Page:Beowulf (Wyatt).djvu/36

IV.

Him se yldesta⁠ondswarode,
werodes wīsa,⁠word-hord onlēac:
260“Wē synt gum-cynnes⁠Gēata lēode
ond Higelāces⁠heoið-genēatas.
Wæs mīn fæder⁠folcum gecȳþed,
æþele ord-fruma⁠Ecgþēow hāten;
gebād wintra worn,⁠ǣr hē on weg hwurfe
265gamol of geardum;⁠hine gearwe geman
witena wel-hwylc⁠wīde geond eorþan.
Wē þurh holdne hige⁠hlāford þīnne,
sunu Healfdenes,⁠sēcean cwōmon,
lēod-gebyrgean;⁠wes þū ūs lārena gōd.
270Habbað wē tō þǣm mǣran⁠micel ǣrende
Deniga frēan;⁠ne sceal þǣr dyrne sum
wesan, þæs ic wēne.⁠Þū wāst gif hit is,
swā wē sōþlīce⁠*secgan hȳrdon,Fol. 136a.
þæt mid Scyldingum⁠sceaðona^[1] ic nāt hwylc,
275dēogol dǣd-hata,^[2]⁠deorcum nihtum
ēaweð þurh egsan⁠uncūðne nīð,
hȳnðu ond hrā-fyl.⁠Ic þæs Hrōðgār mæg
þurh rūmne sefan⁠rǣd gelǣran,
hū hē frōd ond gōd⁠fēond oferswȳðeþ,
280gyf him ed-wendan⁠ǣfre scolde
bealuwa bisigu,⁠bōt eft cuman,
ond þā cear-wylmas⁠cōlran wurðaþ;
oððe ā syþðan⁠earfoð-þrāge,

1. 274. Zupitza says: “now only scea left.” Only Thorkelin’s first transcript has sceaðona.
2. 275. Grein’s Glossary gives: “dǣd-hata m. der durch Thaten hasst oder verfolgt? oder dǣd-hāta facinora spondens vel moliens?” Earle adopts the latter reading, and translates ‘author of deeds.’