875þæt hē fram Sigemunde[s][1]secgan hȳrde
ellen-dǣdum,imcūþes fela,
Wælsinges gewin,wīde sīðas,
þāra þe gumena bearngearwe ne wiston,
fǣhðe ond fyrena,būton Fitela mid hine,
880þonne hē swulces[2] hwætsecgan wolde
ēam his nefan,swā hie ā wǣron
æt nīða gehwāmnȳd-gesteallan;
hæfdon eal-felaeotena cynnes
sweordum gesǣged.Sigemunde gesprong
885æfter dēað-dægedōm unlȳtel,
syþðan wīges heardwyrm ācwealde,
hordes hyrde;hē under hārne stān,
æþelinges bearn,āna genēðde
frēcne dǣde;ne wæs him Fitela mid;
890hwæþre him gesǣlde,ðæt þæt swurd þurhwōd
wrætlīcne wyrm,þæt hit on wealle ætstōd,
dryhtlīc īren;draca morðre swealt.
Hæfde āglǣcaelne gegongen,
þæt hē bēah-hordesbrūcan mōste
895selfes dōme;*sǣ-bāt gehlēod,[3]Fol. 149b.
bær on bearm scipesbeorhte frætwa
Wælses eafera;wyrm hāt[4] gemealt.
Sē wæs wreccenawīde mǣrost
ofer wer-þēode,wīgendra hlēo,
900ellen-dǣdum;hē þæs ǣr onðāh.[5]
- ↑ 875. MS. ‘Sigemunde.’ Grein’s emendation ‘Sigemundes’ is good in itself, and is the more probable in that the next word begins with s.
- ↑ 880. Heyne normalises to ‘swylces.’
- ↑ 895. Many editors normalise to ‘gehlōd.’ Sievers § 392, N. 3.
- ↑ 875. Earle adopts Scherer’s emendation ‘hāt[e],’ with heat.
- ↑ 900. Cosijn’s emendation ‘āron ðah,’ with honours throve, is adopted by Heyne and by Earle. For āron = ārum cf. scypon l. 1154, and hēaf-
