Hrothgar sees no way of escape from the persecutions of Grendel.
So Healfdene’s kinsman constantly mused on
His long-lasting sorrow; the battle-thane clever
Was not anywise able evils to ’scape from:
Too crushing the sorrow that came to the people,
5
Loathsome and lasting the life-grinding torture,
Beowulf, the Geat, hero of the poem, hears of Hrothgar’s sorrow, and
resolves to go to his assistance.
Greatest of night-woes. So Higelac’s liegeman,
Good amid Geatmen, of Grendel’s achievements
Heard in his home:1 of heroes then living He was stoutest and strongest, sturdy and noble.
10
He bade them prepare him a bark that was trusty;
He said he the war-king would seek o’er the ocean,
The folk-leader noble, since he needed retainers.
For the perilous project prudent companions
Chided him little, though loving him dearly;
15
They egged the brave atheling, augured him glory.
With fourteen carefully chosen companions, he sets out for Dane-land.
The excellent knight from the folk of the Geatmen
Had liegemen selected, likest to prove them
Trustworthy warriors; with fourteen companions
The vessel he looked for; a liegeman then showed them,
20
A sea-crafty man, the bounds of the country.
Fast the days fleeted; the float was a-water,
The craft by the cliff. Clomb to the prow then
Well-equipped warriors: the wave-currents twisted
The sea on the sand; soldiers then carried
25
On the breast of the vessel bright-shining jewels,
Handsome war-armor; heroes outshoved then,
Warmen the wood-ship, on its wished-for adventure.
[9]
The vessel sails like a bird
The foamy-necked floater fanned by the breeze,
Likest a bird, glided the waters,
In twenty four hours they reach the shores of Hrothgar’s dominions
30
Till twenty and four hours thereafter
The twist-stemmed vessel had traveled such distance
That the sailing-men saw the sloping embankments,
The sea cliffs gleaming, precipitous mountains,
Nesses enormous: they were nearing the limits
35
At the end of the ocean. 2 Up thence quickly The men of the Weders clomb to the mainland,
Fastened their vessel (battle weeds rattled,
War burnies clattered), the Wielder they thanked
That the ways o’er the waters had waxen so gentle.
They are hailed by the Danish coast guard
40
Then well from the cliff edge the guard of the Scyldings
Who the sea-cliffs should see to, saw o’er the gangway
Brave ones bearing beauteous targets,
Armor all ready, anxiously thought he,
Musing and wondering what men were approaching.
45
High on his horse then Hrothgar’s retainer
Turned him to coastward, mightily brandished
His lance in his hands, questioned with boldness.
His challenge
“Who are ye men here, mail-covered warriors
Clad in your corslets, come thus a-driving
50
A high riding ship o’er the shoals of the waters,
3And hither ’neath helmets have hied o’er the ocean?
[10]
I have been strand-guard, standing as warden,
Lest enemies ever anywise ravage
Danish dominions with army of war-ships.
55
More boldly never have warriors ventured
Hither to come; of kinsmen’s approval,
Word-leave of warriors, I ween that ye surely
He is struck by Beowulf’s appearance.
Nothing have known. Never a greater one
Of earls o’er the earth have I had a sight of
60
Than is one of your number, a hero in armor;
No low-ranking fellow4 adorned with his weapons, But launching them little, unless looks are deceiving,
And striking appearance. Ere ye pass on your journey
As treacherous spies to the land of the Scyldings
65
And farther fare, I fully must know now
What race ye belong to. Ye far-away dwellers,
Sea-faring sailors, my simple opinion
Hear ye and hearken: haste is most fitting
Plainly to tell me what place ye are come from.”
[1] ‘From hám’ (194) is much disputed. One rendering is: Beowulf, being away from home, heard of Hrothgar’s troubles, etc. Another, that adopted
by S. and endorsed in the H.-So. notes, is: B. heard from his neighborhood
(neighbors), i.e. in his home, etc. A third is: B., being at home, heard this as occurring away from home. The H.-So. glossary and notes conflict.
[2] ‘Eoletes’ (224) is marked with a (?) by H.-So.; our rendering simply follows his conjecture.—Other conjectures as to ‘eolet’ are: (1) voyage, (2)
toil, labor, (3) hasty journey.
[3] The lacuna of the MS at this point has been supplied by various conjectures. The reading adopted by H.-So. has been rendered in the
above translation. W., like H.-So., makes ‘ic’ the beginning of a new
sentence, but, for ‘helmas bæron,’ he reads ‘hringed stefnan.’ This has the
advantage of giving a parallel to ‘brontne ceol’ instead of a kenning for
‘go.’—B puts the (?) after ‘holmas’, and begins a new sentence at the
middle of the line. Translate: What warriors are ye, clad in armor, who
have thus come bringing the foaming vessel over the water way, hither
over the seas? For some time on the wall I have been coast guard, etc. S.
endorses most of what B. says, but leaves out ‘on the wall’ in the last
sentence. If W.’s ‘hringed stefnan’ be accepted, change line 51 above to, A ring-stemmed vessel hither o’ersea.
[4] ‘Seld-guma’ (249) is variously rendered: (1) housecarle; (2) home-stayer; (3) common man. Dr. H. Wood suggests a man-at-arms in
another’s house.