Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 35

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XXXV.

2460Gewīteð þonne on sealman,  sorh-lēoð gæleð
ān æfter ānum;  þūhte him eall tō rūm,
wongas ond wīc-stede.  Swā Wedra helm
æfter Herebealde  heortan sorge
weallinde wæg;  wihte ne meahte
2465on ðām feorh-bonan  fǣghðe gebētan;
nē ðȳ ǣr hē þone heaðorinc  hatian ne meahte
lāðum dǣdum,  þēah him lēof ne wæs.
Hē ðā mid þǣre sorhge,  þe him sīo sār belamp,
gum-drēam ofgeaf,  Godes lēoht gecēas;
2470eaferum lǣfde,  swā dēð ēadig mon,
lond ond lēod-byrig,  þā hē of līfe gewāt.
Þā *wæs synn ond sacu  Swēona ond Gēata,Fol. 185a.
ofer [w]īd[1] wæter  wrōht gemǣne,
here-nīð hearda,  syððan Hr¯wðel swealt;
2475oððe him Ongenðēowes  eaferan Wǣran
frome, fyrd-hwate,  frēode ne woldon
ofer heafo healdan,  ac ymb Hreosnabeorh
eatolne inwit-scear  oft gefremedon.[2]
Þæt mǣg-wine  mīne gewrǣcan,
2480fǣhðe ond fyrene,  swā hyt gefrǣge wæs,
þēah ðe ōðer his  ealdre gebohte,
heardan cēape;  Hǣðcynne wearð,
Gēata dryhtne,  gūð onsǣge.
Þā ic on morgne gefrægn  mǣg ōðerne
2485billes ecgum  on bonan stǣlan,
þǣr Ongenþēow  Eofores nīosað;[3]
gūð-helm tōglād,  gomela Scylfing
hrēas [heoro-]blāc;[4]  hond gemunde
fǣhðo genōge,  feorh-sweng ne oftēah.
2490Ic him þā māðmas,  þe hē mē sealde,
geald æt gūðe,  swa mē gifeðe wæs,
lēohtan sweorde;  hē mē lond forgeaf,
eard, ēðel-wyn.  Næs him ǣnig þearf,
þæt hē tō Gifðum,  oððe tō Gār-Denum,
2495oððe in Swīo-rīce,  sēcean þurfe
*wyrsan wīg-frecan,  weorðe gecȳpan;Fol. 185b.
symle ic him on fēðan  beforan wolde,
āna on orde,  ond swā to aldre sceall
sæcce fremman,  þenden þis sweord þolað,
2500þæt mec ǣr ond sīð  oft gelǣste,
syððan ic for dugeðum  Dæghrefne wearð
tō hand-bonan,  Hūga cempan.
Nalles hē ðā frætwe  Frēs-cyning[e],[5]
brēost-weorðunge,  bringan mōste,
2505ac in campe[6] gecrong  cumbles hyrde,
æþeling on elne;  ne wæs ecg bona,
ac him hilde-grāp  heortan wylmas,
bān-hūs gebræc.  Nū sceall billes ecg,
hond ond heard sweord,  ymb hord wīgan.̦”
2510Bēowulf maðelode,  bēot-wordum spræc,
nīehstan sīðe:  “Ic genēðde fela
gūða on geogoðe;  gyt ic wylle,
frōd folces weard,  fǣhðe sēcan,
mǣrðum[7] fremman,  gif mec se mān-sceaða
2515 of eorð-sele  ūt gesēceð.”
Gegrētte ðā  gumena gehwylcne,
hwate helm-berend,  hindeman sīðe,
swǣse gesīðas:  “Nolde ic sweord beran,
wǣpen tō wyrme,  *gif ic wiste hūFol. l86a.
2520wið ðām āglǣcean  elles meahte
gylpe wiðgrīpan,  swā ic gīo wið Grendle dyde;
ac ic ðǣr heaðu-fȳres  hātes wēne,
[o]reðes ond attres;[8]  forðon ic mē on hafu
bord ond byrnan.  Nelle ic beorges weard
2525oferflēon  fōtes trem,[9]
ac unc sceal weorðan æt wealle,  swā unc wyrd getēoð,
Metod manna gehwæs.  Ic eom on mōde from,
þæt ic wið þone gūð-flogan  gylp ofersitte.
Gebīde gē on beorge  byrnum werede,
2530secgas on searwum,  hwæðer sēl mæge
æfter wæl-rǣse  wunde gedȳgan
uncer twēga.  Nis þæt ēower sīð,
ne gemet mannes  nefn[e][10] mīn ānes,
þæt[11] hē wið āglǣcean  eofoðo dǣle
2535eorl-scype efne.  Ic mid elne sceall
gold gegangan,  oððe gūð nimeð,
feorh-bealu frēcne,  frēan ēowerne.”
Ārās ðā bī ronde  rōf ōretta,
heard under helme,  hioro-sercean bær
2540under stān-cleofu,  strengo getrūwode
ānes mannes;  ne bið swylc earges sīð.
Geseah ðā be wealle,  *sē ðe worna fela,Fol. 186b.
gum-cystum gōd,  gūða gedīgde,
hilde-hlemma,  þonne hnitan fēðan,
2545sto[n]dan[12] stān-bogan,  strēam ūt þonan
brecan of beorge;  wæs þǣre burnan wælm
heaðo-fȳrum hāt;  ne meahte horde nēah
unbyrnende   ǣnige hwīle
dēop gedȳgan  for dracan lēge.
2550Lēt ðā of brēostum,  ðā hē gebolgen wæs,
Weder-Gēata lēod  word ūt faran,
stearc-heort styrmde;  stefn in becōm
heaðo-torht hlynnan  under hārne stān;
hete wæs onhrēred,  hord-weard oncnīow
2555mannes reorde;  næs ðǣr māra fyrst
frēode tō friclan.  From ǣrest cwōm
oruð āglǣcean  ūt of stāne,
hāt hilde-swāt;  hrūse dynede.
Biorn under beorge  bord-rand onswāf
2560wið ðām gryre-gieste,  Gēata dryhten;
ðā wæs hring-bogan  heorte gefȳsed
sæcce tō sēceanne.  Sweord ǣr gebrǣd
gōd gūð-cyning,  gomele lāfe,
ecgum unslaw;[13]  ǣghwæðrum wæs
2565bealo-hycgendra  *brōga fram ōðrum.Fol. 187a.
Stīð-mōd gestōd  wið stēapne rond
winia bealdor,  ðā se wyrm gebēah
snūde tōsomne;  hē on searwum bād.
Gewāt ðā byrnende  gebogen scrīðan,
2570tō gescipe scyndan.[14]  Scyld wel gebearg
līfe ond līce  lǣssan hwīle
mǣrum þēodne,  þonne his myne sōhte,
ðǣr hē þȳ fyrste  forman dōgore
wealdan mōste,  swā him wyrd ne gescrāf
2575hrēð æt hilde.  Hond ūp ābrǣd
Gēata dryhten,  gryre-fāhne slōh
incge lāfe,[15]  þæt sīo ecg gewāc
brūn on bāne,  bāt unswīðor,
þonne his ðīod-cyning  þearfe hæfde,
2580bysigum gebǣded.  Þā wæs beorges weard
æfter heaðu-swenge  on hrēoum mōde,
wearp wæl-fyre;  wīde sprungon
hilde-lēoman.  Hrēð-sigora ne gealp
gold-wine Gēata;  gūð-bill geswāc
2585nacod æt nīðe,  swā hyt nō sceolde,
īren ǣr-gōd.  Ne wǣs þǣt ēðe sīð,
þǣt se mǣra  maga Ecgðēowes
grund-wong þone  ofgyfan wolde;
sceolde [ofer] willan[16]  wīc eardian
2590elles hwergen,  swā *sceal ǣghwylc monFol. 187b.
ālǣtan lǣen-dagas.  Næs ðā long tō ðon,
þæt ðā āglǣcean  hȳ eft gemētton.
Hyrte hyne hord-weard,  hreðer ǣðme wēoll,
nīwan stefne;  nearo ðrōwode
2595fȳre befongen,  sē ðe ǣr folce wēold.
Nealles him on hēape  hand-gesteallan,[17]
æðelinga bearn,  ymbe gestōdon
hilde-cystum,  ac hȳ on holt bugon
ealdre burgan.  Hiora in ānum wēoll
2600sefa wið sorgum;  sibb ǣfre ne mæg
wiht onwendan,  þām ðe wel þenceð.

  1. 2473. MS. defective at corner.
  2. 2478. MS. ‘ge ge fremedon.’ Cf. ll. 986 (see note), 2383.
  3. 2486. Grein ‘niosade’; but cf. ll. 1923, 1928, etc.
  4. 2488. No gap in MS. Grein’s emendation.
  5. 2503. MS. ‘frescyning.’
  6. 2505. MS. ‘cempan.’
  7. 2514. Kemble ‘mǣrðo,’ supported by Bugge on the analogy of ll. 2134, 2645. But the argument from analogy may be pushed too far, and it is even possible that fremman is intrans., as in l. 1003.
  8. 2523. MS. ‘reðes ⁊hattres’; Heyne ‘rēðes and-hāttres,’ fierce heat coming against one. Grein’s emendation in text. Cf. l. 2557.
  9. 2525. This line is metrically deficient. Ettmüller ‘[fēond] oferflēon’ (so Grein), but this still leaves the second half-line defective. Heyne considers that the second half-line is wanting, and supplies fēond unhȳre.
  10. 2533. MS. defective at edge.
  11. 2534. MS. ‘wat.’
  12. 2545. MS. ‘stodan.’
  13. 2564. MS. ‘un/glaw.’ “A letter erased between l and a in glaw: that it was e is not quite certain.”—Z. As there is all the appearance of an uncompleted alteration, I have adopted Bugge’s emendation.
  14. 2570. MS. ‘ḡ scipe.’ Heyne adopts Mūllenhoff’s emendation, ‘scrīðan tō,/gescīfe scyndan,’ shoving himself, advancing, which the latter' bases on a gloss, “per praeceps, niðerscife [?], marg. niðerscēotende” (Haupt ix. 468 b).
  15. 2577. MS. ‘incgelafe.’ Thorpe ‘Incges’; cf. “Ing,” King of the East-Danes (Rune-poem 67), and “Ing-wine” in this poem.
  16. 2589. No gap in MS. Rieger ‘ofer willan’ (cf. l. 2409); Grein ‘wyrmes willan’ (cf. l. 3077).
  17. 2596. MS. ‘heand.’