Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 42

XLII.

Þā wæs gesȳne,  þæt se sīð ne ðāh
þām ðe unrihte  inne gehȳdde
3060wræte^[1] under wealle.  Weard ǣr ofslōh
fēara sumne;  þā sīo fǣhð gewearð
gewrecen wrāðlīce.  Wundur hwār þonne
eorl ellen-rōf  ende gefēre
līf-gesceafta,  þonne leng ne mæg
3065mon mid his [mā]gum^[2]  medu-seld būan.^[3]
Swā wæs Bīowulfe,  þā hē biorges weardFol. 196a.
sōhte, searo-nīðas;  seolfa ne cūðe,
þurh hwæt his worulde gedāl  weorðan sceolde.
Swā hit oð dōmes dæg  dīope benemdon
3070þēodnas mǣre,  þā ðæt þǣr dydon,
þæt se secg wǣre  synnum scildig,
hergum geheaðerod,  hell-bendum fæst,
wommum gewitnad,  sē ðone wong strude.^[4]
Næs hē gold-hwæt;^[5]  gearwor hæfde
3075Āgendes ēst  ǣr gescēawod.
Wīglāf maðelode,  Wihstānes sunu:
“Oft sceall eorl monig  ānes willan
wræc ādrēogan,^[6]  swā ūs geworden is.
Ne meahton wē gelǣran  lēofne þēoden,
3080rīces hyrde,  rǣd ǣnigne,
þǣt hē ne grētte  gold-weard þone,
lēte hyne licgean,  þǣr hē longe wæs,
wīcum wunian  oð woruld-ende;
hēold on^[7] hēah gesceap.  Hord ys gescēawod,
3085grimme gegongen;  wæs þæt gifeðe tō swīð,
þe ðone [þēod-cyning]^[8]  þyder ontyhte.
Ic wæs þǣr inne  ond þæt eall geondseh,
recedes geatwa,  þā mē gerȳmed wæs
nealles swǣslīce,  sīð ālȳfed
3090inn under eorð-weall.  Ic on ofoste gefēng
micle mid mundum  mægen-byrðenne
hord-gestrēona,  hider *ūt ætbærFol. 196b.
cyninge mīnum;  cwico wæs þā gēna,
wīs ond gewittig.  Worn eall gespræc
3095gomol on gehðo,  ond ēowic grētan hēt,
bæd þæt gē geworhton  æfter wines dǣdum
in bǣl-stede  beorh þone hēan,
micelne ond mǣrne,  swā hē manna wæs
wīgend weorð-fullost  wīde geond eorðan,
3100þenden hē burh-welan  brūcan mōste.
Uton nū efstan  ōðre [sīðe]^[9]
sēon ond sēcean  searo-geþræc,
wundur under wealle;  ic ēow wīsige,
þæt gē genōge  nēon^[10] scēawiað
3105bēagas ond brād gold.  Sīe sīo bǣr gearo
ǣdre geæfned,  þonne wē ūt cymen,
ond þonne geferian  frēan ūserne,
lēofne mannan,  þǣr hē longe sceal
on ðæs Waldendes  wǣre geþolian.”
3110Hēt ðā gebēodan  byre Wihstānes,
hæle hilde-dīor,  hæleða monegum,
bold-āgendra,  þæt hīe bǣl-wudu
feorran feredon,  folc-āgende,
gōdum tōgēnes:  “Nū sceal glēd fretan
3115(weaxan wonna lēg)  wigena strengel,
þone ðe oft gebād  īsern-scūre,
þonne strǣla storm  strengum gebǣded
scōc ofer scild-weall,  sceft nytte hēold,
feðer-gēarwum^[11] fūs  flāne full-ēode.”
3120Hūru se snotra  sunu Wihstānes
ācīgde of corðre  ^[12]*cyni[n]ges^[13] þegnasFol. 198a.
syfone [æt]somne,^[14]  þā sēlestan,
ēode eahta sum  under inwit-hrōf;
hilde-rinc sum  on handa bær
3125ǣled-lēoman,  sē ðe on orde gēong.
Næs ðā on hlytme,  hwā þǣt hord strude,
syððan orwearde  ǣnigne dǣl
secgas gesēgon  on sele wunian,
lǣne licgan;  lȳt ǣnig mearn,
3130þæt hī ofostlīc[e]^[15]  ūt geferedon
dȳre māðmas.  Dracan ēc scufun,
wyrm ofer weall-clif,  lēton wēg niman,
flōd fæðmian,  frætwa hyrde.
Þǣr^[16] wæs wunden gold  on wǣn hladen,
3135ǣghwæs unrīm;  æþeling^[17] boren,
hār hilde[-rinc],^[18]  to Hrones næsse.

1. 3060. MS. ‘wræce’; Thorpe ‘wræte.’ Cf. l. 2771.
2. 3065. MS. defective at corner.
3. Wülcker has a question-mark after būan.
4. 3073. MS. ‘strade.’ Cf. l. 3126.
5. 3074. MS. ‘gold-hwæte.’ Thorpe and Wülcker ‘gold-hwaete’: Grein (after Bugge) ‘Næs (“not”) hē gold-hwæte (agreeing with ēst) gearwor etc’ Sievers ‘gold-hwætes’ (agreeing with āgendes).
6. 3078. MS. ‘a dreogeð.’
7. 3084. MS. ‘heoldon,’ or not impossibly ‘heold on.’ Heyne ‘Hēoldon hēah gesceap,’ wir erhielten ein schweres Schicksal. Wūlcker ‘woruld-ende, / healdan hēah-gesceap.’ These appear to me equally unsatisfactory, and I have therefore suggested an emendation, which, if it lacks analogy, yet seems to give the sense required: “We could not dissuade him; he held (on) to his high fate, or he held on (adv.) his high fate.” Grein and Toller give several instances of the intrans. use of healdan, and of on used adverbially. See also Mätzner's O. E. Dict., p. 405, col. 1; among other passages there quoted is: “hald hardiliche o ꝥ tu haues bigunuen,” St. Kath. 676.
8. 3086. No gap in MS. Grein’s emendation. Grundtvig ‘þēoden.’
9. 3101. No gap in MS.
10. 3104. Heyne ‘nēan.” See Sievers § 150. 3.
11. 3119. MS. ‘fæder gearwū.’ Kemble’s emendation.
12. 3121. This folio, the last, is terribly mutilated with tears and holes.
13. MS. ‘cyniges.’
14. 3122. Zupitza ‘[to]-somme,’ and in a foot-note: “now to entirely gone.” That “now” is misleading, for apparently it was just as entirely gone in Thorkelin’s time. In the absence of evidence in its favour, I read ætsomne with Grein; cf. l. 2847.
15. 3130. MS. defective at edge.
16. 3134. MS. ‘ꝥ.’ Thorpe ‘Þǣr.’
17. 3135. MS. ‘æþelinge.’
18. 3136. MS. ‘hilde to.’ “I am unable to decide whether there is an erasure of one letter after hilde or an original blank.”—Z. Thorpe’s emendation.