þonne heoru bunden, hamere geþuren,
sweord swāte fāh swīn ofer helme,
ecgum dyhttig, andweard scireð.
Đā wæs on healle heard-ecg togen,
sweord ofer setlum, sīd-rand manig
1290
hafen handa fæst; helm ne gemunde,
byrnan sīde, þā hine se brōga angeat.
Hēo wæs on ofste, wolde ūt þanon,
fēore beorgan, þā hēo onfunden wæs.
Hraðe hēo æþelinga ānne hæfde
fæste befangen, þā hēo tō fenne gang.
Sē wæs Hrōþgāre hæleþa lēofost
on gesīðes hād be sǣm twēonum,
rīce rand-wiga, þone ðe hēo on ræste ābrēat,
blǣd-fæstne beorn. Næs Bēowulf ðǣr,
1300
ac wæs ōþer in ǣr geteohhod
æfter māþðum-gife mǣrum Gēate.
Hrēan wearð in Heorote; hēo under heolfre genam
cūþe folme; cearu wæs genīwod,
geworden in wīcun. Ne wæs þæt gewrixle til,
þæt hīe on bā healfa bicgan scoldon
frēonda fēorum. Þā wæs frōd cyning,
hār hilde-rinc, on hrēon mōde,
syðþan hē aldor-þegn unlyfigendne,
þone dēorestan dēadne wisse.
1310
Hraþe wæs tō būre Bēowulf fetod,
sigor-ēadig secg. Samod ǣr-dæge
ēode eorla sum, æþele cempa,
self mid gesīðum, þǣr se snotera bād,
hwæþre him Al-walda ǣfre wille
æfter wēa-spelle wyrpe gefremman.
Gang ðā æfter flōre fyrd-wyrðe man
mid his hand-scale —heal-wudu dynede—
þæt hē þone wīsan wordum nǣgde,
frēan Ingwina; frægn gif him wǣre,
1320
æfter nēod-laðe, niht getǣse.
Hrōðgār maþelode, helm Scyldinga:
“Ne frīn þū æfter sǣlum; sorh is genīwod
Denigea lēodum. Dēad is Æschere,
Yrmenlāfes yldra brōþor,
mīn rūn-wita ond mı īn rǣd-bora,
eaxl-gestealla, ðonne wē on orlege
hafelan weredon, þonne hniton fēþan,
eoferas cnysedan. Swylc scolde eorl wesan,
æðeling ǣr-gōd, swylc Æschere wæs!
1330
Wearð him on Heorote tō hand-banan
wæl-gǣst wǣfre; ic ne wāt hwæder
atol ǣse wlanc eft-sīðas tēah,
fylle gefrǣgnod. Hēo þā fǣhðe wræc,
þē þū gystran niht Grendel cwealdest
þurh hǣstne hād heardum clammum,
forþan hē tō lange lēode mīne
wanode ond wyrde. Hē æt wīge gecrang
ealdres scyldig; ond nū ōþer cwōm
mihtig mān-scaða, wolde hyre mǣg wrecan,
1340
gē feor hafað fǣhðe gestǣled,
þæs þe þincean mæg þegne monegum,
sē þe æfter sinc-gyfan on sefan grēoteþ,
hreþer-bealo hearde; nū sēo hand ligeð,
sē þe ēow wēl-hwylcra wilna dohte.
“Ic þæt lond-būend, lēode mīne,
sele-rǣdende secgan hȳrde,
þæt hīe gesāwon swylce twēgen
micle mearc-stapan mōras healdan,
ellor-gǣstas; ðǣra ōðer wæs,
1350
þæs þe hīe gewislīcost gewitan meahton,
idese onlīcnes; ōðer earm-sceapen
on weres wæstmum wrǣc-lāstas træd,
næfne hē wæs māra þonne ǣnig man ōðer;
þone on geār-dagum ‘Grendel’ nemdon
fold-būende; nō hīe fæder cunnon,
hwæþer him ǣnig wæs ǣr ācenned
dyrnra gāsta. Hīe dȳgel lond
warigeað, wulf-hleoþu, windige næssas,
frēcne fen-gelād, ðǣr fyrgen-strēam
1360
under næssa genipu niþer gewīteð,
flōd under foldan. Nis þæt feor heonon
mīl-gemearces, þæt se mere standeð
ofer þǣm hongiað hrinde bearwas;
wudu wyrtum fæst wæter oferhelmað.
Þǣr mæg nihta gehwǣm nīð-wundor sēon,
fȳr on flōde; nō þæs frōd leofað
gumena bearna þæt þone grund wite.
Đēah þe hǣð-stapa hundum geswenced,
heorot hornum trum holt-wudu sēce,
1370
feorran geflȳmed, ǣr hē feorh seleð,
aldor on ōfre, ǣr hē in wille,
hafelan hȳdan. Nis þæt hēoru stōw;
þonon ȳð-geblond up āstīgeð
won tō wolcnum, þonne wind styreþ
lāð gewidru, oðþæt lyft ðrysmaþ,
roderas rēotað. Nū is se rǣd gelang
eft æt þē ānum. Eard gīt ne const,
frēcne stōwe, ðær þū findan miht
fela-sinnigne secg; sēc gif þū dyrre.
1380
Ic þē þā fǣhðe fēo lēanige,
eald-gestrēonum, swā ic ǣr dyde,
wundini golde, gyf þȳ on weg cymest.”
Bēowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
“Ne sorga, snotor guma! Sēlre bið ǣghwǣm
þæt hē his frēond wrece, þonne hē fela murne.
Ūre ǣghwylc sceal ende gebīdan
worolde līfes; wyrce sē þe mōte
dōmes ǣr dēaþe; þæt bið driht-guman
unlifgendum æfter sēlest.
1390
Ārīs, rīces weard, uton hraþe fēran,
Grendles māgan gang scēawigan!
Ic hit þē gehāte: nō hē on helm losaþ,
nē on foldan fæþm, nē on fyrgen-holt,
nē on gyfenes grund, gā þǣr hē wille.
Đȳs dōgor þū geþyld hafa
wēana gehwylces, swā ic þē wēne tō.”
Āhlēop ðā se gomela, Gode þancode,
mihtigan Drihtne, þæs se man gespræc.
Þā wæs Hrōðgāre hors gebǣted,
1400
wicg wunden-feax; wīsa fengel
geatolīc gende; gum-fēþa stōp
æfter wald-swaþum wīde gesȳne,
gang ofer grundas, gegnum fōr
ofer myrcan mor, mago-þegna bær
þone sēlestan sāwol-lēasne,
þāra þe mid Hrōðgāre hām eahtode.
Oferēode þā æþelinga bearn
stēap stān-hliðo, stīge nearwe,
1410
enge ān-paðas, uncūð gelād,
neowle næssas, nicor-hūsa fela.
Hē fēara sum beforan gengde
wīsra monna, wong scēawian;
oþþæt hē fǣringa fyrgen-bēamas
ofer hārne stān hleonian funde,
wyn-lēasne wudu; wæter under stōd
drēorig on gedrēfed. Denum eallum wæs,
winum Scyldinga, weorce on mōde
tō geþolianne, ðegne monegum,
1420
oncȳð eorla gehwǣm, syðþan Æscheres
on þām holm-clife hafelan mētton.
Flōd blōde wēol —folc tō sægon—
hātan heolfre. Horn stundum song
fūslīc fyrd-lēoð. Fēþa eal gesæt;
gesāwon ðā æfter wætere wyrm-cynnes fela,
sellīce sǣ-dracan sund cunnian,
swylce on næs-hleoðum nicras licgean,
ðā on undern-mǣl oft bewitigað
sorh-fulne sīð on segl-rāde,
1430
wyrmas ond wil-dēor. Hīe on weg hruron
bitere ond gebolgne; bearhtm ongēaton,
gūð-horn galan. Sumne Gēata lēod
of flān-bogan fēores getwǣfde,
ȳð-gewinnes, þæt him on aldre stōd
here-strǣl hearda; hē on holme wæs
sundes þē sǣnra, ðē hyne swylt fornam.
Hraæþe wearð on ȳðum mid eofer-sprēotum
heoro-hōcyhtum hearde genearwod,
nīða genæged ond on næs togen
1440
wundorlīc wǣg-bora; weras scēawedon
gryrelīcne gist.
Gyrede hine Bēowulf
eorl-gewǣdum, nalles for ealdre mearn;
scolde here-byrne hondum gebrōden,
sīd ond searo-fāh, sund cunnian,
sēo ðe bān-cofan beorgan cūþe,
þæt him hilde-grāp hreþre ne mihte,
eorres inwit-feng aldre gesceþðan;
ac se hwīta helm hafelan werede,
sē þe mere-grundas mengan scolde,
1450
sēcan sund-gebland since geweorðad,
befongen frēa-wrāsnum, swā hine fyrn-dagum
worhte wǣpna smið, wundrum tēode,
besette swīn-līcum, þæt hine syðþan nō
brond nē beado-mēcas bītan ne meahton.
Næs þæt þonne mǣtost mægen-fultuma,
þæt him on ðearfe lāh ðyle Hrōðgāres;
wæs þǣm hæft-mēce Hrunting nama;
þæt wæs ān foran eald-gestrēona;
ecg wæs īren, āter-tānum fāh,
āhyrded heaþo-swāte; nǣfre hit æt hilde ne swāc
manna ǣngum, þāra þe hit mid mundum bewand,
sē ðe gryre-sīðas gegān dorste,
folc-stede fāra. Næs þæt forma sīð
þæt hit ellen-weorc æfnan scolde.
Hūru ne gemunde mago Ecglāfes
eafoþes cræftig, þæt hē ǣr gespræc
wīne druncen, þā hē þæs wǣpnes onlāh
sēlran sweord-frecan; selfa ne dorste
under ȳða gewin aldre genēþan,
1470
drihtscype drēogan; þǣr hē dōme forlēas,
ellen-mærðum. Ne wæs þǣm ōðrum swā,
syðþan hē hine tō gūðe gegyred hæfde.
Bēowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
“Geþenc nū, se mǣra maga Healfdenes,
snottra fengel, nū ic eom sīðes fūs,
gold-wine gumena, hwæt wit geō sprǣcon,
gif ic æt þearfe þīnre scolde
aldre linnan, þæt ðū mē ā wǣre
forð-gewitenum on fæder stǣle.
1480
Wes þū mund-bora mīnum mago-þegnum,
hond-gesellum, gif mec hild nime;
swylce þū ðā mādmas, þe þū mē sealdest,
Hrōðgār lēofa, Higelāce onsend.
Mæg þonne on þǣm golde ongitan Gēata dryhten,
gesēon sunu Hrǣdles, þonne hē on þæt sinc starað,
þæt ic gum-cystum gōdne funde
bēaga bryttan, brēac þonne mōste.
Ond þū Unferð lǣt ealde lāfe,
wrǣtlīc wǣg-sweord, wīd-cūðne man
1490
heard-ecg habban; ic mē mid Hruntinge
dōm gewyrce, oþðe mec dēað nimeð.”
Æfter þǣm wordum Weder-Gēata lēod
efste mid elne, nalas andsware
bīdan wolde; brim-wylm onfēng
hilde-rince. Đā wæs hwīl dæges,
ǣr hē þone grund-wong ongytan mehte.
Sōna þæt onfunde, sē ðe flōda begong
heoro-gīfre behēold hund missēra,
grim ond grǣdig, þæt þǣr gumena sum
1500
æl-wihta eard ufan cunnode.
Grāp þā tōgēanes; gūð-rinc gefēng
atolan clommum; nō þȳ ǣr in gescōd
hālan līce; hring ūtan ymb-bearh,
þæt hēo þone fyrd-hom ðurhfōn ne mihte,
locene leoðo-syrcan lāþan fingrum.
Bær þā sēo brim-wylf, þā hēo tō botme cōm,
hringa þengel tō hofe sīnum,
swā hē ne mihte, nō hē þæs mōdig wæs,
wǣpna gewealdan; ac hine wundra þæs fela
1510
swencte on sunde, sǣ-dēor monig
hilde-tūxum here-syrcan bræc,
ēhton āglǣcan. Đā se eorl ongeat,
þæt hē in nīð-sele nāt-hwylcum wæs,
þǣr him nǣnig wæter wihte ne sceþede,
nē him for hrōf-sele hrīnan ne mehte
fǣr-gripe flōdes: fȳr-lēoht geseah,