No More Learning

Līxte se lēoma, lēoht inne stōd,
efne swā of hefene hādre scīneð
rodores candel. Hē æfter recede wlāt,
hwearf þā be wealle, wǣpen hafenade
1575 heard be hiltum Higelāces þegn,
yrre and ān-rǣd. Næs sēo ecg fracod
hilde-rince, ac hē hraðe wolde
Grendle forgyldan gūð-rǣsa fela
þāra þe hē geworhte tō West-Denum
1580 oftor micle þonne on ǣnne sīð,
þonne hē Hrōðgāres heorð-genēatas
slōh on sweofote, slǣpende fræt
folces Denigea fȳf-tȳne men
and ōðer swylc ūt of-ferede,
1585 lāðlīcu lāc. Hē him þæs lēan forgeald,
rēðe cempa, tō þæs þe hē on ræste geseah
gūð-wērigne Grendel licgan,
aldor-lēasne, swā him ǣr gescōd
hild æt Heorote; hrā wīde sprong,
1590 syððan hē æfter dēaðe drepe þrowade,
heoro-sweng heardne, and hine þā hēafde becearf,
Sōna þæt gesāwon snottre ceorlas,
þā þe mid Hrōðgāre on holm wliton,
þæt wæs ȳð-geblond eal gemenged,
1595 brim blōde fāh: blonden-feaxe
gomele ymb gōdne ongeador sprǣcon,
þæt hig þæs æðelinges eft ne wēndon,
þæt hē sige-hrēðig sēcean cōme
mǣrne þēoden; þā þæs monige gewearð,
1600 þæt hine sēo brim-wylf ābroten hæfde.
Þā cōm nōn dæges. Næs ofgēafon
hwate Scyldingas; gewāt him hām þonon
gold-wine gumena. Gistas sētan,
mōdes sēoce, and on mere staredon,
1605 wiston and ne wēndon, þæt hīe heora wine-drihten
selfne gesāwon. Þā þæt sweord ongan
æfter heaðo-swāte hilde-gicelum
wīg-bil wanian; þæt wæs wundra sum,
þæt hit eal gemealt īse gelīcost,
1610 þonne forstes bend fæder onlǣteð,
onwindeð wæl-rāpas, sē þe geweald hafað
sǣla and mǣla; þæt is sōð metod.
Ne nom hē in þǣm wīcum, Weder-Gēata lēod,
māðm-ǣhta mā, þēh hē þǣr monige geseah,
1615 būton þone hafelan and þā hilt somod,
since fāge; sweord ǣr gemealt,
forbarn brōden mǣl: wæs þæt blōd tō þæs hāt,
ǣttren ellor-gǣst, sē þǣr inne swealt.
Sōna wæs on sunde, sē þe ǣr æt sæcce gebād
1620 wīg-hryre wrāðra, wæter up þurh-dēaf;
wǣron ȳð-gebland eal gefǣlsod,
ēacne eardas, þā se ellor-gāst
oflēt līf-dagas and þās lǣnan gesceaft.
Cōm þā tō lande lid-manna helm
1625 swīð-mōd swymman, sǣ-lāce gefeah,
mægen-byrðenne þāra þe hē him mid hæfde.
Ēodon him þā tōgēanes, gode þancodon,
þrȳðlīc þegna hēap, þēodnes gefēgon,
þæs þe hī hyne gesundne gesēon mōston.
1630 Þā wæs of þǣm hrōran helm and byrne
lungre ālȳsed: lagu drūsade,
wæter under wolcnum, wæl-drēore fāg.
Fērdon forð þonon fēðe-lāstum
ferhðum fægne, fold-weg mǣton,
1635 cūðe strǣte; cyning-balde men
from þǣm holm-clife hafelan bǣron
earfoðlīce heora ǣghwæðrum
fela-mōdigra: fēower scoldon
on ðæm wæl-stenge weorcum geferian
1640 tō þǣm gold-sele Grendles hēafod,
oð þæt semninga tō sele cōmon
frome fyrd-hwate fēower-tȳne
Gēata gongan; gum-dryhten mid
mōdig on gemonge meodo-wongas træd.
1645 Þā cōm in gān ealdor þegna,
dǣd-cēne mon dōme gewurðad,
hæle hilde-dēor.
Hrōðgār grētan:
Þā wæs be feaxe on flet boren
Grendles hēafod, þǣr guman druncon,
1650 egeslīc for eorlum and þǣre idese mid:
wlite-sēon wrǣtlīc weras onsāwon.


XXV. HROTHGAR'S GRATITUDE: HE DISCOURSES.

Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
"Hwæt! wē þē þās sǣ-lāc, sunu Healfdenes,
"lēod Scyldinga, lustum brōhton,
1655 "tīres tō tācne, þē þū hēr tō lōcast.
"Ic þæt unsōfte ealdre gedīgde:
"wigge under wætere weorc genēðde
"earfoðlīce, æt-rihte wæs
"gūð getwǣfed, nymðe mec god scylde.
1660 "Ne meahte ic æt hilde mid Hruntinge
"wiht gewyrcan, þēah þæt wǣpen duge,
"ac mē geūðe ylda waldend,
"þæt ic on wāge geseah wlitig hangian
"eald sweord ēacen (oftost wīsode
1665 "winigea lēasum) þæt ic þȳ wǣpne gebrǣ.
"Ofslōh þā æt þǣre sæcce (þā mē sǣl āgeald)
"hūses hyrdas. Þā þæt hilde-bil
"forbarn, brogden mǣl, swā þæt blōd gesprang,
"hātost heaðo-swāta: ic þæt hilt þanan
1670 "fēondum ætferede; fyren-dǣda wræc,
"dēað-cwealm Denigea, swā hit gedēfe wæs.
"Ic hit þē þonne gehāte, þæt þū on Heorote mōst
"sorh-lēas swefan mid þīnra secga gedryht,
"and þegna gehwylc þīnra lēoda,
1675 "duguðe and iogoðe, þæt þū him ondrǣdan ne þearft,
"þēoden Scyldinga, on þā healfe,
"aldor-bealu eorlum, swā þū ǣr dydest. "
Þā wæs gylden hilt gamelum rince.
hārum hild-fruman, on hand gyfen,
1680 enta ǣr-geweorc, hit on ǣht gehwearf
æfter dēofla hryre Denigea frēan,
wundor-smiða geweorc, and þā þās worold ofgeaf
grom-heort guma, godes andsaca,
morðres scyldig, and his mōdor ēac;
1685 on geweald gehwearf worold-cyninga
þǣm sēlestan be sǣm twēonum
þāra þe on Sceden-igge sceattas dǣlde.
Hrōðgār maðelode, hylt scēawode,
ealde lāfe, on þǣm wæs ōr writen
1690 fyrn-gewinnes: syððan flōd ofslōh,
gifen gēotende, gīganta cyn,
frēcne gefērdon: þæt wæs fremde þēod
ēcean dryhtne, him þæs ende-lēan
þurh wæteres wylm waldend sealde.
1695 Swā wæs on þǣm scennum scīran goldes
þurh rūn-stafas rihte gemearcod,
geseted and gesǣd, hwām þæt sweord geworht,
īrena cyst ǣrest wǣre,
wreoðen-hilt and wyrm-fāh. þā se wīsa spræc
1700 sunu Healfdenes (swīgedon ealle):
"Þæt lā mæg secgan, sē þe sōð and riht
"fremeð on folce, (feor eal gemon
"eald ēðel-weard), þæt þes eorl wǣre
"geboren betera! Blǣd is ārǣred
1705 "geond wīd-wegas, wine mīn Bēowulf,
"þīn ofer þēoda gehwylce.