XXXVI
Wīglāf wæs hāten, Wēoxstānes sunu,lēoflīc lindwiga, lēod Scylfinga,
mǣg Ælfheres; geseah his mondryhten
2605under heregrīnan hāt þrōwian.
Gemunde ðā ðā āre, þē hē him ǣr forgeaf,
wīcstede weligne Wǣgmundinga,
folcrihta gehwylc, swā his fæder āhte;
ne mihte ðā forhabban, bond rond gefēng,
2610geolwe linde, gomel swyrd getēah;
þæt wæs mid eldum Ēanmundes lāf,
suna Ōhtere[s] ; þām æt sæcce wearð,
wræcca(n) winelēasum Wēohstān bana
mēces ecgum, ond his māgum ætbær
2615brūnfāgne helm, hringde byrnan,
ealdsweord etonisc; þæt him Onela forgeaf,
his gædelinges gūðgewǣdu,
fyrdsearo fūslīc,-- nō ymbe ðā fǣhðe spræc,
þēah ðe hē his brōðor bearn ābredwade.
2620Hē [ðā] frætwe gehēold fela missēra,
bill ond byrnan, oð ðæt his byre mihte
eorlscipe efnan swā his ǣrfæder;
geaf him ðā mid Gēatum gūðgewǣda,
ǣghwæs unrīm, þā hē of ealdre gewāt
2625frōd on forðweg.-- þā wæs forma sīð
geongan cempan, þæt hē gūðe rǣs
mid his frēodryhtne fremman sceolde.
Ne gemealt him se mōdsefa, nē his mǣges lāf
gewāc æt wīge; þæt se wyrm onfand,
2630syððan hīe tōgædre gegān hæfdon.
Wīglāf maðelode, wordrihta fela
sægde gesīðum --him wæs sefa geōmor--:
'Ic ðæt mǣl geman, þǣr wē medu þēgun,
þonne wē gehēton ūssum hlāforde
2635in bīorsele, ðē ūs ðās bēagas geaf,
þæt wē him ðā gūðgeatwa gyldan woldon,
gif him þyslicu þearf gelumpe,
helmas ond heard sweord. Dē hē ūsic on herge gecēas
tō ðyssum sīðfate sylfes willum,
2640onmunde ūsic mǣrða, ond mē þās māðmas geaf,
þē hē ūsic gārwīgend gōde tealde,
hwate helmberend,-- þēah ðe hlāford ūs
þis ellenweorc āna āðōhte
tō gefremmanne, folces hyrde,
2645forðām hē manna mǣst mǣrða gefremede,
dǣda dollīcra. Nū is sē dæg cumen,
þæt ūre mandryhten mægenes behōfað,
gōdra gūðrinca; wutun gongan tō,
helpan hildfruman, þenden hyt sŷ,
2650glēdegesa grim ! God wāt on mec,
þæt mē is micle lēofre, þæt mīnne līchaman
mid mīnne goldgyfan glēd fæðmi[ecedil].
Ne þynceð mē gerysne, þæt wē rondas beren
eft tō earde, nemne we ǣror mægen
2655fāne gefyllan, feorh ealgian
Wedra ðēodnes. Ic wāt geare,
þæt nǣron ealdgewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle
Gēata duguðe gnorn þrōwian,
gesīgan æt sæcce; ūrum sceal sweord ond helm,
2660byrne ond beaduscrūd bām gemǣne.'
Wōd þā þurh þone wælrēc, wīgheafolan bær
frēan on fultum, fēa worda cwæð:
'Lēofa Bīowulf, lǣst eall tela,
swā ðū on geoguðfēore geāra gecwǣde,
2665þæt ðū ne ālǣte be ðē lifigendum
dōm gedrēosan; scealt nū dǣdum rōf,
æðeling anhȳdig, ealle mægene
feorh ealgian; ic ðē fullǣstu.'
Æfter ðām wordum wyrm yrre cwōm,
2670atol inwitgæst ōðre sīðe
fȳrwylmum fāh fīonda nīos(i)an,
lāðra manna. Līgȳðum forborn
bord wið rond[e], byrne ne meahte
geongum gārwigan gēoce gefremman,
2675ac se maga geonga under his mǣges scyld
elne geēode, þā his āgen w(æs)
glēdum forgrunden. þā gēn gūðcyning
m(ærða) gemunde, mægenstrengo slōh
hildebille, þæt hyt on heafolan stōd
2680nīpe genȳded; Nægling forbærst,
geswāc æt sæcce sweord Bīowulfes
gomol ond grǣgmǣl. Him þæt gifeðe ne wæs,
þæt him īrenna ecge mihton
helpan æt hilde; wæs sīo hond tō strong,
2685sē ðe mēca gehwane mīne gefrǣge
swenge ofersōhte, þonne hē tō sæcce bær
wǣpen wund[r]um heard; næs him wihte ðē sēl.
þā wæs þēodsceaða þriddan sīðe,
frēcne fȳrdraca fǣhða gemyndig,
2690rǣsde on ðone rōfan, þā him rūm āgeald,
hāt ond heaðogrim, heals ealne ymbefēng
biteran bānum; hē geblōdegod wearð
sāwuldrīore, swāt ȳðum wēoll.
