Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 02

II.

115Gewāt ðā nēosian,⁠syþðan niht becōm,
hēan hūses,⁠hū hit Hring-Dene
æfter bēor-þege⁠gebūn hæfdon.
Fand þā ðǣr inne⁠æþelinga gedriht
swefan æfter symble;⁠sorge ne cūðon,
120wonsceaft wera.^[1]⁠Wiht unhǣlo,
grim ond grǣdig,⁠gearo sōna wæs,
rēoc ond rēþe,⁠ond on raeste genam
þrītig þegna;⁠þanon eft gewāt
hūðe hrēmig⁠tō hām faran,
125mid þǣre wæl-fylle⁠wica nēosan.
Ða wæs on ūhtan⁠mid ǣr-dæge
Grendles guð-cræft⁠gumum undyrne;
þā wæs æfter wiste⁠wōp ūp āhafen,
micel morgen-swēg.⁠Mǣre þēoden,
130 æþeling ǣr-gōd,⁠unblīðe sæt,
þolode ðrȳð-swȳðy,⁠þegn-sorge drēah,
syðþan hīe þæs lāðan⁠lāst scēawedon,
wergan gāstes;⁠wæs þæt gewin tō strang,
lāð ond longsum.⁠Næs hit lengra *fyrst, Fol. 133a.
135ac ymb āne niht⁠eft gefremede
morð-beala māre⁠ond nō mearn fore
fǣhðe ond fyrene;⁠wæs tō fæst on þām.
Þā wæs ēað-fynde,⁠þe him elles hwǣr
gerūmlīcor⁠ræste [sōhte],^[2]
140bed æfter būrum,⁠ðā him gebēacnod wæs,
gesægd sōðlīce,⁠sweotolan tācne
heal-ðegnes hete;⁠hēold hyne syðþan
fyr ond fæstor,⁠sē þǣm fēonde ætwand.
Swā rixode⁠ond wið rihte wan
145āna wið eallum,⁠oð þæt īdel stōd
hūsa sēlest.^[3]⁠Wæs sēo hwīl micel;
twelf^[4] wintra tīd⁠torn geþolode
wine Scyldinga,^[5]⁠wēana gehwelcne,
sīdra sorga;⁠forðam [syðþan]^[6] wearð
150ylda bearnum⁠undyrne cuð,
gyddum gēomore,⁠þætte Grendel wan
hwīle wið Hrōþgār,⁠hete-nīðas wæg,
fyrene ond fǣhðe⁠fela missera,
singale sæce;⁠sibbe ne wolde
155wið manna hwone⁠mægenes Deniga
feorh-bealo feorran,⁠fēo^[7] þingian,
ne þǣr nǣnig witena⁠wēnan þorfte
beorhtre bōte⁠tō banan^[8] fohnum.
*[Atol]^[9] ǣglǣca⁠ēhtende wæs,Fol. 133b.
160deorc dēaþ-scūa,⁠duguþe ond geogoþe,
seomade ond syrede,⁠sin-nihte hēold
mistige mōras;⁠men ne cunnon,
hwyder hel-rūnan⁠hwyrftum scrīþað.
Swā fela fyrena⁠fēond man-cynnes,
165atol ān-gengea,⁠oft gefremede,
heardra hȳnða;⁠Heorot eardode,
sinc-fāge sel⁠sweartum nihtum;
nō hē þone gif-stōl⁠grētan mōste,
māþðum for Metode,⁠ne his myne wisse.^[10]
170Þæt wæs wrsec micel⁠wine Scyldinga,
mōdes brecða.⁠Monig oft gesæt
rīce tō rūne,⁠rǣd eahtedon,
hwæt swīð-ferhðum⁠sēlest wǣre
wið fǣr-gryrum⁠tō gefremmanne.
175 Hwīlum hīe gehēton⁠æt hærg-trafum.^[11]
wīg-weorþunga,⁠wordum bǣdon,
þæt him gāst-bona⁠gēoce gefremede
wið þēod-þrēaum.⁠Swylc wæs þēaw hyra,
hǣþenra hyht;⁠helle gemundon
180 in mōd-sefan,⁠Metod hīe ne cūþon,
dǣda Dēmend,⁠ne wiston hīe Drihten God,
*ne hīe hūru heofena Helm⁠herian ne cūþon,Fol. 134a.
wuldres Waldend.⁠Wā bið þǣm ðe sceal
þurh slīðne nīð⁠sāwle bescūfan
185 in fȳres fæþm,⁠frōfre ne wēnan,
wihte gewendan;⁠wel bið þǣm þe mōt
æfter dēað-dæge⁠Drihten sēcean,
ond tō Fæder fæþmum⁠freoðo wilnian.

1. 120. Sievers ‘wera[s].’
2. 139. Grein ‘[sōhte]’; Wülcker ‘[rȳmde].’ No gap in MS.
3. 146—7. Sievers:

   hūsa sēlest⁠(wæs sēo hwīl micel)
   twelf wintra tīd:⁠

4. 147. MS. ‘·XII·.’
5. 148. MS. ‘scyldenda’; Thorpe ‘Scyldinga.’
6. 149. Kemble’s emendation, required for the alliteration; no gap in MS.
7. 156. MS. ‘fea’; Kemble ‘fēo.’
8. 158. MS. ‘banū’: Kemble ‘banan.’
9. 159. MS. defective at corner. Thorpe ‘[Atol]’; Rieger ‘[ac se],’ without a period.
10. 167—9. Heyne punctuates:

    ⁠sweartum nihtum
    (nō hē þone gif-stōl⁠grētan mōste,
    māþðum for metode,⁠ne his myne wisse);

11. 175. MS. ‘hrærg’; Grundtvig ‘hærg-.’