fatal that fray, for the first-of-Geats.
At morn, I heard, was the murderer killed
2485by kinsman for kinsman,[1] with clash of sword,
when Ongentheow met Eofor there.
Wide split the war-helm: wan he fell,
hoary Scylfing; the hand that smote him
of feud was mindful, nor flinched from the death-blow.
2490—“For all that he[2] gave me, my gleaming sword
repaid him at war,—such power I wielded,—
for lordly treasure: with land he entrusted me,
homestead and house. He had no need
from Swedish realm, or from Spear-Dane folk,
2495or from men of the Gifths,[3] to get him help,—
some warrior worse for wage to buy!
Ever I fought in the front of all,
sole to the fore; and so shall I fight
while I bide in life and this blade shall last
2500that early and late hath loyal proved
- ↑ Eofor for Wulf.—The immediate provocation for Eofor in killing “the hoary Scylfing,” Ongentheow, is that the latter has just struck Wulf down; but the king, Hæthcyn, is also avenged by the blow. See the detailed description below, vv. 2961–2982.
- ↑ Hygelac.—Beowulf comes to his own services and their reward; the transition is so abrupt that some verses may be supposed to have been lost at this point. It will be noted that he speaks throughout this monologue as a warrior, stout with sword, and not as a wrestler, phenomenal “strong man,” or the like, except in the almost contradictory parenthesis, vv. 2506 f. In vv. 2518 f., the poet is matching Beowulf’s speech before the Grendel fight (677 ff.); while in 2680 ff., the “strong man” is again the main theme, backed by an old Anglian legend of another prince.
- ↑ Gepidae, who at this time were still near the Baltic. See Müllenhoff, Deutsche Alterthumskunde, II, 99; and Widsith, v. 60.
- ↑ The Franks were called Hugones; and this “Day-Raven” may have fought Beowulf on the historic raid into Frankish territory.
