Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem. Anonymous

Table of Contents

      Hrothgar sees no way of escape from the persecutions of Grendel.

      So Healfdene’s kinsman constantly mused on

      His long-lasting sorrow; the battle-thane clever

      Was not anywise able evils to ’scape from:

      Too crushing the sorrow that came to the people,

      5

      Loathsome and lasting the life-grinding torture,

      Beowulf, the Geat, hero of the poem, hears of Hrothgar’s sorrow, and resolves to go to his assistance.

      Greatest of night-woes. So Higelac’s liegeman,

      Good amid Geatmen, of Grendel’s achievements

      Heard in his home:¹ of heroes then living

      He was stoutest and strongest, sturdy and noble.

      10

      He bade them prepare him a bark that was trusty;

      He said he the war-king would seek o’er the ocean,

      The folk-leader noble, since he needed retainers.

      For the perilous project prudent companions

      Chided him little, though loving him dearly;

      15

      They egged the brave atheling, augured him glory.

      With fourteen carefully chosen companions, he sets out for Dane-land.

      The excellent knight from the folk of the Geatmen

      Had liegemen selected, likest to prove them

      Trustworthy warriors; with fourteen companions

      The vessel he looked for; a liegeman then showed them,

      20

      A sea-crafty man, the bounds of the country.

      Fast the days fleeted; the float was a-water,

      The craft by the cliff. Clomb to the prow then

      Well-equipped warriors: the wave-currents twisted

      The sea on the sand; soldiers then carried

      25

      On the breast of the vessel bright-shining jewels,

      Handsome war-armor; heroes outshoved then,

      Warmen the wood-ship, on its wished-for adventure.

       The vessel sails like a bird

      The foamy-necked floater fanned by the breeze,

      Likest a bird, glided the waters,

      In twenty four hours they reach the shores of Hrothgar’s dominions 30

      Till twenty and four hours thereafter

      The twist-stemmed vessel had traveled such distance

      That the sailing-men saw the sloping embankments,

      The sea cliffs gleaming, precipitous mountains,

      Nesses enormous: they were nearing the limits

      35

      At the end of the ocean.² Up thence quickly

      The men of the Weders clomb to the mainland,

      Fastened their vessel (battle weeds rattled,

      War burnies clattered), the Wielder they thanked

      That the ways o’er the waters had waxen so gentle.

      They are hailed by the Danish coast guard 40

      Then well from the cliff edge the guard of the Scyldings

      Who the sea-cliffs should see to, saw o’er the gangway

      Brave ones bearing beauteous targets,

      Armor all ready, anxiously thought he,

      Musing and wondering what men were approaching.

      45

      High on his horse then Hrothgar’s retainer

      Turned him to coastward, mightily brandished

      His lance in his hands, questioned with boldness.

      His challenge

      “Who are ye men here, mail-covered warriors

      Clad in your corslets, come thus a-driving

      50

      A high riding ship o’er the shoals of the waters,

³And hither ’neath helmets have hied o’er the ocean?

      I have been strand-guard, standing as warden,

      Lest enemies ever anywise ravage

      Danish dominions with army of war-ships.

      55

      More boldly never have warriors ventured

      Hither to come; of kinsmen’s approval,

      Word-leave of warriors, I ween that ye surely

      He is struck by Beowulf’s appearance.

      Nothing have known. Never a greater one

      Of earls o’er the earth have I had a sight of

      60

      Than is one of your number, a hero in armor;

      No low-ranking fellow⁴ adorned with his weapons,

      But launching them little, unless looks are deceiving,

      And striking appearance. Ere ye pass on your journey

      As treacherous spies to the land of the Scyldings

      65

      And farther fare, I fully must know now

      What race ye belong to. Ye far-away dwellers,

      Sea-faring sailors, my simple opinion

      Hear ye and hearken: haste is most fitting

      Plainly to tell me what place ye are come from.”

      [1] ‘From hám’ (194) is much disputed. One rendering is: Beowulf, being away from home, heard of Hrothgar’s troubles, etc. Another, that adopted by S. and endorsed in the H.-So. notes, is: B. heard from his neighborhood (neighbors), i.e. in his home, etc. A third is: B., being at home, heard this as occurring away from home. The H.-So. glossary and notes conflict.

      [2] ‘Eoletes’ (224) is marked with a (?) by H.-So.; our rendering simply follows his conjecture.—Other conjectures as to ‘eolet’ are: (1) voyage, (2) toil, labor, (3) hasty journey.

      [3] The lacuna of the MS at this point has been supplied by various conjectures. The reading adopted by H.-So. has been rendered in the above translation. W., like H.-So., makes ‘ic’ the beginning of a new sentence, but, for ‘helmas bæron,’ he reads ‘hringed stefnan.’ This has the advantage of giving a parallel to ‘brontne ceol’ instead of a kenning for ‘go.’—B puts the (?) after ‘holmas’, and begins a new sentence at the middle of the line. Translate: What warriors are ye, clad in armor, who have thus come bringing the foaming vessel over the water way, hither over the seas? For some time on the wall I have been coast guard, etc. S. endorses most of what B. says, but leaves out ‘on the wall’ in the last sentence. If W.’s ‘hringed stefnan’ be accepted, change line 51 above to, A ring-stemmed vessel hither