hēafod-mǣgum; þæs þū in helle scealt
werhðo drēogan, þēah þīn wit duge.
590
Secge ic þē tō sōðe, sunu Ecglāfes,
þæt nǣfre Grendel swā fela gryra gefremede,
atol ǣglǣca ealdre þīnum,
hȳnðo on Heorote, gif þīn hige wǣre,
sefa swā searo-grim, swā þū self talast;
ac hē hafað onfunden, þæt hē þā fǣhðe ne þearf,
atole ecg-þræce ēower lēode
swīðe onsittan, Sige-Scyldinga.
Nymeð nȳd-bāde, nǣnegum ārað
lēode Deniga, ac hē lust wigeð,
600
swefeð ond sendeþ, secce ne wēneþ
tō Gār-Denum. Ac ic him Gēata sceal
eafoð ond ellen ungeāra nū,
gūþe gebēodan. Gǣþ eft sē þe mōt
tō medo mōdig, siþþan morgen-lēoht
ofer ylda bearn ōþres dōgores,
sunne swegl-wered sūþan scīneð!”
Þā wæs on sālum sinces brytta,
gamol-feax ond gūð-rōf; gēoce gelȳfde
brego Beorht-Dena, gehȳrde on Bēowulfe
610
folces hyrde fæst-rǣdne geþōht.
Đǣr wæs hæleþa hleahtor, hlyn swynsode,
word wǣron wynsume. Ēode Wealhþēow forð,
cwēn Hrōðgāres, cynna gemyndig;
grētte gold-hroden guman on healle,
ond þā frēolic wīf ful gesealde
ǣrest Ēast-Dena ēþel-wearde;
bæd hine blīðne æt þǣre bēor-þege,
lēodum lēofne; hē on lust geþeah
symbel ond sele-ful, sige-rōf kyning.
620
Ymb-ēode þā ides Helminga
duguþe ond geogoþe dǣl ǣghwylcne,
sinc-fato sealde, oþþæt sǣl ālamp,
þæt hīo Bēowulfe, bēag-hroden cwēn
mōde geþungen, medo-ful ætbær.
Grētte Gēata lēod, gode þancode
wīs-fæst wordum, þæs ðe hire se willa gelamp,
þæt hēo on ǣnigne eorl gelȳfde
fyrena frōfre. Hē þæt ful geþeah,
wæl-rēow wiga, æt Wealhþēon,
630
ond þā gyddode gūþe gefȳsed;
Bēowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
“Ic þæt hogode, þā ic on holm gestāh,
sǣ-bāt gesæt mid mīnra secga gedriht,
þæt ic ānunga ēowra lēoda
willan geworhte, oþðe on wæl crunge,
fēond-grāpum fæst. Ic gefremman sceal
eorlīc ellen, oþðe ende-dæg
on þisse meodu-healle mīnne gebīdan.”
Đām wīfe þā word wēl līcodon,
640
gilp-cwide Gēates; ēode gold-hroden
frēolicu folc-cwēn tō hire frēan sittan.
Þā wæs eft swā ǣr inne on healle
þrȳð-word sprecen, ðēod on sǣlum,
sige-folca swēg, oþþæt semninga
sunu Healfdenes sēcean wolde
ǣfen-ræste. Wiste þǣm āhlǣ can
siððan hīe sunnan lēoht gesēon meahton,
oþ ðe nīpende niht ofer ealle,
650
scadu-helma gesceapu scrīðan cwōman
wan under wolcnum. Werod eall ārās.
Gegrētte þā guma ōþerne,
Hrō ðgār Bēowulf, ond him hǣl ābēad,
wīn-ærnes geweald, ond þæt word ācwæð:
“Nǣfre ic ǣnegum men ǣr ālȳfde,
siþðan ic hond ond rond hebban mihte,
ðrȳþ-ærn Dena būton þē nū ðā.
Hafa nū ond geheald husa sēlest:
gemyne mǣrþo, mægen-ellen cȳð,
660
waca wið wrāþum! Ne bið þē wilna gād
gif þū þæt ellen-weorc aldre gedīgest.”
Đā him Hrōþgār gewāt mid his hæleþa gedryht,
eodur Scyldinga ūt of healle;
wolde wīg-fruma Wealhþēo sēcan,
cwēn tō gebeddan. Hæfde kyning-wuldor
Grendle tōgēanes, swā guman gefrungon,
sele-weard āseted; sundor-nytte behēold
ymb aldor Dena, eoton-weard’ ābēad.
Hūru Gēata lēod georne truwode
670
mōdgan mægnes, Metodes hyldo.
Đā hē him of dyde īsern-byrnan,
helm of hafelan, sealde his hyrsted sweord,
īrena cyst ombiht-þegne,
ond gehealdan hēt hilde-geatwe.
Gespræc þā se gōda gylp-worda sum,
Bēowulf Gēata, ǣr hē on bed stige:
“Nō ic mē an here-wæsmun hnāgran talige
gūþ-geweorca þonne Grendel hine;
forþan ic hine sweorde swebban nelle,
680
aldre benēotan, þēah ic eal mæge.
Nāt hē þāra gōda, þæt hē mē ongēan slēa,
rand gehēawe, þēah ðe hē rōf sīe
nīþ-geweorca: ac wit on niht sculon
secge ofersittan, gif hē gesēcean dear
wīg ofer wǣpen: ond siþðan wītig God
on swā hwæþere hond, hālig Dryhten,
mǣrðo dēme, swā him gemet þince.”
Hylde hine þā heaþo-dēor, hlēor-bolster onfēng
eorles andwlitan, ond hine ymb monig
690
snellīc sǣ-rinc sele-reste gebēah.
Nǣnig heora þōhte, þæt hē þanon scolde
eft eard-lufan ǣfre gesēcean,
folc oþðe frēo-burh, þǣr hē āfēded wæs;
ac hīe hæfdon gefrūnen, þæt hīe ǣr tō fela micles
in þǣm wīn-sele wæl-dēað fornam,
Denigea lēode. Ac him Dryhten forgeaf
wīg-spēda gewiofu, Wedera lēodum,
frōfor ond fultum, þæt hīe fēond heora
ðurh ānes cræft ealle ofercōmon,
700
selfes mihtum. Sōð is gecȳþed,
þæt mihtig God manna cynnes
weold wīde-ferhð. Cōm on wanre niht
scrīðan sceadu-genga; scēotend swǣfon,
þā þæt horn-reced healdan scoldon,
ealle būton ānum. Þæt wæs yldum cūþ,
se syn-scaþa under sceadu bregdan,
ac hē wæccende wrāþum on andan
bād bolgen-mōd beadwa geþinges.
710
Đā cōm of mōre under mist-hleoþum
Grendel gongan, Godes yrre bær,
mynte se mān-scaða manna cynnes
sumne besyrwan in sele þām hēan.
Wōd under wolcnum, tō þæs þe hē wīn-reced,
gold-sele gumena gearwost wisse,
fǣttum fāhne. Ne wæs þæt forma sīð
þæt hē Hrōþgāres hām gesōhte.
Nǣfre hē on aldor-dagum ǣr nē siþðan
heardran hǣle heal-ðegnas fand.
720
Cōm þā tō recede rinc sīðian
drēamum bedǣled. Duru sōna onarn
fȳr-bendum fæst, syþðan hē hire folmum gehrān:
onbrǣd þā bealo-hȳdig, ðā hē gebolgen wæs,
recedes mūþan. Raþe æfter þon
on fāgne flōr fēond treddode,
ēode yrre-mōd; him of ēagum stōd
ligge gelīcost lēoht unfǣger.
Geseah hē in recede rinca manige,
swefan sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere,
730
mago-rinca hēap. Þā his mōd āhlōg;
mynte þæt hē gedǣlde, ǣr þon dæg cwōme,
atol āglǣca, ānra gehwylces
līf wið līce, þā him ālumpen wæs
wist-fylle wēn. Ne wæs þæt wyrd þā gēn,
þæt hē mā mōste manna cynnes
ðicgean ofer þā niht. Þrȳ
ð-swȳð behēold,
mǣg Higelāces, hū se mān-scaða
under fǣr-gripum gefaran wolde.
Nē þæt se āglǣ ca yldan þōhte,
740
ac hē gefēng hraðe forman sīðe
slǣpendne rinc, slāt unwearnum,
bāt bān-locan, blōd ēdrum dranc,
syn-snǣdum swealh; sōna hæfde
unlyfigendes eal gefeormod,
fēt ond folma. Forð nēar ætstōp,
nam þā mid handa hige-þīhtigne
rinc on ræste —rǣhte ongēan
fēond mid folme; hē onfēng hraþe
inwit-þancum ond wið earm gesæt.
750
Sōna þæt onfunde fyrena hyrde,
þæt hē ne mētte middan-geardes,
eorþan scēatta on elran men
mund-gripe māran; hē on mōde wearð
forht on ferhðe; nō þȳ ǣr fram meahte.
Hyge wæs him hin-fūs, wolde on heolster flēon,
sēcan dēofla gedræg; ne wæs his drohtoð þǣr,
swylce hē on ealder-dagum ǣr gemētte.
Gemunde þā se gōda mǣg Higelāces
ǣfen-sprǣce, up-lang āstōd
760
ond him fæste wiðfēng; fingras burston:
eoten wæs ūtweard, eorl furþur stōp.
Mynte se mǣra, þǣr hē meahte swā,
wīdre gewindan ond on weg þanon
flēon on fen-hopu; wiste his fingra geweald
on grames grāpum; þæt wæs gēocor sīð
þæt se hearm-scaþa tō Heorute ātēah.
Dryht-sele dynede, Denum eallum wearð,
ceaster-būendum, cēnra gehwylcum,
eorlum ealu-scerwen. Yrre wǣron bēgen,
770
rēþe ren-weardas. Reced hlynsode;
þā wæs wundor micel, þæt se wīn-sele
wiðhæfde heaþo-dēorum, þæt hē on hrūsan ne fēol,
fǣger fold-bold; ac hē þæs fæste wæs
innan ond ūtan īren-bendum
searo-þoncum besmiþod. Þǣr fram sylle ābēag
medu-benc monig, mīne gefrǣge,
golde geregnad, þǣr þā graman wunnon.
Þæs ne wēndon ǣr witan Scyldinga,
þæt hit ā mid gemete manna ǣnig,
780
betlīc ond bān-fāg tōbrecan meahte,
listum tōlūcan, nymþe līges fæþm
swulge on swaþule. Swēg up āstāg
nīwe geneahhe, Norð-Denum stōd
atelīc egesa, ānra gehwylcum
þāra þe of wealle wōp gehȳrdon,
gryre-lēoð galan Godes andsacan,
sige-lēasne sang, sār wānigean
helle hæfton. Hēold hine fæste,
sē þe manna wæs mægene strengest
790
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes.
Nolde eorla hlēo ǣnige þinga
þone cwealm-cuman cwicne forlǣtan,
nē his līf-dagas lēoda ǣnigum
nytte tealde. Þǣr genehost brægd
eorl Bēowulfes ealde lāfe,
wolde frēa-drihtnes feorh ealgian,
mǣres þēodnes, ðǣr hīe meahton swā.
Hīe þæt ne wiston, þā hīe gewin drugon,
heard-hicgende hilde-mecgas,
800
ond on healfa gehwone hēawan þōhton,
sāwle sēcan: þone syn-scaðan
ǣnig ofer eorþan īrenna cyst,
gūð-billa nān grētan nolde,
ac hē sige-wǣpnum forsworen hæfde,
ecga gehwylcre. Scolde his aldor-gedāl
on ðǣm dæge þysses līfes
earmlīc wurðan, ond se ellor-gāst
on fēonda geweald feor sīðian.
Đā þæt onfunde sē þe fela ǣror
810
mōdes myrðe manna cynne,
fyrene gefremede —hē fāg wið God—
þæt him se līc-homa lǣstan nolde,
ac hine se mōdega mǣg Hygelāces
hæfde be honda; wæs gehwæþer ōðrum
lifigende lāð. Līc-sār gebād
atol ǣglǣca; him on eaxle wearð
syn-dolh sweotol; seonowe onsprungon,
burston bān-locan. Bēowulfe wearð
gūð-hrēð gyfeþe; scolde Grendel þonan
820
feorh-sēoc flēon under fen-hleoðu,