No More Learning

2530 "Gebīde gē on beorge byrnum werede,
"secgas on searwum, hwæðer sēl mǣge
"æfter wæl-rǣse wunde gedȳgan
"uncer twēga. Nis þæt ēower sīð,
"nē gemet mannes, nefne mīn ānes,
2535 "þæt hē wið āglǣcean eofoðo dǣle,
"eorl-scype efne. Ic mid elne sceall
"gold gegangan oððe gūð nimeð,
"feorh-bealu frēcne, frēan ēowerne! "
Ārās þā bī ronde rōf ōretta,
2540 heard under helm, hioro-sercean bær
under stān-cleofu, strengo getruwode
ānes mannes: ne bið swylc earges sīð.
Geseah þā be wealle, sē þe worna fela,
gum-cystum gōd, gūða gedīgde,
2545 hilde-hlemma, þonne hnitan fēðan,
(stōd on stān-bogan) strēam ūt þonan
brecan of beorge; wæs þǣre burnan wælm
heaðo-fȳrum hāt: ne meahte horde nēah
unbyrnende ǣnige hwīle
2550 dēop gedȳgan for dracan lēge.
Lēt þā of brēostum, þā hē gebolgen wæs,
Weder-Gēata lēod word ūt faran,
stearc-heort styrmde; stefn in becōm
heaðo-torht hlynnan under hārne stān.
2555 Hete wæs onhrēred, hord-weard oncnīow
mannes reorde; næs þǣr māra fyrst,
frēode tō friclan. From ǣrest cwōm
oruð āglǣcean ūt of stāne,
hāt hilde-swāt; hrūse dynede.
2560 Biorn under beorge bord-rand onswāf
wið þām gryre-gieste, Gēata dryhten:
þā wæs hring-bogan heorte gefȳsed
sæcce tō sēceanne. Sweord ǣr gebrǣ
gōd gūð-cyning gomele lāfe,
2565 ecgum unglēaw, ǣghwæðrum wæs
bealo-hycgendra brōga fram ōðrum.
Stīð-mōd gestōd wið stēapne rond
winia bealdor, þā se wyrm gebēah
snūde tōsomne: hē on searwum bād.
2570 Gewāt þā byrnende gebogen scrīðan tō,
gescīfe scyndan. Scyld wēl gebearg
līfe and līce lǣssan hwīle
mǣrum þēodne, þonne his myne sōhte,
þǣr hē þȳ fyrste forman dōgore
2575 wealdan mōste, swā him Wyrd ne gescrāf
hrēð æt hilde. Hond up ābræd
Gēata dryhten, gryre-fāhne slōh
incge lāfe, þæt sīo ecg gewāc
brūn on bāne, bāt unswīðor,
2580 þonne his þīod-cyning þearfe hæfde,
bysigum gebǣded. Þā wæs beorges weard
æfter heaðu-swenge on hrēoum mōde,
wearp wæl-fȳre, wīde sprungon
hilde-lēoman: hrēð-sigora ne gealp
2585 gold-wine Gēata, gūð-bill geswāc
nacod æt nīðe, swā hyt nō sceolde,
īren ǣr-gōd.
Ne wæs þæt ēðe sīð,
þæt se mǣra maga Ecgþēowes
grund-wong þone ofgyfan wolde;
2590 sceolde wyrmes willan wīc eardian
elles hwergen, swā sceal ǣghwylc mon
ālǣtan lǣn-dagas. Næs þā long tō þon,
þæt þā āglǣcean hȳ eft gemētton.
Hyrte hyne hord-weard, hreðer ǣðme wēoll,
2595 nīwan stefne: nearo þrowode
fȳre befongen sē þe ǣr folce wēold.
Nealles him on hēape hand-gesteallan,
æðelinga bearn ymbe gestōdon
hilde-cystum, ac hȳ on holt bugon,
2600 ealdre burgan. Hiora in ānum wēoll
sefa wið sorgum: sibb ǣfre ne mæg
wiht onwendan, þām þe wēl þenceð.


XXXVI. WIGLAF HELPS BĒOWULF IN THE FEUD

Wīglāf wæs hāten Wēoxstānes sunu,
lēoflīc lind-wiga, lēod Scylfinga,
2605 mǣg Ælfheres: geseah his mon-dryhten
under here-grīman hāt þrowian.
Gemunde þā þā āre, þē hē him ǣr forgeaf
wīc-stede weligne Wǣgmundinga,
folc-rihta gehwylc, swā his fæder āhte;
2610 ne mihte þā forhabban, hond rond gefēng,
geolwe linde, gomel swyrd getēah,
þæt wæs mid eldum Ēanmundes lāf,
suna Ōhteres, þām æt sæcce wearð
wracu wine-lēasum Wēohstānes bana
2615 mēces ecgum, and his māgum ætbær
brūn-fāgne helm, hringde byrnan,
eald sweord eotonisc, þæt him Onela forgeaf,
his gædelinges gūð-gewǣdu,
fyrd-searo fūslīc: nō ymbe þā fǣhðe spræc,
2620 þēah þe hē his brōðor bearn ābredwade.
Hē frætwe gehēold fela missēra,
bill and byrnan, oð þæt his byre mihte
eorl-scipe efnan, swā his ǣr-fæder;
geaf him þā mid Gēatum gūð-gewǣda
2625 ǣghwæs unrīm; þā hē of ealdre gewāt,
frōd on forð-weg. Þā wæs forma sīð
geongan cempan, þæt hē gūðe rǣs
mid his frēo-dryhtne fremman sceolde;
ne gemealt him se mōd-sefa, nē his mǣges lāf
2630 gewāc æt wīge: þæt se wyrm onfand,
syððan hīe tōgædre gegān hæfdon.
Wīglāf maðelode word-rihta fela,
sægde gesīðum, him wæs sefa geōmor:
"Ic þæt mǣl geman, þǣr wē medu þēgun,
2635 "þonne wē gehēton ūssum hlāforde
"in bīor-sele, þē ūs þās bēagas geaf,
"þæt wē him þā gūð-geatwa gyldan woldon,
"gif him þyslīcu þearf gelumpe,
"helmas and heard sweord: þē hē ūsic on herge gecēas
2640 "tō þyssum sīð-fate sylfes willum,
"onmunde ūsic mǣrða and mē þās māðmas geaf,
"þē hē ūsic gār-wīgend gōde tealde,
"hwate helm-berend, þēah þe hlāford ūs
"þis ellen-weorc āna āþōhte
2645 "tō gefremmanne, folces hyrde,
"forþām hē manna mǣst mǣrða gefremede,
"dǣda dollīcra. Nū is sē dæg cumen,
"þæt ūre man-dryhten mægenes behōfað
"gōdra gūð-rinca: wutun gangan tō,
2650 "helpan hild-fruman, þenden hyt sȳ,
"glēd-egesa grim! God wāt on mec,
"þæt mē is micle lēofre, þæt mīnne līc-haman
"mid mīnne gold-gyfan glēd fæðmie.
"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!