At early dawn, warriors from far and near come together to hear of the
night’s adventures.
In the mist of the morning many a warrior
Stood round the gift-hall, as the story is told me:
Folk-princes fared then from far and from near
Through long-stretching journeys to look at the wonder,
5
The footprints of the foeman. Few of the warriors
Few warriors lamented Grendel’s destruction.
Who gazed on the foot-tracks of the inglorious creature
His parting from life pained very deeply,
How, weary in spirit, off from those regions
In combats conquered he carried his traces,
10
Fated and flying, to the flood of the nickers.
Grendel’s blood dyes the waters.
There in bloody billows bubbled the currents,
The angry eddy was everywhere mingled
And seething with gore, welling with sword-blood; 1
He death-doomed had hid him, when reaved of his joyance
15
He laid down his life in the lair he had fled to,
His heathenish spirit, where hell did receive him.
Thence the friends from of old backward turned them,
And many a younker from merry adventure,
Striding their stallions, stout from the seaward,
20
Heroes on horses. There were heard very often
Beowulf is the hero of the hour.
Beowulf’s praises; many often asserted
That neither south nor north, in the circuit of waters,
He is regarded as a probable successor to Hrothgar.
O’er outstretching earth-plain, none other was better
’Mid bearers of war-shields, more worthy to govern,
25
’Neath the arch of the ether. Not any, however,
’Gainst the friend-lord muttered, mocking-words uttered
But no word is uttered to derogate from the old king
Of Hrothgar the gracious (a good king he).
Oft the famed ones permitted their fallow-skinned horses
[31]
To run in rivalry, racing and chasing,
30
Where the fieldways appeared to them fair and inviting,
Known for their excellence; oft a thane of the folk-lord, 2
The gleeman sings the deeds of heroes.
3A man of celebrity, mindful of rhythms, Who ancient traditions treasured in memory,
New word-groups found properly bound:
35
The bard after ’gan then Beowulf’s venture
He sings in alliterative measures of Beowulf’s prowess.
Wisely to tell of, and words that were clever
To utter skilfully, earnestly speaking,
Everything told he that he heard as to Sigmund’s
Also of Sigemund, who has slain a great fire-dragon.
Mighty achievements, many things hidden,
40
The strife of the Wælsing, the wide-going ventures
The children of men knew of but little,
The feud and the fury, but Fitela with him,
When suchlike matters he minded to speak of,
Uncle to nephew, as in every contention
45
Each to other was ever devoted:
A numerous host of the race of the scathers
They had slain with the sword-edge. To Sigmund accrued then
No little of glory, when his life-days were over,
Since he sturdy in struggle had destroyed the great dragon,
50
The hoard-treasure’s keeper; ’neath the hoar-grayish stone he,
The son of the atheling, unaided adventured
The perilous project; not present was Fitela,
Yet the fortune befell him of forcing his weapon
Through the marvellous dragon, that it stood in the wall,
55
Well-honored weapon; the worm was slaughtered.
The great one had gained then by his glorious achievement
To reap from the ring-hoard richest enjoyment,
[32]
As best it did please him: his vessel he loaded,
Shining ornaments on the ship’s bosom carried,
60
Kinsman of Wæls: the drake in heat melted.
Sigemund was widely famed.
He was farthest famed of fugitive pilgrims,
Mid wide-scattered world-folk, for works of great prowess,
War-troopers’ shelter: hence waxed he in honor. 4
Heremod, an unfortunate Danish king, is introduced by way of contrast.
Afterward Heremod’s hero-strength failed him,
65
His vigor and valor. ’Mid venomous haters
To the hands of foemen he was foully delivered,
Offdriven early. Agony-billows
Unlike Sigemund and Beowulf, Heremod was a burden to his people.
Oppressed him too long, to his people he became then,
To all the athelings, an ever-great burden;
70
And the daring one’s journey in days of yore
Many wise men were wont to deplore,
Such as hoped he would bring them help in their sorrow,
That the son of their ruler should rise into power,
Holding the headship held by his fathers,
75
Should govern the people, the gold-hoard and borough,
The kingdom of heroes, the realm of the Scyldings.
Beowulf is an honor to his race.
He to all men became then far more beloved,
Higelac’s kinsman, to kindreds and races,
To his friends much dearer; him malice assaulted.—
The story is resumed.
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Oft running and racing on roadsters they measured
The dun-colored highways. Then the light of the morning
Was hurried and hastened. Went henchmen in numbers
To the beautiful building, bold ones in spirit,
To look at the wonder; the liegelord himself then
85
From his wife-bower wending, warden of treasures,
Glorious trod with troopers unnumbered,
Famed for his virtues, and with him the queen-wife
Measured the mead-ways, with maidens attending.
[1] S. emends, suggesting ‘déop’ for ‘déog,’ and removing semicolon after
‘wéol.’ The two half-lines ‘welling … hid him’ would then read: The bloody
deep welled with sword-gore. B. accepts ‘déop’ for ‘déog,’ but reads ‘déað-
fæges’: The deep boiled with the sword-gore of the death-doomed one.
[2] Another and quite different rendering of this passage is as follows: Oft a liegeman of the king, a fame-covered man mindful of songs, who very
many ancient traditions remembered (he found other word-groups
accurately bound together) began afterward to tell of Beowulf’s adventure,
skilfully to narrate it, etc.
[3] Might ‘guma gilp-hladen’ mean ‘a man laden with boasts of the deeds of others’?
[4] t.B. accepts B.’s ‘hé þæs áron þáh’ as given by H.-So., but puts a comma after ‘þáh,’ and takes ‘siððan’ as introducing a dependent clause:
He throve in honor since Heremod’s strength … had decreased.
[33]
HROTHGAR’S GRATITUDE.
Hrothgar discoursed (to the hall-building went he,
He stood by the pillar, 1 saw the steep-rising hall-roof Gleaming with gold-gems, and Grendel his hand there):
Hrothgar gives thanks for the overthrow of the monster.
“For the sight we behold now, thanks to the Wielder
5
Early be offered! Much evil I bided,
Snaring from Grendel:2 God can e’er ’complish Wonder on wonder, Wielder of Glory!
I had given up all hope, when this brave liegeman came to our aid.
But lately I reckoned ne’er under heaven
Comfort to gain me for any of sorrows,
10
While the handsomest of houses horrid with bloodstain
Gory uptowered; grief had offfrightened3
Each of the wise ones who weened not that ever
The folk-troop’s defences ’gainst foes they should strengthen,
’Gainst sprites and monsters. Through the might of the Wielder
15
A doughty retainer hath a deed now accomplished
Which erstwhile we all with our excellent wisdom
If his mother yet liveth, well may she thank God for this son.
Failed to perform. May affirm very truly
What woman soever in all of the nations
Gave birth to the child, if yet she surviveth,
20
That the long-ruling Lord was lavish to herward
In the birth of the bairn. Now, Beowulf dear,
Hereafter, Beowulf, thou shalt be my son.
Most excellent hero, I’ll love thee in spirit
As bairn of my body; bear well henceforward
The relationship new. No lack shall befall thee
25
Of earth-joys any I ever can give thee.
Full often for lesser service I’ve given
[34]
Hero less hardy hoard-treasure precious,
Thou hast won immortal distinction.
To a weaker in war-strife. By works of distinction
Thou hast gained for thyself now that thy glory shall flourish
30
Forever and ever. The All-Ruler quite thee
With good from His hand as He hitherto did thee!”
Beowulf replies: I was most happy to render thee this service.
Beowulf answered, Ecgtheow’s offspring:
“That labor of glory most gladly achieved we,
The combat accomplished, unquailing we ventured
35
The enemy’s grapple; I would grant it much rather
Thou wert able to look at the creature in person,
Faint unto falling, the foe in his trappings!
On murder-bed quickly I minded to bind him,
With firm-holding fetters, that forced by my grapple
40
Low he should lie in life-and-death struggle
’Less his body escape; I was wholly unable,
I could not keep the monster from escaping, as God did not will that I
should.
Since God did not will it, to keep him from going,
Not held him that firmly, hated opposer;
Too swift was the foeman. Yet safety regarding
45
He suffered his hand behind him to linger,
His arm and shoulder, to act as watcher;
He left his hand and arm behind.
No shadow of solace the woe-begone creature
Found him there nathless: the hated destroyer
Liveth no longer, lashed for his evils,
50
But sorrow hath seized him, in snare-meshes hath him
Close in its clutches, keepeth him writhing
In baleful bonds: there banished for evil
The man shall wait for the mighty tribunal,
God will give him his deserts.
How the God of glory shall give him his earnings.”
55
Then the soldier kept silent, son of old Ecglaf,
Unferth has nothing more to say, for Beowulf’s actions speak louder than
words.
From boasting and bragging of battle-achievements,
Since the princes beheld there the hand that depended
’Neath the lofty hall-timbers by the might of the nobleman,
Each one before him, the enemy’s fingers;
60
Each finger-nail strong steel most resembled,
The heathen one’s hand-spur, the hero-in-battle’s
Claw most uncanny; quoth they agreeing,
[35]
No sword will harm the monster.
That not any excellent edges of brave ones
Was willing to touch him, the terrible creature’s
65
Battle-hand bloody to bear away from him.
[1] B. and t.B. read ‘staþole,’ and translate stood on the floor.
[2] For ‘snaring from Grendel,’ ‘sorrows at Grendel’s hands’ has been suggested. This gives a parallel to ‘láðes.’ ‘Grynna’ may well be gen. pl. of
‘gyrn,’ by a scribal slip.
[3] The H.-So punctuation has been followed; but B. has been followed in understanding ‘gehwylcne’ as object of ‘wíd-scofen (hæfde).’ Gr. construes
‘wéa’ as nom abs.
HROTHGAR LAVISHES GIFTS UPON HIS