XIV
925 Hrōðgār maþelode -- hē tō healle gēong,stōd on stapole, geseah stēapne hrōf
golde fāhne ond Grendles hond--:
'Ðisse ansȳne Alwealdan þanc
lungre gelimpe! Fela ic lāþes gebād,
930grynna æt Grendle; ā mæg God wyrcan
wunder æfter wundre, wuldres Hyrde.
Ðæt wæs ungeāra, þæt ic ǣnigra mē
wēana ne wēnde tō wīdan feore
bōte gebīdan, ponne blōde fāh
935hūisa sēlest heorodrēorig stōd,--
wēa wīdscofen witena gehwylcum
ðāra þe ne wēndon, þæt hīe wīdeferhð
lēoda landgeweorc lāþum beweredon
scuccum ond scinnum. Nū scealc hafað
940þurh Drihtnes miht dǣd gefremede,
ðē wē ealle ǣr ne meahton
snyttrum besyrwan. Hwæt, þæt secgan mæg
efne swā hwylc mægþa, swā ðone magan cende
æfter gumcynnum, gyf hēo gȳt lyfað,
945þæt hyre Ealdmetod ēste wǣre
bearngebyrdo. Nū ic, Bēowulf, þec,
secg[a] betsta, mē for sunu wylle
frēogan on ferhþe; heald forð tela
nīwe sibbe. Ne bið þē [n]ǣnigra gād
950worolde wilna, þe ic geweald hæbbe.
Ful oft ic for lǣssan lēan teohhode,
hordweorþunge hnāhran rince,
sǣmran æt sæcce. þū þē self hafast
dǣdum gefremed, þǣt þīn [dōm] lyfað
955āwa tō aldre. Alwalda þec
gōde forgylde, swā hē nū gȳt dyde!'
Bēowulf maþelode, bearn Ec[g]þēowes:
' Wē þæt ellenweorc ēstum miclum,
feohtan fremedon, frēcne genēðdon
960eafoð uncūies. Ūþe ic swīþor,
þæt ðū hine selfne gesēon mōste,
fēond on frætewum fylwliigne!
Ic hine hrædlīce heardan clammum
on wælbedde wrīpan þōhte,
965þæt hē for mundgripe mīnum scolde
licgean līfbysig, būtan his līc swice;
ic hine ne mihte, þā Metod nolde,
ganges getwǣman, nō ic him ǣæs georne ætfealh,
feorhgenīðlan; wæs tō foremihtig
970fēond on fēþe. Hwæpere hē his folme forlēt
tō līfwrape lāst weardian,
earm ond eaxle; nō þǣr ǣnige swā þēah
fēasceaft guma frōfre gebohte;
nō þȳ leng leofað lāðgetēona
975synnum geswenced, ac hyne sār hafað
in nīdgripe nearwe befongen,
balwon bendum; ðǣr ābīdan sceal
maga māne fāh miclan dōmes,
hū him scīr Metod scrīfan wille.'
980 Ðā wæs swīgra secg, sunu Ec[g]lāfes,
on gylpsprǣce gūðgeweorca,
siþðan æþelingas eorles cræfte
ofer hēanne hrōf hand scēawedon,
fēondes fingras; foran ǣghwylc wæs,
985stī[r]a nægla gehwylc stȳle gelīcost,
hǣþenes handsporu hilderinces
egl[u] unhēoru; ǣghwylc gecwæð,
þæt him heardra nān hrīnan wolde
īren ǣrgōd, þæt ðæs āhlǣcan
990blōdge beadufolme onberan wolde.
