XXI
Bēowulf maeþlode, beam Ecgþēowes:'Ne sorga, snotor guma! Sēlre bið ǣghwǣm,
1385þæt hē his frēond wrece, þonne hē fela murne.
Ūre ǣghwylc sceal ende gebīdan
worolde līfes; wyrce sē þe mōte
dōmes ǣr dēaþe; þæt bið drihtguman
unlifgendum æfter sēlest.
1390Ārīs, rīces weard, uton hraþe fēran,
Grendles māgan gang scēawigan.
Ic hit þē gehāte: nō hē on helm losaþ,
nē on foldan fæþm, nē on fyrgenholt,
nē on gyfenes grund, gā þǣr hē wille !
1395Ðȳs dōgor þū geþyld hafa
wēana gehwy]ces, swā ic þē wēne tō.'
Āhlēop ðā se gomela, Gode þancode,
mihtigan Drihtne, þæs se man gespræc.
þā wæs Hrōðgāre hors gebǣted,
1400wicg wundenfeax. Wīsa fengel
geatolīc gende; gumfēþa stōp
lindhæbbendra. Lāstas wǣron
æfter waldswaþum wīde gesȳne,
gang ofer grundas, [swā] gegnum fōr
1405ofer myrcan mōr, magoþegna bær
þone sēlestan sāwollēasne
þāra þe mid Hrōðgāre hām eahtode.
Oferēode þā æþelinga bearn
stēap stānhliðo, stīge nearwe,
1410enge ānpðas, uncūð gelād,
neowle næssas, nicorhūisa fela;
hē fēara sum beforan gengde
wīsra monna wong scēawian,
oþ þæt hē fǣringa fyrgenbēamas
1415ofer hārne stān hleonian funde,
wynlēasne wudu; wæter under stōd
drēorig ond gedrēfed. Denum eallum wæs,
winum Scyldinga weorce on mōde
tō geþohanne, ðegne monegum,
1420oncȳð eorla gehwǣm, syðþan Æscheres
on þām holmclife hafelan mētton.
Flōd blōde wēol --folc tō sǣgon----
hātan heolfre. Horn stundum song
fūslīc f(yrd)lēoð. Fēþa eal gesæt.
1425Gesāwon ðā æfter wætere wyrmcynnes fela,
sellice sǣdracan sund cunnian,
swylce on næshleoðum nicras licgean,
ðā on undernmǣl oft bewitigað
sorhfulne sīð on seglrāde,
1430wyrmas ond wildēor. Hīe on weg hruron
bitere ond gebolgne; bearhtm ongēaton,
gūðhorn galan. Sumne Gēata lēod
of flānbogan fēores getwǣfde,
ȳðgewinnes, þæt him on aldre stōd
1435herestrǣl hearda; hē on holme wæs
sundes þē sǣnra, ðē hyne swylt fornam.
Hræþe wearð on ȳðum mid eofersprēotum
heorohōcyhtum hearde genearwod,
nīða genǣged, ond on naes togen,
1440wundorlic wǣgbora; weras scēawedon
gryrelīcne gist. Gyrede hine Bēowulf
eorlgewǣdum, nalles for ealdre mearn;
scolde herebyrne hondum gebrōden,
sīd ond searofāh sund cunnian,
1445sō ðe bāncofan beorgan cūþe,
þæt him hildegrāp hreþre ne mihte,
eorres inwitfeng aldre gesceþðan;
ac se hwīta helm hafelan werede,
sē þe meregrundas mengan scolde,
1450sēcan sundgebland since geweorðad,
befongen frēawrāsnum, swā hine fyrndagum
worhte wǣpna smið, wundrum tēode,
besette swīnlīcum, þæt hine syðþan nō
brond nē beadomēcas bītan ne meahton.
1455Næs þæt þonne mǣtost mægenfultuma,
þæt him on ðearfe lāh ðyle Hrōðgþares;
wæs þǣm hæftmēce Hrunting nama;
þæt wæs ān foran ealdgestrēona;
ecg wæs īren, ātertānum fāh,
1460āhyrded heaþoswāte; nǣfre hit æt hilde ne swāc
manna ǣngum þāra þe hit mid mundum bewand,
sē ðe gryresīðas gegān dorste,
folcstede fāra; næs þæt forma sīeth;,
þæt hit ellenweorc æfnan scolde.
1465Hūru ne gemunde mago Ecglāfes
eafoþes cræftig, þæt hē ǣr gespræc
wīne druncen, þā hē þæs wǣpnes onlāh
sēlran sweordfrecan; selfa ne dorste
under ȳða gewin aldre genēþan,
1470drihtscype drēogan; þǣr hē dōme forlēas,
ellenmǣrðum. Ne wæs þǣm ōðrum swā,
syðþan hē hine tō gūðe gegyred hæfde.
