48
THE OLDEST ENGLISH EPIC
And so it came that I killed with my sword
575nine of the nicors. Of night-fought battles
ne’er heard I a harder ’neath heaven’s dome,
nor adrift on the deep a more desolate man!
Yet I came unharmed from that hostile clutch,
though spent with swimming. The sea upbore me,
580flood of the tide, on Finnish[1] land,
the welling waters. No wise of thee[2]
have I heard men tell such terror of falchions,
bitter battle. Breca ne’er yet,
not one of you pair, in the play of war
585such daring deed has done at all
- ↑ The Finnish folk, as Gering points out, we now call Laplanders.
- ↑ This speech of Beowulf’s is admirable. He has defended his own reputation, shrugs his shoulders at the necessity of referring to his prowess, and makes a home-thrust at Unferth. The climax of his invective is imputation to Unferth of the two supreme sins in the Germanic list: murder of kin, and cowardice.—Below, v. 1167, Unferth is said to be courageous, but faithless to his kin.—Then the hero-orator proceeds to promise or “boast” what he himself will do; and with his cheerful “gab” the speech closes amid general applause.
“There’ll no man die but him that’s fee. . . .”
Si parcent animae fata superstiti.