| |
| BEOWULF spake, bairn of Ecgtheow:— | |
| “Have mind, thou honored offspring of Healfdene, | |
| gold-friend of men, now I go on this quest, | |
| sovran wise, what once was said: | |
| if in thy cause it came that I | 5 |
| should lose my life, thou wouldst loyal bide | |
| to me, though fallen, in father’s place! | |
| Be guardian, thou, to this group of my thanes, | |
| my warrior-friends, if War should seize me; | |
| and the goodly gifts thou gavest me, | 10 |
| Hrothgar beloved, to Hygelac send! | |
| Geatland’s king may ken by the gold, | |
| Hrethel’s son see, when he stares at the treasure, | |
| that I got me a friend for goodness famed, | |
| and joyed while I could in my jewel-bestower. | 15 |
| And let Unferth wield this wondrous sword, | |
| earl far-honored, this heirloom precious, | |
| hard of edge: with Hrunting I | |
| seek doom of glory, or Death shall take me.” | |
| |
| After these words the Weder-Geat lord | 20 |
| boldly hastened, biding never | |
| answer at all: the ocean floods | |
| closed o’er the hero. Long while of the day | |
| fled ere he felt the floor of the sea. | |
| Soon found the fiend who the flood-domain | 25 |
| sword-hungry held these hundred winters, | |
| greedy and grim, that some guest from above, | |
| some man, was raiding her monster-realm. | |
| She grasped out for him with grisly claws, | |
| and the warrior seized; yet scathed she not | 30 |
| his body hale; the breastplate hindered, | |
| as she strove to shatter the sark of war, | |
| the linkéd harness, with loathsome hand. | |
| Then bore this brine-wolf, when bottom she touched, | |
| the lord of rings to the lair she haunted, | 35 |
| whiles vainly he strove, though his valor held, | |
| weapon to wield against wondrous monsters | |
| that sore beset him; sea-beasts many | |
| tried with fierce tusks to tear his mail, | |
| and swarmed on the stranger. But soon he marked | 40 |
| he was now in some hall, he knew not which, | |
| where water never could work him harm, | |
| nor through the roof could reach him ever | |
| fangs of the flood. Firelight he saw, | |
| beams of a blaze that brightly shone. | 45 |
| Then the warrior was ware of that wolf-of-the-deep, | |
| mere-wife monstrous. For mighty stroke | |
| he swung his blade, and the blow withheld not. | |
| Then sang on her head that seemly blade | |
| its war-song wild. But the warrior found | 50 |
| the light-of-battle 1 was loath to bite, | |
| to harm the heart: its hard edge failed | |
| the noble at need, yet had known of old | |
| strife hand to hand, and had helmets cloven, | |
| doomed men’s fighting-gear. First time, this, | 55 |
| for the gleaming blade that its glory fell. | |
| Firm still stood, nor failed in valor, | |
| heedful of high deeds, Hygelac’s kinsman; | |
| flung away fretted sword, featly jewelled, | |
| the angry earl; on earth it lay | 60 |
| steel-edged and stiff. His strength he trusted. | |
| hand-gripe of might. So man shall do | |
| whenever in war he weens to earn him | |
| lasting fame, nor fears for his life! | |
| Seized then by shoulder, shrank not from combat, | 65 |
| the Geatish war-prince Grendel’s mother. | |
| Flung then the fierce one, filled with wrath, | |
| his deadly foe, that she fell to ground. | |
| Swift on her part she paid him back | |
| with grisly grasp, and grappled with him. | 70 |
| Spent with struggle, stumbled the warrior, | |
| fiercest of fighting-men, fell adown. | |
| On the hall-guest she hurled herself, hent her short sword, | |
| broad and brown-edged, 2 the bairn to avenge, | |
| the sole-born son.—On his shoulder lay | 75 |
| braided breast-mail, barring death, | |
| withstanding entrance of edge or blade. | |
| Life would have ended for Ecgtheow’s son, | |
| under wide earth for that earl of Geats, | |
| had his armor of war not aided him, | 80 |
| battle-net hard, and holy God | |
| wielded the victory, wisest Maker. | |
| The Lord of Heaven allowed his cause; | |
| and easily rose the earl erect. | |
