Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 20
XX.
Hrōðgār maþelode,helm Scyldinga:
“Ne frīn þū æfter sǣlum;sorh is genīwod
Denigea lēodum.Dēad is Æschere,
Yrmenlāfesyldra brōþor,
1325mīn rūn-witaond mīn rǣd-bora,
eaxl-gestealla,ðonne wē on orlege
hafelan weredon,þonne hniton fēþan,
eoferas cnysedan.*Swy[lc][1] scolde eorl wesan,Fol. 159b.
[æþeling][2] ǣr-gōd,swylc Æschere wæs.
1330Wearð him on Heorotetō hand-banan
wæl-gæst wǣfre;ic ne wāt hwæder[3]
atol ǣse wlanceft-sīðas tēah,
fylle gefrǣgnod.Hēo þā fǣhðe wræc,
þe þū gystran nihtGrendel cwealdest
1335þurh hǣstne hādheardum clammum,
forþan hē tō langelēode mīne
wanode ond wyrde.Hē æt wīge gecrang
ealdres scyldig,ond nū ōþer cwōm
mihtig mān-scaða,wolde hyre mǣg wrecan,
1340ge feor hafaðfǣhðe gestǣled,
þæs þe þincean mægþegne monegum,
sē þe æfter sinc-gyfanon sefan grēoteþ,
hreþer-bealo hearde;nū sēo hand ligeð,
sē þe[4] ēow wel-hwylcrawilna dohte.
1345Ic þæt lond-būend,lēode mīne,
sele-rǣdende,secgan hȳrde,
þæt hīe gesāwonswylce twēgen
micle mearc-stapanmōras healdan,
ellor-gǣstas;ðǣra ōðer wæs,
1350þæs þe hīe gewislīcostgewitan meahton,
idese onlīcnes;[5]ōðer earm-sceapen
on weres wæstmumwræc-lāstas *træd,Fol. 160a.
næfne hē wæs māraþonne ǣnig man ōðer,
þone on gēar-dagumGrendel nemdon[6]
1355fold-būende;nō hīe fæder cunnon,
hwæþer him ǣnig wæsǣr ācenned
dyrnra gāsta.Hīe dȳgel lond
warigeað, wulf-hleoþu,windige næssas,
frēcne fen-gelād,ðǣr fyrgen-strēam
1360under næssa genipuniþer gewīteð,
flōd under foldan.Nis þæt feor heonon
mīl-gemearces,þæt se mere standeð,[7]
ofer þǣm hongiaðhrīmge bearwas,[8]
wudu wyrtum fæst,wæter oferhelmað.
1365Þǣr mæg nihta gehwǣmnīð-wundor sēon,
fȳr on flōde.Nō þæs frōd leofað
gumena beama,þæt þone grund wite.
Ðēah þe hǣð-stapahundum geswenced,
heorot hornum trum,holt-wudu sēce,
1370feorran geflȳmed,ǣr hē feorh seleð,
aldor on ōfre,ǣr hē in wille
hafelan [hȳdan].[9]Nis þæt hēoru stōw;
þonon ȳd-geblondūp āstīgeð
won tō wolcnum,þonne wind styreþ
1375lāð gewidru,oð ðæt lyft drysmaþ,
roderas rēotað.Nū is se rǣd gelang
eft æt *þē ānum.Eard git ne const,Fol. 160b.
frēcne stōwe,ðær þū findan miht
fela-sinnigne secg;sēc gif þū dyrre.
1380Ic þē þā fǣhðefēo lēanige,
eald-gestrēonum,swā ic ǣr dyde,
wundnum[10] golde,gyf þū onweg cymest.”
- ↑ 1328. MS. defective at corner; AB ‘swyscolde.’
- ↑ 1329. No gap in MS.
- ↑ 1331. MS. ‘hwæþer.’ Toller gives three instances of hwæder=hwider.
- ↑ 1344. Sweet ‘sēo þe’; but cf. ll. 1887, 2685.
- ↑ 1351. MS. ‘onlic næs’; Zupitza ‘onlic-næs’; Sweet ‘onlic, wæs.’
- ↑ 1354. MS. defective at edge; AB ‘nemdod’; Zupitza ‘nemdo[n].’
- ↑ 1362. MS. ‘stanðeð.’
- ↑ 1363. MS. ‘hrinde.’ The emendation is based on the discovery by Dr Morris of the phrase hrīmige bearwas in the Blickling Homilies (see the Preface vi, vii).
- ↑ 1372. No gap in MS. Thorpe’s emendation.
- ↑ 1382. MS. ‘wun’ at end of line, ‘dini’ or ‘dmi’ on next line, “certainly not dum”; A ‘dmi’; B ‘dini’; Zupitza ‘dini.’