum freoðo wilnian!
Swā ðā mǣl-ceare maga Healfdenes
190
singāla sēað; ne mihte snotor hæleð
wēan onwendan; wæs þæt gewin tō swȳð,
lāþ ond longsum, þe on ðā lēode becōm,
nȳd-wracu nīþ-grim, niht-bealwa mæst.
Þæt fram hām gefrægn Higelāces þegn,
gōd mid Gēatum, Grendles dǣda;
sē wæs mon-cynnes mægenes strengest
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes,
æþele ond ēacen. Hēt him ȳð-lidan
gōdne gegyrwan; cwæð, hē gūð-cyning
200
ofer swan-rāde sēcean wolde,
mǣrne þēoden, þā him wæs manna þearf.
Đone sīð-fæt him snotere ceorlas
lȳt-hwōn lōgon, þēah hē him lēof wǣre;
hwetton hige-rōfne, hǣl scēawedon.
Hæfde se gōda Gēata lēoda
cempan gecorone, þāra þe hē cēnoste
findan mihte; fīf-tȳna sum
sund-wudu sōhte; secg wīsade,
lagu-cræftig mon, land-gemyrcu.
210
Fyrst forð gewāt; flota wæs on ȳðum,
bāt under beorge. Beornas gearwe
on stefn stigon— strēamas wundon,
sund wið sande; secgas bǣron
on bearm nacan beorhte frætwe,
gūð-searo geatolīc; guman ūt scufon,
weras on wil-sīð wudu bundenne.
Gewāt þā ofer wǣg-holm, winde gefȳsed,
flota fāmī-heals, fugle gelīcost,
oðþæt ymb ān-tīd ōþres dōgores
220
wunden-stefna gewaden hæfde,
þæt ðā līðende land gesāwon,
brim-clifu blīcan, beorgas stēape,
sīde sǣ-næssas; þā wæs sund liden,
ēo-letes æt ende. Þanon up hraðe
Wedera lēode on wang stigon,
sǣ-wudu sǣldon —syrcan hrysedon,
gūð-gewǣdo; Gode þancedon,
þæs þe him ȳþ-lāde ēaðe wurdon.
Þā of wealle geseah weard Scildinga,
230
sē þe holm-clifu healdan scolde,
beran ofer bolcan beorhte randas,
fyrd-searu fūslicu; hine fyrwyt bræc
mōd-gehygdum, hwæt þā men wǣron.
Gewāt him þā tō waroðe wicge rīdan
þegn Hrōðgāres, þrymmum cwehte
mægen-wudu mundum, meþel-wordum frægn:
“Hwæt syndon gē searo-hæbbendra,
byrnum werede, þe þus brontne cēol
ofer lagu-strǣte lǣdan cwōmon,
240
ende-sǣta, ǣg-wearde hēold,
þē on land Dena lāðra nǣnig
mid scip-herge sceðþan ne meahte.
Nō hēr cūðlīcor cuman ongunnon
lind-hæbbende; nē gē lēafnes-word
gūð-fremmendra gearwe ne wisson,
māga gemēdu. Nǣfre ic māran geseah
eorla ofer eorþan, ðonne is ēower sum,
secg on searwum; nis þæt seld-guma,
250
wǣpnum geweorðad; nǣfre him his wlite lēoge,
ǣnlīc ansȳn. Nū ic ēower sceal
frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan
lēas-scēaweras on land Dena
furþur fēran. Nū gē feor-būend,
mere-līðende, mīnne gehȳrað
ānfealdne geþōht; ofost is sēlest
tō gecȳðanne hwanan ēowre cyme syndon.”
Him se yldesta andswarode,
werodes wīsa, word-hord onlēac:
260
“Wē synt gum-cynnes Gēata lēode
ond Higelāces heorð-genēatas;
wæs mīn fæder folcum gecȳþed,
æþele ord-fruma Ecgþēow hāten,—
gebād wintra worn, ǣr hē on weg hwurfe,
gamol of geardum; hine gearwe geman
witena wēl-hwylc wīde geond eorþan.
Wē þurh holdne hige hlāford þīnne,
sunu Healfdenes, sēcean cwōmon,
lēod-gebyrgean; wes þū ūs lārena gōd!
270
Habbað wē tō þǣm mǣran micel ǣrende,
Deniga frēan; ne sceal þǣr dyrne sum
wesan, þæs ic wēne. Þū wāst—gif hit is,
swā wē sōþlīce secgan hȳrdon—
þæt mid Scyldingum sceaðona ic nāt hwylc,
dēogo
l dǣd-hata, deorcum nihtum
ēaweð þurh egsan uncū ðne nīð,
hȳnðu ond hrā-fyl. Ic þæs Hrōðgār mæg
þurh rūmne sefan rǣd gelǣran,
hū hē frōd ond gōd fēond oferswȳðeþ—
280
gyf him edwenden ǣfre scolde
bealuwa bisigu, bōt eft cuman—
ond þā cear-wylmas cōlran wurðaþ;
oððe ā syþðan earfoð-þrāge,
þrēa-nȳd þolað, þenden þǣr wunað
on hēah-stede hūsa sēlest.”
Weard maþelode, ðǣr on wicge sæt,
ombeht unforht; “Ǣghwæþres sceal
scearp scyld-wiga gescād witan,
worda ond worca, sē þe wēl þenceð.
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Ic þæt gehȳre, þæt þis is hold weorod
frēan Scyldinga. Gewītaþ forð beran
wǣpen ond gewǣdu; ic ēow wīsige:
swylce ic magu-þegnas mīne hāte
wið fēonda gehwone flotan ēowerne,
nīw-tyrwydne nacan on sande
ārum healdan, oþðæt eft byreð
ofer lagu-strēamas lēofne mannan
wudu wunden-hals tō Weder-mearce:
gōd-fremmendra swylcum gifeþe bið,
300
þæt þone hilde-rǣs hāl gedīgeð.”
Gewiton him þā fēran. Flota stille bād,
seomode on sāle sīd-fæþmed scip,
on ancre fæst. Eofor-līc scionon
ofer hlēor-bergan: gehroden golde,
fāh ond fȳ-heard, ferh wearde hēold:
gūþ-mōd grummon. Guman ōnetton,
sigon ætsomne, oþþæt hȳ sæl timbred,
geatolīc ond gold-fāh ongyton mihton;
þæt wæs fore-mǣrost fold-būendum
310
receda under roderum, on þǣm se rīca bād;
līxte se lēoma ofer landa fela.
Him þā hilde-dēor hof mōdigra
torht getǣhte, þæt hīe him tō mihton
gegnum gangan; gūð-beorna sum
wicg gewende, word æfter cwæð:
“Mǣl is mē tō fēran. Fæder al-walda
mid ār-stafum ēowic gehealde
sīða gesunde! Ic tō sǣ wille,
wið wrāð werod wearde healdan.”
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Strǣt wæs stān-fāh, stīg wīsode
gumum ætgædere. Gūð-byrne scān,
heard, hond-locen, hring-īren scīr
song in searwum. Þā hī tō sele furðum
in hyra gryre-geatwum gangan cwōmon,
setton sǣ-mēþe sīde scyldas,
rondas regn-hearde, wið þæs recedes weal;
bugon þā tō bence, byrnan hringdon,
gūð-searo gumena. Gāras stōdon,
sǣ-manna searo, samod ætgædere,
330
æsc-holt ufan grǣg; wæs sē īren-þrēat
wǣpnum gewurþad. Þā ðǣr wlonc hæleð
ōret-mecgas æfter æþelum frægn:
“Hwanon ferigeað gē fǣtte scyldas,
grǣge syrcan ond grīm-helmas,
here-sceafta hēap? Ic eom Hrōðgāres
ār ond ombiht. Ne seah ic elþēodige
þus manige men mōdiglīcran.
Wēn’ ic þæt gē for wlenco, nalles for wrǣc-sīðum,
ac for hige-þrymmum Hrōðgār sōhton.”
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Him þā ellen-rōf andswarode,
wlanc Wedera lēod, word æfter spræc,
heard under helme: “Wē synt Higelāces
bēod-genēatas; Bēowulf is mīn nama.
Wille ic āsecgan sunu Healfdenes,
mǣrum þēodne mīn ǣrende,
aldre þīnum, gif hē ūs geunnan wile,
þæt wē hine swā gōdne grētan mōton.”
Wulfgār maþelode: þæt wæs Wendla lēod,
wæs his mōd-sefa manegum gecȳðed,
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wīg ond wīsdōm: “Ic þæs wine Deniga
frēan Scildinga frīnan wille,
bēaga bryttan, swā þū bēna eart,
þēoden mǣrne, ymb þīnne sīð,
ond þē þā andsware ǣdre gecȳðan,
ðe mē se gōda āgifan þenceð.”
Hwearf þā hrædlīce, þǣr Hrōðgār sæt,