THE
BUILDING
OF THE BALE-FIRE.
Beowulf
"Þenden rēafode rinc ōðerne,
"nam on Ongenþīo īren-byrnan,
"heard swyrd hilted and his helm somod;
"hāres hyrste Higelāce bær.
2990 "Hē þām frætwum fēng and him fægre gehēt
"lēana fore lēodum and gelǣste swā:
"geald þone gūð-rǣs Gēata dryhten,
"Hrēðles eafora, þā hē tō hām becōm,
"Jofore and Wulfe mid ofer-māðmum,
2995 "sealde hiora gehwæðrum hund þūsenda
"landes and locenra bēaga; ne þorfte him þā lēan oðwītan
"mon on middan-gearde, syððan hīe þā mǣrða geslōgon;
"and þā Jofore forgeaf āngan dōhtor,
"hām-weorðunge, hyldo tō wedde.
3000 "Þæt ys sīo fǣhðo and se fēond-scipe,
"wæl-nīð wera, þæs þe ic wēn hafo,
"þē ūs sēceað tō Swēona lēode,
"syððan hīe gefricgeað frēan ūserne
"ealdor-lēasne, þone þe ǣr gehēold
3005 "wið hettendum hord and rīce,
"æfter hæleða hryre hwate Scylfingas,
"folc-rǣd fremede oððe furður gēn
"eorl-scipe efnde. Nū is ofost betost,
"þæt wē þēod-cyning þǣr scēawian
3010 "and þone gebringan, þē ūs bēagas geaf,
"on ād-fære. Ne scel ānes hwæt
"meltan mid þām mōdigan, ac þǣr is māðma hord.
"gold unrīme grimme gecēapod
"and nū æt sīðestan sylfes fēore
3015 "bēagas gebohte; þā sceal brond fretan,
"ǣled þeccean, nalles eorl wegan
"māððum tō gemyndum, nē mægð scȳne
"habban on healse hring-weorðunge,
"ac sceall geōmor-mōd golde berēafod
3020 "oft nalles ǣne el-land tredan,
"nū se here-wīsa hleahtor ālegde,
"gamen and glēo-drēam. Forþon sceall gār wesan
"monig morgen-ceald mundum bewunden,
"hæfen on handa, nalles hearpan swēg
3025 "wīgend weccean, ac se wonna hrefn
"fūs ofer fǣgum, fela reordian,
"earne secgan, hū him æt ǣte spēow,
"þenden hē wið wulf wæl rēafode. "
Swā se secg hwata secgende wæs
3030 lāðra spella; hē ne lēag fela
wyrda nē worda. Weorod eall ārās,
ēodon unblīðe under Earna næs
wollen-tēare wundur scēawian.
Fundon þā on sande sāwul-lēasne
3035 hlim-bed healdan, þone þe him hringas geaf
ǣrran mǣlum: þā wæs ende-dæg
gōdum gegongen, þæt se gūð-cyning,
Wedra þēoden, wundor-dēaðe swealt.
Ǣr hī gesēgan syllīcran wiht,
3040 wyrm on wonge wiðer-ræhtes þǣr
lāðne licgean: wæs se lēg-draca,
grimlīc gryre-gæst, glēdum beswǣled,
sē wæs fīftiges fōt-gemearces.
lang on legere, lyft-wynne hēold
3045 nihtes hwīlum, nyðer eft gewāt
dennes nīosian; wæs þā dēaðe fæst,
hæfde eorð-scrafa ende genyttod.
Him big stōdan bunan and orcas,
discas lāgon and dȳre swyrd,
3050 ōmige þurh-etone, swā hīe wið eorðan fæðm
þūsend wintra þǣr eardodon:
þonne wæs þæt yrfe ēacen-cræftig,
iū-monna gold galdre bewunden,
þæt þām hring-sele hrīnan ne mōste
3055 gumena ǣnig, nefne god sylfa,
sigora sōð-cyning, sealde þām þe hē wolde
(hē is manna gehyld) hord openian,
efne swā hwylcum manna, swā him gemet þūhte.
XLII. WĪGLAF SPEAKS.
THE BUILDING OF THE BALE-FIRE.
Þā wæs gesȳne, þæt se sīð ne þāh
3060 þām þe unrihte inne gehȳdde
wrǣte under wealle. Weard ǣr ofslōh
fēara sumne; þā sīo fǣhð gewearð
gewrecen wrāðlīce. Wundur hwār, þonne
eorl ellen-rōf ende gefēre
3065 līf-gesceafta, þonne leng ne mæg
mon mid his māgum medu-seld būan.
Swā wæs Bīowulfe, þā hē biorges weard
sōhte, searo-nīðas: seolfa ne cūðe,
þurh hwæt his worulde gedāl weorðan sceolde;
3070 swā hit oð dōmes dæg dīope benemdon
þēodnas mǣre, þā þæt þǣr dydon,
þæt se secg wǣre synnum scildig,
hergum geheaðerod, hell-bendum fæst,
wommum gewītnad, sē þone wong strāde.
3075 Næs hē gold-hwæt: gearwor hæfde
āgendes ēst ǣr gescēawod.
Wīglāf maðelode, Wīhstānes sunu:
"Oft sceall eorl monig ānes willan
"wrǣc ādrēogan, swā ūs geworden is.
3080 "Ne meahton wē gelǣran lēofne þēoden,
"rīces hyrde rǣd ǣnigne,
"þæt hē ne grētte gold-weard þone,
"lēte hyne licgean, þǣr hē longe wæs,
"wīcum wunian oð woruld-ende.
3085 "Hēoldon hēah gesceap: hord ys gescēawod,
"grimme gegongen; wæs þæt gifeðe tō swīð,
"þē þone þēoden þyder ontyhte.
"Ic wæs þǣr inne and þæt eall geond-seh,
"recedes geatwa, þā mē gerȳmed wæs,
3090 "nealles swǣslīce sīð ālȳfed
"inn under eorð-weall. Ic on ofoste gefēng
"micle mid mundum mægen-byrðenne
"hord-gestrēona, hider ūt ætbær
"cyninge mīnum: cwico wæs þā gēna,
3095 "wīs and gewittig; worn eall gespræc
"gomol on gehðo and ēowic grētan hēt,
"bæd þæt gē geworhton æfter wines dǣdum
"in bǣl-stede beorh þone hēan
"micelne and mǣrne, swā hē manna wæs
3100 "wīgend weorð-fullost wīde geond eorðan,
"þenden hē burh-welan brūcan mōste.
"Uton nū efstan ōðre sīðe
"sēon and sēcean searo-geþræc,
"wundur under wealle! ic ēow wīsige,
3105 "þæt gē genōge nēan scēawiað
"bēagas and brād gold. Sīe sīo bǣr gearo
"ǣdre geæfned, þonne wē ūt cymen,
"and þonne geferian frēan ūserne,
"lēofne mannan, þǣr hē longe sceal
3110 "on þæs waldendes wǣre geþolian. "
Hēt þā gebēodan byre Wīhstānes,
hæle hilde-dīor, hæleða monegum
bold-āgendra, þæt hīe bǣl-wudu
feorran feredon, folc-āgende
3115 gōdum tōgēnes: "Nū sceal glēd fretan
"(weaxan wonna lēg) wigena strengel,
"þone þe oft gebād īsern-scūre,
"þonne strǣla storm, strengum gebǣded,
"scōc ofer scild-weall, sceft nytte hēold,
3120 "feðer-gearwum fūs flāne full-ēode. "
Hūru se snotra sunu Wīhstānes
ācīgde of corðre cyninges þegnas
syfone tōsomne þā sēlestan,
ēode eahta sum under inwit-hrōf;
3125 hilde-rinc sum on handa bær
ǣled-lēoman, sē þe on orde gēong.
