Page:Beowulf (Wyatt).djvu/47

seofon niht swuncon;⁠hē þē æt sunde oferflāt,
hæfde māre mægen.⁠Þā hine on morgen-tīd
on Heaþo-Rǣmas^[1]⁠holm up ætbær;
520ðonon hē gesōhte⁠swǣsne ēðel,^[2]
lēof his lēodum⁠lond Brondinga,
freoðo-burh fægere,⁠þǣr hē folc āhte,
burh ond bēagas.⁠*Bēot eal wið þēFol. 142a.
sunu Bēanstānes⁠sōðe gelǣste.
525Ðonne wēne ic tō þē⁠wyrsan geþingea,
ðēah þū heaðo-rǣsa⁠gehwǣr dohte,
grimre gūðe,⁠gif þū Grendles dearst
niht-longne fyrst⁠nēan bīdan.”
Bēowulf maþelode,⁠bearn Ecgþēowes:
530“Hwæt! þū worn fela,⁠wine mīn Unferð,^[3]
bēore druncen⁠ymb Brecan sprǣce,
sægdest from his sīðe.⁠Sōð ic talige,
þæt ic mere-strengo⁠māran āhte,
earfeþo^[4] on ȳþum,⁠ðonne ǣnig ōþer man.
535Wit þæt gecwǣdon⁠cniht-wesende
ond gebēotedon⁠(wǣron begen þā git
on geogoð-fēore),⁠þæt wit on gār-secg ūt
aldrum nēðdon;⁠ond þæt geæfndon swā.
Hæfdon swurd nacod,⁠þā wit on sund rēon,
540heard on handa;⁠wit unc wið hron-fixas
werian þōhton.⁠Nō hē wiht fram mē
flōd-ȳþum feor⁠flēotan meahte,

1. 519. MS. ‘heaþoræmes.’
2. 520. MS. ‘swæsne · ᛟ ·’ The O.E. name of this runic character was ēðel; hence the character is used here and in l. 913 for the word ēðel.
3. 530. MS. ‘hun ferð.’ The initial is always h in the MS., although the word always alliterates with vowels.
4. 534. There is this to be said for the emendation eafeþo, “strength,” that it is a closer parallel to mere-strengo than the reading of the MS.