No More Learning

"Þonne bið on hreðre under helm drepen
"biteran strǣle: him bebeorgan ne con
"wom wundor-bebodum wergan gāstes;
"þinceð him tō lȳtel, þæt hē tō lange hēold,
1750 "gȳtsað grom-hȳdig, nallas on gylp seleð
"fǣtte bēagas and hē þā forð-gesceaft
"forgyteð and forgȳmeð, þæs þe him ǣr god sealde
"wuldres waldend, weorð-mynda dǣl.
"Hit on ende-stæf eft gelimpeð,
1755 "þæt se līc-homa lǣne gedrēoseð,
"fǣge gefealleð; fēhð ōðer tō,
"sē þe unmurnlīce mādmas dǣleð,
"eorles ǣr-gestrēon, egesan ne gȳmeð.
"Bebeorh þē þone bealo-nīð, Bēowulf lēofa,
1760 "secg se betsta, and þē þæt sēlre gecēos,
"ēce rǣdas; oferhȳda ne gȳm,
"mǣre cempa! Nū is þīnes mægnes blǣd
"āne hwīle; eft sōna bið,
"þæt þec ādl oððe ecg eafoðes getwǣfeð,
1765 "oððe fȳres feng oððe flōdes wylm,
"oððe gripe mēces oððe gāres fliht,
"oððe atol yldo, oððe ēagena bearhtm
"forsiteð and forsworceð; semninga bið,
"þæt þec, dryht-guma, dēað oferswȳðeð.
1770 "Swā ic Hring-Dena hund missēra
"wēold under wolcnum, and hig wigge belēac
"manigum mǣgða geond þysne middan-geard,
"æscum and ecgum, þæt ic mē ǣnigne
"under swegles begong gesacan ne tealde.
1775 "Hwæt! mē þæs on ēðle edwenden cwōm,
"gyrn æfter gomene, seoððan Grendel wearð,
"eald-gewinna, in-genga mīn:
"ic þǣre sōcne singāles wæg
"mōd-ceare micle. Þæs sig metode þanc,
1780 "ēcean drihtne, þæs þe ic on aldre gebād,
"þæt ic on þone hafelan heoro-drēorigne
"ofer eald gewin ēagum starige!
"Gā nū tō setle, symbel-wynne drēoh
"wīgge weorðad: unc sceal worn fela
1785 "māðma gemǣnra, siððan morgen bið. "
Gēat wæs glæd-mōd, gēong sōna tō,
setles nēosan, swā se snottra heht.
Þā wæs eft swā ǣr ellen-rōfum,
flet-sittendum fægere gereorded
1790 nīowan stefne. Niht-helm geswearc
deorc ofer dryht-gumum. Duguð eal ārās;
wolde blonden-feax beddes nēosan,
gamela Scylding. Gēat ungemetes wēl,
rōfne rand-wigan restan lyste:
1795 sōna him sele-þegn sīðes wērgum,
feorran-cundum forð wīsade,
se for andrysnum ealle beweotede
þegnes þearfe, swylce þȳ dōgore
hēaðo-līðende habban scoldon.
1800 Reste hine þā rūm-heort; reced hlīfade
gēap and gold-fāh, gæst inne swæf,
oð þæt hrefn blaca heofones wynne
blīð-heort bodode.
Þā cōm beorht sunne
scacan ofer grundas; scaðan ōnetton,
1805 wǣron æðelingas eft tō lēodum
fūse tō farenne, wolde feor þanon
cuma collen-ferhð cēoles nēosan.
Heht þā se hearda Hrunting beran,
sunu Ecglāfes, heht his sweord niman,
1810 lēoflīc īren; sægde him þæs lēanes þanc,
cwæð hē þone gūð-wine gōdne tealde,
wīg-cræftigne, nales wordum lōg
mēces ecge: þæt wæs mōdig secg.
And þā sīð-frome searwum gearwe
1815 wīgend wǣron, ēode weorð Denum
æðeling tō yppan, þǣr se ōðer wæs
hæle hilde-dēor, Hrōðgār grētte.


XXVII. THE PARTING WORDS.

Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
"Nū wē sǣ-līðend secgan wyllað
1820 "feorran cumene, þæt wē fundiað
"Higelāc sēcan. Wǣron hēr tela
"willum bewenede; þū ūs wēl dohtest.
"Gif ic þonne on eorðan ōwihte mæg
"þīnre mōd-lufan māran tilian,
1825 "gumena dryhten, þonne ic gȳt dyde,
"gūð-geweorca ic bēo gearo sōna.
"Gif ic þæt gefricge ofer flōda begang,
"þæt þec ymbe-sittend egesan þȳwað,
"swā þec hetende hwīlum dydon,
1830 "ic þē þūsenda þegna bringe,
"hæleða tō helpe. Ic on Higelāce wāt,
"Gēata dryhten, þēah þe hē geong sȳ,
"folces hyrde, þæt hē mec fremman wile
"wordum and worcum, þæt ic þē wēl herige,
1835 "and þē tō gēoce gār-holt bere
"mægenes fultum, þǣr þē bið manna þearf;
"gif him þonne Hrēðrīc tō hofum Gēata
"geþingeð, þēodnes bearn, hē mæg þǣr fela
"frēonda findan: feor-cȳððe bēoð
1840 "sēlran gesōhte þǣm þe him selfa dēah. "
Hrōðgār maðelode him on andsware:
"Þē þā word-cwydas wittig drihten
"on sefan sende! ne hȳrde ic snotorlīcor
"on swā geongum feore guman þingian:
1845 "þū eart mægenes strang and on mōde frōd,
"wīs word-cwida. Wēn ic talige,
"gif þæt gegangeð, þæt þe gār nymeð,
"hild heoru-grimme Hrēðles eaferan,
"ādl oððe īren ealdor þīnne,
1850 "folces hyrde, and þū þīn feorh hafast,
"þæt þe Sǣ-Gēatas sēlran næbben
"tō gecēosenne cyning ǣnigne,
"hord-weard hæleða, gif þū healdan wylt
"māga rīce. Mē þīn mōd-sefa
1855 "līcað leng swā wēl, lēofa Bēowulf:
"hafast þū gefēred, þæt þām folcum sceal,
"Gēata lēodum and Gār-Denum
"sib gemǣnum and sacu restan,
"inwit-nīðas, þē hīe ǣr drugon;
1860 "wesan, þenden ic wealde wīdan rīces,
"māðmas gemǣne, manig ōðerne
"gōdum gegrētan ofer ganotes bæð;
"sceal hring-naca ofer hēaðu bringan
"lāc and luf-tācen. Ic þā lēode wāt
1865 "gē wið fēond gē wið frēond fæste geworhte
"ǣghwæs untǣle ealde wīsan. "
Þā gīt him eorla hlēo inne gesealde,
mago Healfdenes māðmas twelfe,
hēt hine mid þǣm lācum lēode swǣse
1870 sēcean on gesyntum, snūde eft cuman.