No More Learning

"Ne þynceð mē gerysne, þæt wē rondas beren
2655 "eft tō earde, nemne wē ǣror mǣgen
"fāne gefyllan, feorh ealgian
"Wedra þīodnes. Ic wāt geare,
"þæt nǣron eald-gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle
"Gēata duguðe gnorn þrowian,
2660 "gesīgan æt sæcce: sceal ūrum þæt sweord and helm,
"byrne and byrdu-scrūd bām gemǣne. "
Wōd þā þurh þone wæl-rēc, wīg-heafolan bær
frēan on fultum, fēa worda cwæð:
"Lēofa Bīowulf, lǣst eall tela,
2665 "swā þū on geoguð-fēore geāra gecwǣde,
"þæt þū ne ālǣte be þē lifigendum
"dōm gedrēosan: scealt nū dǣdum rōf,
"æðeling ān-hȳdig, ealle mægene
"feorh ealgian; ic þē fullǣstu! "
2670 Æfter þām wordum wyrm yrre cwōm,
atol inwit-gæst ōðre sīðe,
fȳr-wylmum fāh fīonda nīosan,
lāðra manna; līg-ȳðum forborn
bord wið ronde: byrne ne meahte
2675 geongum gār-wigan gēoce gefremman:
ac se maga geonga under his mǣges scyld
elne geēode, þā his āgen wæs
glēdum forgrunden. Þā gēn gūð-cyning
mǣrða gemunde, mægen-strengo,
2680 slōh hilde-bille, þæt hyt on heafolan stōd
nīðe genȳded: Nægling forbærst,
geswāc æt sæcce sweord Bīowulfes
gomol and grǣg-mǣl. Him þæt gifeðe ne wæs,
þæt him īrenna ecge mihton
2685 helpan æt hilde; wæs sīo hond tō strong,
sē þe mēca gehwane mīne gefrǣge
swenge ofersōhte, þonne hē tō sæcce bær
wǣpen wundrum heard, næs him wihte þē sēl.
Þā wæs þēod-sceaða þriddan sīðe,
2690 frēcne fȳr-draca fǣhða gemyndig,
rǣsde on þone rōfan, þā him rūm āgeald,
hāt and heaðo-grim, heals ealne ymbefēng
biteran bānum; hē geblōdegod wearð
sāwul-drīore; swāt ȳðum wēoll.


XXXVII. BĒOWULF WOUNDED TO DEATH.

2695 Þā ic æt þearfe gefrægn þēod-cyninges
and-longne eorl ellen cȳðan,
cræft and cēnðu, swā him gecynde wæs;
ne hēdde hē þæs heafolan, ac sīo hand gebarn
mōdiges mannes, þǣr hē his mǣges healp,
2700 þæt hē þone nīð-gæst nioðor hwēne slōh,
secg on searwum, þæt þæt sweord gedēaf
fāh and fǣted, þæt þæt fȳr ongon
sweðrian syððan. Þā gēn sylf cyning
gewēold his gewitte, wæll-seaxe gebrǣ,
2705 biter and beadu-scearp, þæt hē on byrnan wæg:
forwrāt Wedra helm wyrm on middan.
Fēond gefyldan (ferh ellen wræc),
and hī hyne þā bēgen ābroten hæfdon,
sib-æðelingas: swylc sceolde secg wesan,
2710 þegn æt þearfe. Þæt þām þēodne wæs
sīðast sīge-hwīle sylfes dǣdum,
worlde geweorces. Þā sīo wund ongon,
þē him se eorð-draca ǣr geworhte,
swelan and swellan. Hē þæt sōna onfand,
2715 þæt him on brēostum bealo-nīð wēoll,
attor on innan.
Þā se æðeling gīong,
þæt hē bī wealle, wīs-hycgende,
gesæt on sesse; seah on enta geweorc,
hū þā stān-bogan stapulum fæste
2720 ēce eorð-reced innan hēoldon.
Hyne þā mid handa heoro-drēorigne
þēoden mǣrne þegn ungemete till,
wine-dryhten his wætere gelafede,
hilde-sædne and his helm onspēon.
2725 Bīowulf maðelode, hē ofer benne spræc,
wunde wæl-blēate (wisse hē gearwe,
þæt hē dæg-hwīla gedrogen hæfde
eorðan wynne; þā wæs eall sceacen
dōgor-gerīmes, dēað ungemete nēah):
2730 "Nū ic suna mīnum syllan wolde
"gūð-gewǣdu, þǣr mē gifeðe swā
"ǣnig yrfe-weard æfter wurde,
"līce gelenge. Ic þās lēode hēold
"fīftig wintra: næs se folc-cyning
2735 "ymbe-sittendra ǣnig þāra,
"þē mec gūð-winum grētan dorste,
"egesan þēon. Ic on earde bād
"mǣl-gesceafta, hēold mīn tela,
"ne sōhte searo-nīðas, nē mē swōr fela
2740 "āða on unriht. Ic þæs ealles mæg,
"feorh-bennum sēoc, gefēan habban:
"forþām mē wītan ne þearf waldend fīra
"morðor-bealo māga, þonne mīn sceaceð
"līf of līce. Nū þū lungre
2745 "geong, hord scēawian under hārne stān,
"Wīglāf lēofa, nū se wyrm ligeð,
"swefeð sāre wund, since berēafod.
"Bīo nū on ofoste, þæt ic ǣr-welan,
"gold-ǣht ongite, gearo scēawige
2750 "swegle searo-gimmas, þæt ic þȳ sēft mǣge
"æfter māððum-welan mīn ālǣtan
"līf and lēod-scipe, þone ic longe hēold. "


XXXVIII. THE JEWEL-HOARD. THE PASSING OF BEOWULF.

Þā ic snūde gefrægn sunu Wīhstānes
æfter word-cwydum wundum dryhtne
2755 hȳran heaðo-sīocum, hring-net beran,
brogdne beadu-sercean under beorges hrōf.
Geseah þā sige-hrēðig, þā hē bī sesse gēong,
mago-þegn mōdig māððum-sigla fela,
gold glitinian grunde getenge,
2760 wundur on wealle and þæs wyrmes denn,
ealdes ūht-flogan, orcas stondan,
fyrn-manna fatu feormend-lēase,
hyrstum behrorene: þǣr wæs helm monig,
eald and ōmig, earm-bēaga fela,
2765 searwum gesǣled. Sinc ēaðe mæg,
gold on grunde, gumena cynnes
gehwone ofer-hīgian, hȳde sē þe wylle!
Swylce hē siomian geseah segn eall-gylden
hēah ofer horde, hond-wundra mǣst,
2770 gelocen leoðo-cræftum: of þām lēoma stōd,
þæt hē þone grund-wong ongitan meahte,
wrǣte giond-wlītan. Næs þæs wyrmes þǣr
onsȳn ǣnig, ac hyne ecg fornam.