Nū ic ēower sceal
"frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan
"lēase scēaweras on land Dena
"furður fēran.
"frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan
"lēase scēaweras on land Dena
"furður fēran.
Beowulf
HYGELAC'S THANE.
Swā þā mǣl-ceare maga Healfdenes
190 singāla sēað; ne mihte snotor hæleð
wēan onwendan: wæs þæt gewin tō swȳð,
lāð and longsum, þē on þā lēode becōm,
nȳd-wracu nīð-grim, niht-bealwa mǣst.
Þæt fram hām gefrægn Higelāces þegn,
195 gōd mid Gēatum, Grendles dǣda:
sē wæs mon-cynnes mægenes strengest
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes,
æðele and ēacen. Hēt him ȳð-lidan
gōdne gegyrwan; cwæð hē gūð-cyning
200 ofer swan-rāde sēcean wolde,
mǣrne þēoden, þā him wæs manna þearf.
Þone sīð-fæt him snotere ceorlas
lȳt-hwōn lōgon, þēah hē him lēof wǣre;
hwetton higerōfne, hǣl scēawedon.
205 Hæfde se gōda Gēata lēoda
cempan gecorone, þāra þe hē cēnoste
findan mihte; fīftȳna sum
sund-wudu sōhte; secg wīsade,
lagu-cræftig mon, land-gemyrcu.
210 Fyrst forð gewāt: flota wæs on ȳðum,
bāt under beorge. Beornas gearwe
on stefn stigon; strēamas wundon
sund wið sande; secgas bǣron
on bearm nacan beorhte frætwe,
215 gūð-searo geatolīc; guman ūt scufon,
weras on wil-sīð wudu bundenne.
Gewāt þā ofer wǣg-holm winde gefȳsed
flota fāmig-heals fugle gelīcost,
oð þæt ymb ān-tīd ōðres dōgores
220 wunden-stefna gewaden hæfde,
þæt þā līðende land gesāwon,
brim-clifu blīcan, beorgas stēape,
sīde sǣ-næssas: þā wæs sund liden,
eoletes æt ende. Þanon up hraðe
225 Wedera lēode on wang stigon,
sǣ-wudu sǣldon (syrcan hrysedon,
gūð-gewǣdo); gode þancedon,
þæs þe him ȳð-lāde ēaðe wurdon.
Þā of wealle geseah weard Scildinga,
230 sē þe holm-clifu healdan scolde,
beran ofer bolcan beorhte randas,
fyrd-searu fūslīcu; hine fyrwyt bræc
mōd-gehygdum, hwæt þā men wǣron.
Gewāt him þā tō waroðe wicge rīdan
235 þegn Hrōðgāres, þrymmum cwehte
mægen-wudu mundum, meðel-wordum frægn:
"Hwæt syndon gē searo-hæbbendra
"byrnum werede, þē þus brontne cēol
"ofer lagu-strǣte lǣdan cwōmon,
240 "hider ofer holmas helmas bǣron?
"Ic wæs ende-sǣta, ǣg-wearde hēold,
"þæt on land Dena lāðra nǣnig
"mid scip-herge sceððan ne meahte.
"Nō hēr cūðlīcor cuman ongunnon
245 "lind-hæbbende; nē gē lēafnes-word
"gūð-fremmendra gearwe ne wisson,
"māga gemēdu. Nǣfre ic māran geseah
"eorla ofer eorðan, þonne is ēower sum,
"secg on searwum; nis þæt seld-guma
250 "wǣpnum geweorðad, næfne him his wlite lēoge,
"ǣnlīc an-sȳn.
Nū ic ēower sceal
"frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan
"lēase scēaweras on land Dena
"furður fēran. Nū gē feor-būend,
255 "mere-līðende, mīnne gehȳrað
"ān-fealdne geþōht: ofost is sēlest
"tō gecȳðanne, hwanan ēowre cyme syndon. "
V. THE ERRAND.
Him se yldesta andswarode,
werodes wīsa, word-hord onlēac:
260 "Wē synt gum-cynnes Gēata lēode
"and Higelāces heorð-genēatas.
"Wæs mīn fæder folcum gecȳðed,
"æðele ord-fruma Ecgþēow hāten;
"gebād wintra worn, ǣr hē on weg hwurfe,
265 "gamol of geardum; hine gearwe geman
"witena wēl-hwylc wīde geond eorðan. -
"Wē þurh holdne hige hlāford þinne,
"sunu Healfdenes, sēcean cwōmon,
"lēod-gebyrgean: wes þū ūs lārena gōd!
270 "Habbað wē tō þǣm mǣran micel ǣrende
"Deniga frēan; ne sceal þǣr dyrne sum
"wesan, þæs ic wēne. Þū wāst, gif hit is,
"swā wē sōðlice secgan hȳrdon,
"þæt mid Scyldingum sceaða ic nāt hwylc,
275 "dēogol dǣd-hata, deorcum nihtum
"ēaweð þurh egsan uncūðne nīð,
"hȳnðu and hrā-fyl. Ic þæs Hrōðgār mæg
"þurh rūmne sefan rǣd gelǣran,
"hū hē frōd and gōd fēond oferswȳðeð,
280 "gyf him ed-wendan ǣfre scolde
"bealuwa bisigu, bōt eft cuman
"and þā cear-wylmas cōlran wurðað;
"oððe ā syððan earfoð-þrāge,
"þrēa-nȳd þolað, þenden þǣr wunað
285 "on hēah-stede hūsa sēlest. "
Weard maðelode, þǣr on wicge sæt
ombeht unforht: "Ǣghwæðres sceal
"scearp scyld-wiga gescād witan,
"worda and worca, sē þe wēl þenceð.
290 "Ic þæt gehȳre, þæt þis is hold weorod
"frēan Scyldinga. Gewītað forð beran
"wǣpen and gewǣdu, ic ēow wīsige:
"swylce ic magu-þegnas mīne hāte
"wið fēonda gehwone flotan ēowerne,
295 "nīw-tyrwedne nacan on sande
"ārum healdan, oð þæt eft byreð
"ofer lagu-strēamas lēofne mannan
"wudu wunden-hals tō Weder-mearce.
"Gūð-fremmendra swylcum gifeðe bið,
300 "þæt þone hilde-rǣs hāl gedīgeð. "
Gewiton him þā fēran (flota stille bād,
seomode on sāle sīd-fæðmed scyp,
on ancre fæst); eofor-līc scionon
ofer hlēor-beran gehroden golde
305 fāh and fȳr-heard, ferh wearde hēold.
Gūðmōde grummon, guman ōnetton,
sigon ætsomne, oð þæt hȳ sæl timbred
geatolīc and gold-fāh ongytan mihton;
þæt wæs fore-mǣrost fold-būendum
310 receda under roderum, on þǣm se rīca bād;
līxte se lēoma ofer landa fela.
Swā þā mǣl-ceare maga Healfdenes
190 singāla sēað; ne mihte snotor hæleð
wēan onwendan: wæs þæt gewin tō swȳð,
lāð and longsum, þē on þā lēode becōm,
nȳd-wracu nīð-grim, niht-bealwa mǣst.
Þæt fram hām gefrægn Higelāces þegn,
195 gōd mid Gēatum, Grendles dǣda:
sē wæs mon-cynnes mægenes strengest
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes,
æðele and ēacen. Hēt him ȳð-lidan
gōdne gegyrwan; cwæð hē gūð-cyning
200 ofer swan-rāde sēcean wolde,
mǣrne þēoden, þā him wæs manna þearf.
Þone sīð-fæt him snotere ceorlas
lȳt-hwōn lōgon, þēah hē him lēof wǣre;
hwetton higerōfne, hǣl scēawedon.
205 Hæfde se gōda Gēata lēoda
cempan gecorone, þāra þe hē cēnoste
findan mihte; fīftȳna sum
sund-wudu sōhte; secg wīsade,
lagu-cræftig mon, land-gemyrcu.
210 Fyrst forð gewāt: flota wæs on ȳðum,
bāt under beorge. Beornas gearwe
on stefn stigon; strēamas wundon
sund wið sande; secgas bǣron
on bearm nacan beorhte frætwe,
215 gūð-searo geatolīc; guman ūt scufon,
weras on wil-sīð wudu bundenne.
Gewāt þā ofer wǣg-holm winde gefȳsed
flota fāmig-heals fugle gelīcost,
oð þæt ymb ān-tīd ōðres dōgores
220 wunden-stefna gewaden hæfde,
þæt þā līðende land gesāwon,
brim-clifu blīcan, beorgas stēape,
sīde sǣ-næssas: þā wæs sund liden,
eoletes æt ende. Þanon up hraðe
225 Wedera lēode on wang stigon,
sǣ-wudu sǣldon (syrcan hrysedon,
gūð-gewǣdo); gode þancedon,
þæs þe him ȳð-lāde ēaðe wurdon.
Þā of wealle geseah weard Scildinga,
230 sē þe holm-clifu healdan scolde,
beran ofer bolcan beorhte randas,
fyrd-searu fūslīcu; hine fyrwyt bræc
mōd-gehygdum, hwæt þā men wǣron.
Gewāt him þā tō waroðe wicge rīdan
235 þegn Hrōðgāres, þrymmum cwehte
mægen-wudu mundum, meðel-wordum frægn:
"Hwæt syndon gē searo-hæbbendra
"byrnum werede, þē þus brontne cēol
"ofer lagu-strǣte lǣdan cwōmon,
240 "hider ofer holmas helmas bǣron?
"Ic wæs ende-sǣta, ǣg-wearde hēold,
"þæt on land Dena lāðra nǣnig
"mid scip-herge sceððan ne meahte.
"Nō hēr cūðlīcor cuman ongunnon
245 "lind-hæbbende; nē gē lēafnes-word
"gūð-fremmendra gearwe ne wisson,
"māga gemēdu. Nǣfre ic māran geseah
"eorla ofer eorðan, þonne is ēower sum,
"secg on searwum; nis þæt seld-guma
250 "wǣpnum geweorðad, næfne him his wlite lēoge,
"ǣnlīc an-sȳn.
Nū ic ēower sceal
"frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan
"lēase scēaweras on land Dena
"furður fēran. Nū gē feor-būend,
255 "mere-līðende, mīnne gehȳrað
"ān-fealdne geþōht: ofost is sēlest
"tō gecȳðanne, hwanan ēowre cyme syndon. "
V. THE ERRAND.
Him se yldesta andswarode,
werodes wīsa, word-hord onlēac:
260 "Wē synt gum-cynnes Gēata lēode
"and Higelāces heorð-genēatas.
"Wæs mīn fæder folcum gecȳðed,
"æðele ord-fruma Ecgþēow hāten;
"gebād wintra worn, ǣr hē on weg hwurfe,
265 "gamol of geardum; hine gearwe geman
"witena wēl-hwylc wīde geond eorðan. -
"Wē þurh holdne hige hlāford þinne,
"sunu Healfdenes, sēcean cwōmon,
"lēod-gebyrgean: wes þū ūs lārena gōd!
270 "Habbað wē tō þǣm mǣran micel ǣrende
"Deniga frēan; ne sceal þǣr dyrne sum
"wesan, þæs ic wēne. Þū wāst, gif hit is,
"swā wē sōðlice secgan hȳrdon,
"þæt mid Scyldingum sceaða ic nāt hwylc,
275 "dēogol dǣd-hata, deorcum nihtum
"ēaweð þurh egsan uncūðne nīð,
"hȳnðu and hrā-fyl. Ic þæs Hrōðgār mæg
"þurh rūmne sefan rǣd gelǣran,
"hū hē frōd and gōd fēond oferswȳðeð,
280 "gyf him ed-wendan ǣfre scolde
"bealuwa bisigu, bōt eft cuman
"and þā cear-wylmas cōlran wurðað;
"oððe ā syððan earfoð-þrāge,
"þrēa-nȳd þolað, þenden þǣr wunað
285 "on hēah-stede hūsa sēlest. "
Weard maðelode, þǣr on wicge sæt
ombeht unforht: "Ǣghwæðres sceal
"scearp scyld-wiga gescād witan,
"worda and worca, sē þe wēl þenceð.
290 "Ic þæt gehȳre, þæt þis is hold weorod
"frēan Scyldinga. Gewītað forð beran
"wǣpen and gewǣdu, ic ēow wīsige:
"swylce ic magu-þegnas mīne hāte
"wið fēonda gehwone flotan ēowerne,
295 "nīw-tyrwedne nacan on sande
"ārum healdan, oð þæt eft byreð
"ofer lagu-strēamas lēofne mannan
"wudu wunden-hals tō Weder-mearce.
"Gūð-fremmendra swylcum gifeðe bið,
300 "þæt þone hilde-rǣs hāl gedīgeð. "
Gewiton him þā fēran (flota stille bād,
seomode on sāle sīd-fæðmed scyp,
on ancre fæst); eofor-līc scionon
ofer hlēor-beran gehroden golde
305 fāh and fȳr-heard, ferh wearde hēold.
Gūðmōde grummon, guman ōnetton,
sigon ætsomne, oð þæt hȳ sæl timbred
geatolīc and gold-fāh ongytan mihton;
þæt wæs fore-mǣrost fold-būendum
310 receda under roderum, on þǣm se rīca bād;
līxte se lēoma ofer landa fela.
