No More Learning

Þā wæs on ūhtan mid ǣr-dæge
Grendles gūð-cræft gumum undyrne:
þā wæs æfter wiste wōp up āhafen,
micel morgen-swēg. Mǣre þēoden,
130 æðeling ǣr-gōd, unblīðe sæt,
þolode þrȳð-swȳð, þegn-sorge drēah,
syððan hīe þæs lāðan lāst scēawedon,
wergan gāstes; wæs þæt gewin tō strang,
lāð and longsum. Næs hit lengra fyrst,
135 ac ymb āne niht eft gefremede
morð-beala māre and nō mearn fore
fǣhðe and fyrene; wæs tō fæst on þām.
Þā wæs ēað-fynde, þē him elles hwǣr
gerūmlīcor ræste sōhte,
140 bed æfter būrum, þā him gebēacnod wæs,
gesægd sōðlīce sweotolan tācne
heal-þegnes hete; hēold hine syððan
fyr and fæstor, sē þǣm fēonde ætwand.
Swā rīxode and wið rihte wan
145 āna wið eallum, oð þæt īdel stōd
hūsa sēlest. Wæs sēo hwīl micel:
twelf wintra tīd torn geþolode
wine Scyldinga, wēana gehwelcne,
sīdra sorga; forþām syððan wearð
150 ylda bearnum undyrne cūð,
gyddum geōmore, þætte Grendel wan,
hwīle wið Hrōðgār;-- hete-nīðas wæg,
fyrene and fǣhðe fela missēra,
singāle sæce, sibbe ne wolde
155 wið manna hwone mægenes Deniga
feorh-bealo feorran, fēo þingian,
nē þǣr nǣnig witena wēnan þorfte
beorhtre bōte tō banan folmum;
atol ǣglǣca ēhtende wæs,
160 deorc dēað-scūa duguðe and geogoðe
seomade and syrede. Sin-nihte hēold
mistige mōras; men ne cunnon,
hwyder hel-rūnan hwyrftum scrīðað.
Swā fela fyrena fēond man-cynnes,
165 atol ān-gengea, oft gefremede
heardra hȳnða; Heorot eardode,
sinc-fāge sel sweartum nihtum
(nō hē þone gif-stōl grētan mōste,
māððum for metode, nē his myne wisse);
170 þæt wæs wrǣc micel wine Scyldinga,
mōdes brecða. Monig-oft gesæt
rīce tō rūne; rǣd eahtedon,
hwæt swīð-ferhðum sēlest wǣre
wið fǣr-gryrum tō gefremmanne.
175 Hwīlum hīe gehēton æt hærg-trafum
wīg-weorðunga, wordum bǣdon,
þæt him gāst-bona gēoce gefremede
wið þēod-þrēaum. Swylc wæs þēaw hyra,
hǣðenra hyht; helle gemundon
180 in mōd-sefan, metod hīe ne cūðon,
dǣda dēmend, ne wiston hīe drihten god,
nē hīe hūru heofena helm herian ne cūðon,
wuldres waldend. Wā bið þǣm þe sceal
þurh slīðne nīð sāwle bescūfan
185 in fȳres fæðm, frōfre ne wēnan,
wihte gewendan; wēl bið þǣm þe mōt
æfter dēað-dæge drihten sēcean
and tō fæder fæðmum freoðo wilnian.


IV. HYGELAC'S THANE.

Swā þā mǣl-ceare maga Healfdenes
190 singāla sēað; ne mihte snotor hæleð
wēan onwendan: wæs þæt gewin tō swȳð,
lāð and longsum, þē on þā lēode becōm,
nȳd-wracu nīð-grim, niht-bealwa mǣst.
Þæt fram hām gefrægn Higelāces þegn,
195 gōd mid Gēatum, Grendles dǣda:
sē wæs mon-cynnes mægenes strengest
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes,
æðele and ēacen. Hēt him ȳð-lidan
gōdne gegyrwan; cwæð hē gūð-cyning
200 ofer swan-rāde sēcean wolde,
mǣrne þēoden, þā him wæs manna þearf.
Þone sīð-fæt him snotere ceorlas
lȳt-hwōn lōgon, þēah hē him lēof wǣre;
hwetton higerōfne, hǣl scēawedon.
205 Hæfde se gōda Gēata lēoda
cempan gecorone, þāra þe hē cēnoste
findan mihte; fīftȳna sum
sund-wudu sōhte; secg wīsade,
lagu-cræftig mon, land-gemyrcu.
210 Fyrst forð gewāt: flota wæs on ȳðum,
bāt under beorge. Beornas gearwe
on stefn stigon; strēamas wundon
sund wið sande; secgas bǣron
on bearm nacan beorhte frætwe,
215 gūð-searo geatolīc; guman ūt scufon,
weras on wil-sīð wudu bundenne.
Gewāt þā ofer wǣg-holm winde gefȳsed
flota fāmig-heals fugle gelīcost,
oð þæt ymb ān-tīd ōðres dōgores
220 wunden-stefna gewaden hæfde,
þæt þā līðende land gesāwon,
brim-clifu blīcan, beorgas stēape,
sīde sǣ-næssas: þā wæs sund liden,
eoletes æt ende. Þanon up hraðe
225 Wedera lēode on wang stigon,
sǣ-wudu sǣldon (syrcan hrysedon,
gūð-gewǣdo); gode þancedon,
þæs þe him ȳð-lāde ēaðe wurdon.
Þā of wealle geseah weard Scildinga,
230 sē þe holm-clifu healdan scolde,
beran ofer bolcan beorhte randas,
fyrd-searu fūslīcu; hine fyrwyt bræc
mōd-gehygdum, hwæt þā men wǣron.
Gewāt him þā tō waroðe wicge rīdan
235 þegn Hrōðgāres, þrymmum cwehte
mægen-wudu mundum, meðel-wordum frægn:
"Hwæt syndon gē searo-hæbbendra
"byrnum werede, þē þus brontne cēol
"ofer lagu-strǣte lǣdan cwōmon,
240 "hider ofer holmas helmas bǣron?
"Ic wæs ende-sǣta, ǣg-wearde hēold,
"þæt on land Dena lāðra nǣnig
"mid scip-herge sceððan ne meahte.
"Nō hēr cūðlīcor cuman ongunnon
245 "lind-hæbbende; nē gē lēafnes-word
"gūð-fremmendra gearwe ne wisson,
"māga gemēdu. Nǣfre ic māran geseah
"eorla ofer eorðan, þonne is ēower sum,
"secg on searwum; nis þæt seld-guma
250 "wǣpnum geweorðad, næfne him his wlite lēoge,
"ǣnlīc an-sȳn. Nū ic ēower sceal
"frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan
"lēase scēaweras on land Dena
"furður fēran. Nū gē feor-būend,
255 "mere-līðende, mīnne gehȳrað
"ān-fealdne geþōht: ofost is sēlest
"tō gecȳðanne, hwanan ēowre cyme syndon. "


V.