No More Learning

Þǣr wæs mādma fela,
of feor-wegum frætwa gelǣded:
ne hȳrde ic cȳmlīcor cēol gegyrwan
hilde-wǣpnum and heaðo-wǣdum,
40 billum and byrnum; him on bearme læg
mādma mænigo, þā him mid scoldon
on flōdes ǣht feor gewītan.
Nalas hī hine lǣssan lācum tēodan,
þēod-gestrēonum, þonne þā dydon,
45 þē hine æt frumsceafte forð onsendon
ǣnne ofer ȳðe umbor wesende:
þā gȳt hīe him āsetton segen gyldenne
hēah ofer hēafod, lēton holm beran,
gēafon on gār-secg: him wæs geōmor sefa,
50 murnende mōd. Men ne cunnon
secgan tō soðe sele-rǣdende,
hæleð under heofenum, hwā þǣm hlæste onfēng.


II. THE HALL HEOROT.

Þā wæs on burgum Bēowulf Scyldinga,
lēof lēod-cyning, longe þrāge
55 folcum gefrǣge (fæder ellor hwearf,
aldor of earde), oð þæt him eft onwōc
hēah Healfdene; hēold þenden lifde,
gamol and gūð-rēow, glæde Scyldingas.
Þǣm fēower bearn forð-gerīmed
60 in worold wōcun, weoroda rǣswan,
Heorogār and Hrōðgār and Hālga til;
hȳrde ic, þat Elan cwēn Ongenþēowes wæs
Heaðoscilfinges heals-gebedde.
Þā wæs Hrōðgāre here-spēd gyfen,
65 wīges weorð-mynd, þæt him his wine-māgas
georne hȳrdon, oð þæt sēo geogoð gewēox,
mago-driht micel. Him on mōd bearn,
þæt heal-reced hātan wolde,
medo-ærn micel men gewyrcean,
70 þone yldo bearn ǣfre gefrūnon,
and þǣr on innan eall gedǣlan
geongum and ealdum, swylc him god sealde,
būton folc-scare and feorum gumena.
Þā ic wīde gefrægn weorc gebannan
75 manigre mǣgðe geond þisne middan-geard,
folc-stede frætwan. Him on fyrste gelomp
ǣdre mid yldum, þæt hit wearð eal gearo,
heal-ærna mǣst; scōp him Heort naman,
sē þe his wordes geweald wīde hæfde.
80 Hē bēot ne ālēh, bēagas dǣlde,
sinc æt symle. Sele hlīfade
hēah and horn-gēap: heaðo-wylma bād,
lāðan līges; ne wæs hit lenge þā gēn
þæt se ecg-hete āðum-swerian
85 æfter wæl-nīðe wæcnan scolde.
Þā se ellen-gǣst earfoðlīce
þrāge geþolode, sē þe in þȳstrum bād,
þæt hē dōgora gehwām drēam gehȳrde
hlūdne in healle; þǣr wæs hearpan swēg,
90 swutol sang scopes. Sægde sē þe cūðe
frum-sceaft fīra feorran reccan,
cwæð þæt se ælmihtiga eorðan worhte,
wlite-beorhtne wang, swā wæter bebūgeð,
gesette sige-hrēðig sunnan and mōnan
95 lēoman tō lēohte land-būendum,
and gefrætwade foldan scēatas
leomum and lēafum; līf ēac gesceōp
cynna gehwylcum, þāra þe cwice hwyrfað.
Swā þā driht-guman drēamum lifdon
100 ēadiglīce, oð þæt ān ongan
fyrene fremman, fēond on helle:
wæs se grimma gæst Grendel hāten,
mǣre mearc-stapa, sē þe mōras hēold,
fen and fæsten; fīfel-cynnes eard
105 won-sǣlig wer weardode hwīle,
siððan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde.
In Caines cynne þone cwealm gewræc,
ēce drihten, þæs þe hē Ābel slōg;
ne gefeah hē þǣre fǣhðe, ac hē hine feor forwræc,
110 metod for þȳ māne man-cynne fram.
Þanon untȳdras ealle onwōcon,
eotenas and ylfe and orcnēas,
swylce gīgantas, þā wið gode wunnon
lange þrāge; hē him þæs lēan forgeald.


III. GRENDEL'S VISITS.

115 Gewāt þā nēosian, syððan niht becōm,
hēan hūses, hū hit Hring-Dene
æfter bēor-þege gebūn hæfdon.
Fand þā þǣr inne æðelinga gedriht
swefan æfter symble; sorge ne cūðon,
120 won-sceaft wera. Wiht unhǣlo
grim and grǣdig gearo sōna wæs,
rēoc and rēðe, and on ræste genam
þrītig þegna: þanon eft gewāt
hūðe hrēmig tō hām faran,
125 mid þǣre wæl-fylle wīca nēosan.
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.