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XIX. BĒOWULF'S JEWELLED COLLAR. THE HEROES REST.

Him wæs ful boren and frēond-laðu
wordum bewægned and wunden gold
1195 ēstum geēawed, earm-hrēade twā,
hrægl and hringas, heals-bēaga mǣst
þāra þe ic on foldan gefrægen hæbbe.
Nǣnigne ic under swegle sēlran hȳrde
hord-māððum hæleða, syððan Hāma ætwæg
1200 tō þǣre byrhtan byrig Brōsinga mene,
sigle and sinc-fæt, searo-nīðas fealh
Eormenrīces, gecēas ēcne rǣd.
Þone hring hæfde Higelāc Gēata,
nefa Swertinges, nȳhstan sīðe,
1205 siððan hē under segne sinc ealgode,
wæl-rēaf werede; hyne Wyrd fornam,
syððan hē for wlenco wēan āhsode,
fǣhðe tō Frȳsum; hē þā frætwe wæg,
eorclan-stānas ofer ȳða ful,
1210 rīce þēoden, hē under rande gecranc;
gehwearf þā in Francna fæðm feorh cyninges,
brēost-gewǣdu and se bēah somod:
wyrsan wīg-frecan wæl rēafedon
æfter gūð-sceare, Gēata lēode
1215 hreā-wīc hēoldon. Heal swēge onfēng.
Wealhþēo maðelode, hēo fore þǣm werede spræc:
"Brūc þisses bēages, Bēowulf, lēofa
"hyse, mid hǣle, and þisses hrægles nēot
"þēod-gestrēona, and geþēoh tela,
1220 "cen þec mid cræfte and þyssum cnyhtum wes
"lāra līðe! ic þē þæs lēan geman.
"Hafast þū gefēred, þæt þē feor and nēah
"ealne wīde-ferhð weras ehtigað,
"efne swā sīde swā sǣ bebūgeð
1225 "windige weallas. Wes, þenden þū lifige,
"æðeling ēadig! ic þē an tela
"sinc-gestrēona. Bēo þū suna mīnum
"dǣdum gedēfe drēam healdende!
"Hēr is ǣghwylc eorl ōðrum getrȳwe,
1230 "mōdes milde, man-drihtne hold,
"þegnas syndon geþwǣre, þēod eal gearo:
"druncne dryht-guman, dōð swā ic bidde! "
Ēode þā tō setle.
Þǣr wæs symbla cyst,
druncon wīn weras: wyrd ne cūðon,
1235 geō-sceaft grimme, swā hit āgangen wearð
eorla manegum, syððan ǣfen cwōm
and him Hrōðgār gewāt tō hofe sīnum,
rīce tō ræste. Reced weardode
unrīm eorla, swā hīe oft ǣr dydon:
1240 benc-þelu beredon, hit geond-brǣded wearð
beddum and bolstrum. Bēor-scealca sum
fūs and fǣge flet-ræste gebēag.
Setton him tō hēafdum hilde-randas,
bord-wudu beorhtan; þǣr on bence wæs
1245 ofer æðelinge ȳð-gesēne
heaðo-stēapa helm, hringed byrne,
þrec-wudu þrymlīc. Wæs þēaw hyra,
þæt hīe oft wǣron an wīg gearwe,
gē æt hām gē on herge, gē gehwæðer þāra
1250 efne swylce mǣla, swylce hira man-dryhtne
þearf gesǣlde; wæs sēo þēod tilu.


XX. GRENDEL'S MOTHER ATTACKS THE RING-DANES.

Sigon þā tō slǣpe. Sum sāre angeald
ǣfen-ræste, swā him ful-oft gelamp,
siððan gold-sele Grendel warode,
1255 unriht æfnde, oð þæt ende becwōm,
swylt æfter synnum. Þæt gesȳne wearð,
wīd-cūð werum, þætte wrecend þā gȳt
lifde æfter lāðum, lange þrāge
æfter gūð-ceare; Grendles mōdor,
1260 ides āglǣc-wīf yrmðe gemunde,
sē þe wæter-egesan wunian scolde,
cealde strēamas, siððan Cain wearð
tō ecg-banan āngan brēðer,
fæderen-mǣge; hē þā fāg gewāt,
1265 morðre gemearcod man-drēam flēon,
wēsten warode. Þanon wōc fela
geōsceaft-gāsta; wæs þǣra Grendel sum,
heoro-wearh hetelīc, sē æt Heorote fand
wæccendne wer wīges bīdan,
1270 þǣr him āglǣca æt-grǣpe wearð;
hwæðre hē gemunde mægenes strenge,
gim-fæste gife, þē him god sealde,
and him tō anwaldan āre gelȳfde,
frōfre and fultum: þȳ hē þone fēond ofercwōm,
1275 gehnǣgde helle gāst: þā hē hēan gewāt,
drēame bedǣled dēað-wīc sēon,
man-cynnes fēond. And his mōdor þā gȳt
gīfre and galg-mōd gegān wolde
sorh-fulne sīð, suna dēað wrecan.
1280 Cōm þā tō Heorote, þǣr Hring-Dene
geond þæt sæld swǣfun. Þā þǣr sōna wearð
ed-hwyrft eorlum, siððan inne fealh
Grendles mōdor; wæs se gryre lǣssa
efne swā micle, swā bið mægða cræft,
1285 wīg-gryre wīfes be wǣpned-men,
þonne heoru bunden, hamere geþuren,
sweord swāte fāh swīn ofer helme,
ecgum dyhtig andweard scireð.
Þā wæs on healle heard-ecg togen,
1290 sweord ofer setlum, sīd-rand manig
hafen handa fæst; helm ne gemunde,
byrnan sīde, þe hine se brōga angeat.
Hēo wæs on ofste, wolde ūt þanon
fēore beorgan, þā hēo onfunden wæs;
1295 hraðe hēo æðelinga ānne hæfde
fæste befangen, þā hēo tō fenne gang;
sē wæs Hrōðgāre hæleða lēofost
on gesīðes hād be sǣm tweonum,
rīce rand-wiga, þone þe hēo on ræste ābrēat,
1300 blǣd-fæstne beorn.