No More Learning

"Þȳs dōgor þū geþyld hafa
"wēana gehwylces, swā ic þē wēne tō! "
Āhlēop þā se gomela, gode þancode,
mihtigan drihtne, þæs se man gespræc.
1400 Þā wæs Hrōðgāre hors gebǣted,
wicg wunden-feax. Wīsa fengel
geatolīc gengde; gum-fēða stōp
lind-hæbbendra. Lāstas wǣron
æfter wald-swaðum wīde gesȳne,
1405 gang ofer grundas; gegnum fōr þā
ofer myrcan mōr, mago-þegna bær
þone sēlestan sāwol-lēasne,
þāra þe mid Hrōðgāre hām eahtode.
Ofer-ēode þā æðelinga bearn
1410 stēap stān-hliðo, stīge nearwe,
enge ān-paðas, un-cūð gelād,
neowle næssas, nicor-hūsa fela;
hē fēara sum beforan gengde
wīsra monna, wong scēawian,
1415 oð þæt hē fǣringa fyrgen-bēamas
ofer hārne stān hleonian funde,
wyn-lēasne wudu; wæter under stōd
drēorig and gedrēfed. Denum eallum wæs,
winum Scyldinga, weorce on mōde,
1420 tō geþolianne þegne monegum,
oncȳð eorla gehwǣm, syððan Æsc-heres
on þām holm-clife hafelan mētton.
Flōd blōde wēol (folc tō sǣgon)
hātan heolfre. Horn stundum song
1425 fūslīc fyrd-lēoð. Fēða eal gesæt;
gesāwon þā æfter wætere wyrm-cynnes fela,
sellīce sǣ-dracan sund cunnian,
swylce on næs-hleoðum nicras licgean,
þā on undern-mǣl oft bewitigað
1430 sorh-fulne sīð on segl-rāde,
wyrmas and wil-dēor; hīe on weg hruron
bitere and gebolgne, bearhtm ongeāton,
gūð-horn galan. Sumne Gēata lēod
of flān-bogan fēores getwǣfde,
1435 ȳð-gewinnes, þæt him on aldre stōd
here-strǣl hearda; hē on holme wæs
sundes þē sǣnra, þē hyne swylt fornam.
Hræðe wearð on ȳðum mid eofer-sprēotum
heoro-hōcyhtum hearde genearwod,
1440 nīða genǣged and on næs togen
wundorlīc wǣg-bora; weras scēawedon
gryrelīcne gist. Gyrede hine Bēowulf
eorl-gewǣdum, nalles for ealdre mearn:
scolde here-byrne hondum gebrōden,
1445 sīd and searo-fāh, sund cunnian,
sēo þe bān-cofan beorgan cūðe,
þæt him hilde-grāp hreðre ne mihte,
eorres inwit-feng, aldre gesceððan;
ac se hwīta helm hafelan werede,
1450 sē þe mere-grundas mengan scolde,
sēcan sund-gebland since geweorðad,
befongen frēa-wrāsnum, swā hine fyrn-dagum
worhte wǣpna smið, wundrum tēode,
besette swīn-līcum, þæt hine syððan nō
1455 brond nē beado-mēcas bītan ne meahton.
Næs þæt þonne mǣtost mægen-fultuma,
þæt him on þearfe lāh þyle Hrōðgāres;
wæs þǣm hæft-mēce Hrunting nama,
þæt wæs ān foran eald-gestrēona;
1460 ecg wæs īren āter-tēarum fāh,
āhyrded heaðo-swāte; nǣfre hit æt hilde ne swāc
manna ǣngum þāra þe hit mid mundum bewand,
sē þe gryre-sīðas gegān dorste,
folc-stede fāra; næs þæt forma sīð,
1465 þæt hit ellen-weorc æfnan scolde.
Hūru ne gemunde mago Ecglāfes
eafoðes cræftig, þæt hē ǣr gespræc
wīne druncen, þā hē þæs wǣpnes onlāh
sēlran sweord-frecan: selfa ne dorste
1470 under ȳða gewin aldre genēðan,
driht-scype drēogan; þǣr hē dōme forlēas,
ellen-mǣrðum.
Ne wæs þǣm ōðrum swā,
syððan hē hine tō gūðe gegyred hæfde.


XXIII. THE BATTLE WITH THE WATER-DRAKE.

Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
1475 "geþenc nū, se mǣra maga Healfdenes,
"snottra fengel, nū ic eom sīðes fūs,
"gold-wine gumena, hwæt wit geō sprǣcon,
"gif ic æt þearfe þīnre scolde
"aldre linnan, þæt þū mē ā wǣre
1480 "forð-gewitenum on fæder stǣle;
"wes þū mund-bora mīnum mago-þegnum,
"hond-gesellum, gif mec hild nime:
"swylce þū þā mādmas, þē þū mē sealdest,
"Hrōðgār lēofa, Higelāce onsend.
1485 "Mæg þonne on þǣm golde ongitan Gēata dryhten,
"gesēon sunu Hrēðles, þonne hē on þæt sinc starað,
"þæt ic gum-cystum gōdne funde
"bēaga bryttan, brēac þonne mōste.
"And þū Unferð lǣt ealde lāfe,
1490 "wrǣtlīc wǣg-sweord wīd-cūðne man
"heard-ecg habban; ic mē mid Hruntinge
"dōm gewyrce, oððe mec dēað nimeð. "
Æfter þǣm wordum Weder-Gēata lēod
efste mid elne, nalas andsware
1495 bīdan wolde; brim-wylm onfēng
hilde-rince. Þā wæs hwīl dæges,
ǣr hē þone grund-wong ongytan mehte.
Sōna þæt onfunde, sē þe flōda begong
heoro-gīfre behēold hund missēra,
1500 grim and grǣdig, þæt þǣr gumena sum
æl-wihta eard ufan cunnode.
Grāp þā tōgēanes, gūð-rinc gefēng
atolan clommum; nō þȳ ǣr in gescōd
hālan līce: hring ūtan ymb-bearh,
1505 þæt hēo þone fyrd-hom þurh-fōn ne mihte,
locene leoðo-syrcan lāðan fingrum.
Bær þā sēo brim-wylf, þā hēo tō botme cōm,
hringa þengel tō hofe sīnum,
swā hē ne mihte nō (hē þæs mōdig wæs)
1510 wǣpna gewealdan, ac hine wundra þæs fela
swencte on sunde, sǣ-dēor monig
hilde-tūxum here-syrcan bræc,
ēhton āglǣcan. Þā se eorl ongeat,
þæt hē in nið-sele nāt-hwylcum wæs,
1515 þǣr him nǣnig wæter wihte ne sceðede,
nē him for hrōf-sele hrīnan ne mehte
fǣr-gripe flōdes: fȳr-lēoht geseah,
blācne lēoman beorhte scīnan.
Ongeat þā se gōda grund-wyrgenne,
1520 mere-wīf mihtig; mægen-rǣs forgeaf
hilde-bille, hond swenge ne oftēah,
þæt hire on hafelan hring-mǣl āgōl
grǣdig gūð-lēoð. Þā se gist onfand,
þæt se beado-lēoma bītan nolde,
1525 aldre sceððan, ac sēo ecg geswāc
þēodne æt þearfe: þolode ǣr fela
hond-gemōta, helm oft gescær,
fǣges fyrd-hrægl: þæt wæs forma sīð
dēorum māðme, þæt his dōm ālæg.
1530 Eft wæs ān-rǣd, nalas elnes læt,
mǣrða gemyndig mǣg Hygelāces;
wearp þā wunden-mǣl wrǣttum gebunden
yrre ōretta, þæt hit on eorðan læg,
stīð and stȳl-ecg; strenge getruwode,
1535 mund-gripe mægenes. Swā sceal man dōn,
þonne hē æt gūðe gegān þenceð
longsumne lof, nā ymb his līf cearað.