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],[1]
brēost-weorðunge, bringan mōste,
2505ac in campe[2] 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[3] 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;[4] forðon ic mē on hafu
- ↑ 2503. MS. ‘frescyning.’
- ↑ 2505. MS. ‘cempan.’
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 2523. MS. ‘reðes ⁊hattres’; Heyne ‘rēðes and-hāttres,’ fierce heat coming against one. Grein’s emendation in text. Cf. l. 2557.
