Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 19

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1322016Beowulf (Wyatt) — Beowulf: XIX

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 1261. MS. ‘camp.’
  3. 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.
  4. 1278. MS. ‘sunu þeod.’ Ettmüller’s emendation.
  5. 1291. Heyne, Sweet, and others emend ‘þe hine,’ whom—at once ingenious, logical, pedantic, and unnecessary.
  6. 1314. MS. ‘alf walda.’ Cf. ll. 316, 955.
  7. 1317. MS. ‘hand scale.’ Cf. l. 1963. There seems absolutely no authority or support for the form scale, which is retained by most editors.
  8. 1318. AB ‘hnægde’; now de gone. The h is prosthetic. “Wordum nǣgan (nēgan)” occurs Elene 287, 559, Exodus 23, etc.
  9. 1320. Sweet ‘nēod-laðe’; but see Sievers § 253, N. 2.