No More Learning

Cf. also
Ten Brink's History of English Literature.




BĒOWULF.

I. THE PASSING OF SCYLD.

Hwæt! wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum
þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon,
hū þā æðelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaðena þrēatum,
5 monegum mǣgðum meodo-setla oftēah.
Egsode eorl, syððan ǣrest wearð
fēa-sceaft funden: hē þæs frōfre gebād,
wēox under wolcnum, weorð-myndum ðāh,
oð þæt him ǣghwylc þāra ymb-sittendra
10 ofer hron-rāde hȳran scolde,
gomban gyldan: þæt wæs gōd cyning!
þǣm eafera wæs æfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone god sende
folce tō frōfre; fyren-þearfe ongeat,
15 þæt hīe ǣr drugon aldor-lēase
lange hwīle. Him þæs līf-frēa,
wuldres wealdend, worold-āre forgeaf;
Bēowulf wæs brēme (blǣd wīde sprang),
Scyldes eafera Scede-landum in.
20 Swā sceal geong guma, gōde gewyrcean,
fromum feoh-giftum on fæder wine,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wil-gesīðas, þonne wīg cume,
lēode gelǣsten: lof-dǣdum sceal
25 in mǣgða gehwǣre man geþēon.
Him þā Scyld gewāt tō gescæp-hwīle
fela-hrōr fēran on frēan wǣre;
hī hyne þā ætbǣron tō brimes faroðe.
swǣse gesīðas, swā hē selfa bæd,
30 þenden wordum wēold wine Scyldinga,
lēof land-fruma lange āhte.
Þǣr æt hȳðe stōd hringed-stefna,
īsig and ūtfūs, æðelinges fær;
ā-lēdon þā lēofne þēoden,
35 bēaga bryttan on bearm scipes,
mǣrne be mæste.
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.