Beowulf/The Fight at Finnsburh

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The Fight at Finnsburh
Anonymous
Source: Beowulf, James A. Harrison and Robert Sharp, eds. (1883) from Project Gutenberg


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Finnesburg Fragment.

[edit] THE ATTACK IN FINNSBURG.

     ". . . . . . . . . . . næs byrnað nǣfre."
     Hleoðrode þā heaðo-geong cyning:
     "Ne þis ne dagað ēastan, ne hēr draca ne flēogeð,
     "ne hēr þisse healle hornas ne byrnað,
5 "ac fēr forð berað fugelas singað,
     "gylleð grǣg-hama, gūð-wudu hlynneð,
     "scyld scefte oncwyð. Nū scȳneð þes mōna
     "waðol under wolcnum; nū ārīsað wēa-dǣda,
     "þē þisne folces nīð fremman willað.
10 "Ac onwacnigeað nū, wīgend mīne,
     "hebbað ēowre handa, hicgeað on ellen,
     "winnað on orde, wesað on mōde!"
     Þā ārās monig gold-hladen þegn, gyrde hine his swurde;
     þā tō dura ēodon drihtlīce cempan,
15 Sigeferð and Eaha, hyra sweord getugon,
     and æt ōðrum durum Ordlāf and Gūðlāf,
     and Hengest sylf; hwearf him on lāste.
     Þā gīt Gārulf Gūðere styrode,
     þæt hīe swā frēolīc feorh forman sīðe
20 tō þǣre healle durum hyrsta ne bǣran,
     nū hyt nīða heard ānyman wolde:
     ac hē frægn ofer eal undearninga,
     dēor-mōd hæleð, hwā þā duru hēolde.
     "Sigeferð is mīn nama (cwæð hē), ic eom Secgena lēod,
25 "wrecca wīde cūð. Fela ic wēana gebād,
     "heardra hilda; þē is gȳt hēr witod,
     "swæðer þū sylf tō mē sēcean wylle."
     Þā wæs on wealle wæl-slihta gehlyn,
     sceolde cēlod bord cēnum on handa
30 bān-helm berstan. Buruh-þelu dynede,
     oð þæt æt þǣre gūðe Gārulf gecrang,
     ealra ǣrest eorð-būendra,
     Gūðlāfes sunu; ymbe hine gōdra fela.
     Hwearf flacra hrǣw hræfn, wandrode
35 sweart and sealo-brūn; swurd-lēoma stōd
     swylce eal Finns-buruh fȳrenu wǣre.
     Ne gefrægn ic nǣfre wurðlīcor æt wera hilde
     sixtig sige-beorna sēl gebǣran,
     ne nǣfre swānas swētne medo sēl forgyldan,
40 þonne Hnæfe guldon his hæg-stealdas.
     Hig fuhton fīf dagas, swā hyra nān ne fēol
     driht-gesīða, ac hig þā duru hēoldon.
     Þā gewāt him wund hæleð on wæg gangan,
     sǣde þæt his byrne ābrocen wǣre,
45 here-sceorpum hrōr, and ēac wæs his helm þyrl.
     Þā hine sōna frægn folces hyrde,
     hū þā wīgend hyra wunda genǣson
     oððe hwæðer þǣra hyssa . . . . . . .