Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 19
XIX.
Sigon þā tō slǣpe.Sum sāre angeald
ǣfen-ræste,swā him ful oft gelamp,
siþðan gold-seleGrendel warode,[1]
unriht æfnde,oþ þæt ende becwōm,
1255swylt æfter synnum.Þæt gesȳne wearþ,
wīd-cūþ werum,þætte wrecend þā gyt
lifde æfter lāþum,lange þrāge
æfter gūð-ceare;Grendles mōdor,
ides, āglǣc-wīf,yrmþe gemunde,
1260sē þe wæter-egesanwunian scolde,
cealde strēamas,siþðan Cain[2] wearð
tō ecg-bananāngan brēþer,
fæderen-mǣge;hē þā fāg gewāt,
morþre gemearcod,*man-drēam flēon,Fol. 158a.
1265wēsten warode.Þanon wōc fela
gēo-sceaft-gāsta;wæs þǣra Grendel sum,
heoro-wearh hetelīc,sē æt Heorote fand
wæccendne werwīges bīdan.
Þǣr him āglǣcaætgrǣpe wearð;
1270hwæþre hē gemundemægenes strenge,
gim-fæste[3] gife,ðe him God sealde,
ond him tō Anwaldanāre gelȳfde,
frōfre ond fultum;ðȳ hē þone fēond ofercwōm,
gehnǣgde helle gāst.Þā hā hēan gewāt,
1275drēame bedǣled,dēaþ-wīc sēon,
man-cynnes fēond.Ond his mōdor þā gyt
gīfre ond galg-mōdgegān wolde
sorh-fulne sīð,suna dēað[4] wrecan;
cōm þā tō Heorote,ðǣr Hring-Dene
1280geond þæt sæld swǣfun.Þā ðǣr sōna wearð
ed-hwyrft eorkim,siþðan inne fealh
Grendles mōdor.Wæs se gryre lǣssa
efne swā micle,swā bið mægþa. cræft,
wīg-gryre wīfes,be wǣpned-men,
1285þonne heoru bunden,hamere geþuren,
sweord swāte fāhswīn ofer helme,
ecgum *dyhtigandweard scireð.Fol. 158b.
Ðā wæs on healleheard-ecg togen
sweord ofer setlum,sīd-rand manig
1290hafen handa fæst;helm ne gemunde,
byrnan sīde,þā hine[5] se brōga angeat.
Hēo wæs on ōfste,wolde ūt þanon
fēore beorgan,þā hēo onfunden wæs;
hraðe hēo æþelingaānne hæfde
1295fæste befangen;þā hēo tō fenne gang.
Sē wæs Hrōþgārehæleþa lēofost
on gesīðes hādbe sǣm twēonum,
rīce rand-wīga,þone ðe hēo on ræste ābrēat,
blǣd-fæstne beorn.Næs Bēowulf ðǣr,
1300ac wæs ōþer inǣr geteohhod
æfter māþðum-gifemǣrum Gēate.
Hrēam wearð in Heorote;hēo under heolfre genam
cūþe folme;cearu wæs genīwod,
geworden in wīcun.Ne wæs þæt gewrixle til,
1305þæt hīe on bā healfabicgan scoldon
frēonda fēorum.Þā wæs frōd cyning,
hār hilde-rinc,on hrēon *mōde,Fol. 159a.
syðþan hē aldor-þegnunlyfigendne,
þone dēorestandēadne wisse.
1310Hraþe wæs tō būreBēowulf fetod,
sigor-ēadig secg;samod ǣr-dæge
ēode eorla sum,æþele cempa
self mid gesīðum,þǣr se snotera bād,
hwæþre him Al-walda[6]ǣfre wille
1315æfter wēa-spellewtrpe gefremman.
Gang ðā æfter flōrefyrd-wyrðe man
mid his hand-scole[7](heal-wudu dynede),
þæt hē þone wīsanwordum nǣgde[8]
frēan Ingwina,frægn gif him wǣre
1320æfter nēod-laðu[9]niht getǣse.
- ↑ 1253. Zupitza: “warode MS. as well as AB; the parchment under wa is rather thin, and besides there is a blot on the two letters.” Hence the word has several times been misread farode.
- ↑ 1261. MS. ‘camp.’
- ↑ 1271. Thorpe, Grein, Sweet ‘gin-fæste.’ For the change of n to m before labials, cf. hlim-bed, 1. 3034, and see Sievers, § 187, N.
- ↑ 1278. MS. ‘sunu þeod.’ Ettmüller’s emendation.
- ↑ 1291. Heyne, Sweet, and others emend ‘þe hine,’ whom—at once ingenious, logical, pedantic, and unnecessary.
- ↑ 1314. MS. ‘alf walda.’ Cf. ll. 316, 955.
- ↑ 1317. MS. ‘hand scale.’ Cf. l. 1963. There seems absolutely no authority or support for the form scale, which is retained by most editors.
- ↑ 1318. AB ‘hnægde’; now de gone. The h is prosthetic. “Wordum nǣgan (nēgan)” occurs Elene 287, 559, Exodus 23, etc.
- ↑ 1320. Sweet ‘nēod-laðe’; but see Sievers § 253, N. 2.