No More Learning

Hē þā mid þām māðmum mǣrne þīoden,
2790 dryhten sīnne drīorigne fand
ealdres æt ende: hē hine eft ongon
wæteres weorpan, oð þæt wordes ord
brēost-hord þurhbræc. Bēowulf maðelode,
gomel on giohðe (gold scēawode):
2795 "Ic þāra frætwa frēan ealles þanc
"wuldur-cyninge wordum secge,
"ēcum dryhtne, þē ic hēr on starie,
"þæs þe ic mōste mīnum lēodum
"ǣr swylt-dæge swylc gestrȳnan.
2800 "Nū ic on māðma hord mīne bebohte
"frōde feorh-lege, fremmað gē nū
"lēoda þearfe; ne mæg ic hēr leng wesan.
"Hātað heaðo-mǣre hlǣw gewyrcean,
"beorhtne æfter bǣle æt brimes nosan;
2805 "se scel tō gemyndum mīnum lēodum
"hēah hlīfian on Hrones næsse,
"þæt hit sǣ-līðend syððan hātan
"Bīowulfes biorh, þā þe brentingas
"ofer flōda genipu feorran drīfað. "
2810 Dyde him of healse hring gyldenne
þīoden þrīst-hȳdig, þegne gesealde,
geongum gār-wigan, gold-fāhne helm,
bēah and byrnan, hēt hyne brūcan well:
"Þū eart ende-lāf ūsses cynnes,
2815 "Wǣgmundinga; ealle Wyrd forswēof,
"mīne māgas tō metod-sceafte,
"eorlas on elne: ic him æfter sceal. "
Þæt wæs þām gomelan gingeste word
brēost-gehygdum, ǣr hē bǣl cure,
2820 hāte heaðo-wylmas: him of hreðre gewāt
sāwol sēcean sōð-fæstra dōm.


XXXIX. THE COWARD-THANES.

Þā wæs gegongen guman unfrōdum
earfoðlīce, þæt hē on eorðan geseah
þone lēofestan līfes æt ende
2825 blēate gebǣran. Bona swylce læg,
egeslīc eorð-draca, ealdre berēafod,
bealwe gebǣded: bēah-hordum leng
wyrm wōh-bogen wealdan ne mōste,
ac him īrenna ecga fornāmon,
2830 hearde heaðo-scearpe homera lāfe,
þæt se wīd-floga wundum stille
hrēas on hrūsan hord-ærne nēah,
nalles æfter lyfte lācende hwearf
middel-nihtum, māðm-ǣhta wlonc
2835 ansȳn ȳwde: ac hē eorðan gefēoll
for þæs hild-fruman hond-geweorce.
Hūru þæt on lande lȳt manna þāh
mægen-āgendra mīne gefrǣge,
þēah þe hē dǣda gehwæs dyrstig wǣre,
2840 þæt hē wið attor-sceaðan oreðe gerǣsde,
oððe hring-sele hondum styrede,
gif hē wæccende weard onfunde
būan on beorge. Bīowulfe wearð
dryht-māðma dǣl dēaðe forgolden;
2845 hæfde ǣghwæðer ende gefēred
lǣnan līfes. Næs þā lang tō þon,
þæt þā hild-latan holt ofgēfan,
tȳdre trēow-logan tȳne ætsomne,
þā ne dorston ǣr dareðum lācan
2850 on hyra man-dryhtnes miclan þearfe;
ac hȳ scamiende scyldas bǣran,
gūð-gewǣdu, þǣr se gomela læg:
wlitan on Wīglāf. Hē gewērgad sæt,
fēðe-cempa frēan eaxlum nēah,
2855 wehte hyne wætre; him wiht ne spēow;
ne meahte hē on eorðan, þēah hē ūðe wēl,
on þām frum-gāre feorh gehealdan,
nē þæs wealdendes willan wiht oncirran;
wolde dōm godes dǣdum rǣdan
2860 gumena gehwylcum, swā hē nū gēn dēð.
Þā wæs æt þām geongan grim andswaru
ēð-begēte þām þe ǣr his elne forlēas.
Wīglāf maðelode, Wēohstānes sunu,
secg sārig-ferð seah on unlēofe:
2865 "Þæt lā mæg secgan, sē þe wyle sōð sprecan,
"þæt se mon-dryhten, se ēow þā māðmas geaf,
"ēored-geatwe, þē gē þǣr on standað,
"þonne hē on ealu-bence oft gesealde
"heal-sittendum helm and byrnan,
2870 "þēoden his þegnum, swylce hē þrȳðlīcost
"ōhwǣr feor oððe nēah findan meahte,
"þæt hē gēnunga gūð-gewǣdu
"wrāðe forwurpe. Þā hyne wīg beget,
"nealles folc-cyning fyrd-gesteallum
2875 "gylpan þorfte; hwæðre him god ūðe,
"sigora waldend, þæt hē hyne sylfne gewræc
"āna mid ecge, þā him wæs elnes þearf,
"Ic him līf-wraðe lȳtle meahte
"ætgifan æt gūðe and ongan swā þēah
2880 "ofer mīn gemet mǣges helpan:
"symle wæs þȳ sǣmra, þonne ic sweorde drep
"ferhð-genīðlan, fȳr unswīðor
"wēoll of gewitte. Wergendra tō lȳt
"þrong ymbe þēoden, þā hyne sīo þrāg becwōm.
2885 "Nū sceal sinc-þego and swyrd-gifu
"eall ēðel-wyn ēowrum cynne,
"lufen ālicgean: lond-rihtes mōt
"þǣre mǣg-burge monna ǣghwylc
"īdel hweorfan, syððan æðelingas
2890 "feorran gefricgean flēam ēowerne,
"dōm-lēasan dǣd. Dēað bið sēlla
"eorla gehwylcum þonne edwīt-līf! "


XL. THE SOLDIER'S DIRGE AND PROPHECY.

Heht þā þæt heaðo-weorc tō hagan bīodan
up ofer ēg-clif, þǣr þæt eorl-weorod
2895 morgen-longne dæg mōd-giōmor sæt,
bord-hæbbende, bēga on wēnum
ende-dōgores and eft-cymes
lēofes monnes. Lȳt swīgode
nīwra spella, sē þe næs gerād,
2900 ac hē sōðlīce sægde ofer ealle;
"Nū is wil-geofa Wedra lēoda,
"dryhten Gēata dēað-bedde fæst,
"wunað wæl-reste wyrmes dǣdum;
"him on efn ligeð ealdor-gewinna,
2905 "siex-bennum sēoc: sweorde ne meahte
"on þām āglǣcean ǣnige þinga
"wunde gewyrcean. Wīglāf siteð
"ofer Bīowulfe, byre Wīhstānes,
"eorl ofer ōðrum unlifigendum,
2910 "healdeð hige-mēðum hēafod-wearde
"lēofes and lāðes. Nū ys lēodum wēn
"orleg-hwīle, syððan underne
"Froncum and Frȳsum fyll cyninges
"wīde weorðeð. Wæs sīo wrōht scepen
2915 "heard wið Hūgas, syððan Higelāc cwōm
"faran flot-herge on Frēsna land,
"þǣr hyne Hetware hilde gehnǣgdon,
"elne geēodon mid ofer-mægene,
"þæt se byrn-wiga būgan sceolde,
2920 "fēoll on fēðan: nalles frætwe geaf
"ealdor dugoðe; ūs wæs ā syððan
"Merewīoinga milts ungyfeðe.
"Nē ic tō Swēo-þēode sibbe oððe trēowe
"wihte ne wēne; ac wæs wīde cūð,
2925 "þætte Ongenþīo ealdre besnyðede
"Hæðcyn Hrēðling wið Hrefna-wudu,
"þā for on-mēdlan ǣrest gesōhton
"Gēata lēode Gūð-scilfingas.
"Sōna him se frōda fæder Ōhtheres,
2930 "eald and eges-full ond-slyht āgeaf,
"ābrēot brim-wīsan, brȳd āhēorde,
"gomela īo-meowlan golde berofene,
"Onelan mōdor and Ōhtheres,
"and þā folgode feorh-genīðlan
2935 "oð þæt hī oðēodon earfoðlīce
"in Hrefnes-holt hlāford-lēase.
"Besæt þā sin-herge sweorda lāfe
"wundum wērge, wēan oft gehēt
"earmre teohhe andlonge niht:
2940 "cwæð hē on mergenne mēces ecgum
"gētan wolde, sume on galg-trēowum
"fuglum tō gamene. Frōfor eft gelamp
"sārig-mōdum somod ǣr-dæge,
"syððan hīe Hygelāces horn and bȳman
2945 "gealdor ongeāton.