3025ǣrran[1] mǣlum; þā wæs ende-dæg
gōdum gegongen, þæt se gūð-cyning,
Wedra þēoden, wundor-dēaðe swealt.
Ǣr hī þǣr gesēgan syllīcran wiht,
wyrm on wonge wiðer-ræhtes þǣr
3040lāðne licgean; wæs se lēg-draca,
grimlīc gryr[e],[2] *glēdum beswǣled.Fol. 195b.
Sē wæs fīftiges fōt-gemearces
lang on legere; lyft-wynne hēold
nihtes hwīlum, nyðer eft gewāt
3045dennes nīosian; wæs ðā dēaðe fæst,
hæfde eorð-scrafa ende genyttod.
Him big stōdan būnan ond orcas,
discas lāgon ond dȳre swyrd,
ōmige, þurh-etone, swā hīe wið eorðan fæðm
3050þūsend wintra þǣr eardodon;
þonne wæs þæt yrfe ēacen-cræftig,
īu-monna gold, galdre bewunden,
þæt ðām hring-sele hrīnan ne mōste
gumena ǣnig, nefne God sylfa,
3055sigora Sōð-cyning, sealde þām ðe hē wolde
(hē is manna gehyld) hord openian,
efne swā hwylcum manna, swā him gemet ðūhte.
- ↑ 3035. MS. ‘ærrun’ (“u altered from a by erasure.”—Z.) Sievers § 304, N. 2.
- ↑ 3041. MS. defective at corner. Heyne ‘gryre-gæst’ (cf. l. 2560), based on Kölbing’s statement that there is room for from four to six letters on the missing corner. This seems more than doubtful. B ‘gry…”; Zupitza ‘gryr[e]’ simply. It would appear from the facsimile that the corner of the folio was defective from the very first and that certainly not more than one letter is missing. This is confirmed by the fact, that if the corner had been perfect there had been ample space for two or three letters after laðne at the end of the bottom line but one.
