No More Learning

Fægere geþǣgon
medo-ful manig māgas þāra
swīð-hicgende on sele þām hēan,
Hrōðgār and Hrōðulf. Heorot innan wæs
frēondum āfylled; nalles fācen-stafas
1020 Þēod-Scyldingas þenden fremedon.
Forgeaf þā Bēowulfe bearn Healfdenes
segen gyldenne sigores tō lēane,
hroden hilte-cumbor, helm and byrnan;
mǣre māððum-sweord manige gesāwon
1025 beforan beorn beran. Bēowulf geþah
ful on flette; nō hē þǣre feoh-gyfte
for scēotendum scamigan þorfte,
ne gefrægn ic frēondlīcor fēower mādmas
golde gegyrede gum-manna fela
1030 in ealo-bence ōðrum gesellan.
Ymb þæs helmes hrōf hēafod-beorge
wīrum bewunden walan ūtan hēold,
þæt him fēla lāfe frēcne ne meahton
scūr-heard sceððan, þonne scyld-freca
1035 ongēan gramum gangan scolde.
Heht þā eorla hlēo eahta mēaras,
fǣted-hlēore, on flet tēon
in under eoderas; þāra ānum stōd
sadol searwum fāh since gewurðad,
1040 þæt wæs hilde-setl hēah-cyninges,
þonne sweorda gelāc sunu Healfdenes
efnan wolde; nǣfre on ōre læg
wīd-cūðes wīg, þonne walu fēollon.
And þā Bēowulfe bēga gehwæðres
1045 eodor Ingwina onweald getēah,
wicga and wǣpna; hēt hine wēl brūcan.
Swā manlīce mǣre þēoden,
hord-weard hæleða heaðo-rǣsas geald
mēarum and mādmum, swā hȳ nǣfre man lyhð,
1050 sē þe secgan wile sōð æfter rihte.


XVII. SONG OF HROTHGAR'S POET-THE LAY OF HNAEF AND HENGEST.

Þā gȳt ǣghwylcum eorla drihten
þāra þe mid Bēowulfe brim-lāde tēah,
on þǣre medu-bence māððum gesealde,
yrfe-lāfe, and þone ǣnne heht
1055 golde forgyldan, þone þe Grendel ǣr
māne ācwealde, swā hē hyra mā wolde,
nefne him wītig god wyrd forstōde
and þæs mannes mōd: metod eallum wēold
gumena cynnes, swā hē nū gīt dēð;
1060 forþan bið andgit ǣghwǣr sēlest,
ferhðes fore-þanc! fela sceal gebīdan
lēofes and lāðes, sē þe longe hēr
on þyssum win-dagum worolde brūceð.
Þǣr wæs sang and swēg samod ætgædere
1065 fore Healfdenes hilde-wīsan,
gomen-wudu grēted, gid oft wrecen,
þonne heal-gamen Hrōðgāres scop
æfter medo-bence mǣnan scolde
Finnes eaferum, þā hīe se fǣr begeat:
1070 "Hæleð Healfdenes, Hnæf Scyldinga,
"in Fr. . es wæle feallan scolde.
"Nē hūru Hildeburh herian þorfte
"Eotena trēowe: unsynnum wearð
"beloren lēofum æt þām lind-plegan
1075 "bearnum and brōðrum; hīe on gebyrd hruron
"gāre wunde; þæt wæs geōmuru ides.
"Nalles hōlinga Hōces dōhtor
"meotod-sceaft bemearn, syððan morgen cōm,
"þā hēo under swegle gesēon meahte
1080 "morðor-bealo māga, þǣr hēo ǣr mǣste hēold
"worolde wynne: wīg ealle fornam
"Finnes þegnas, nemne fēaum ānum,
"þæt hē ne mehte on þǣm meðel-stede
"wīg Hengeste wiht gefeohtan,
1085 "nē þā wēa-lāfe wīge forþringan
"þōodnes þegne; ac hig him geþingo budon,
"þæt hīe him ōðer flet eal gerȳmdon,
"healle and hēah-setl, þæt hīe healfre geweald
"wið Eotena bearn āgan mōston,
1090 "and æt feoh-gyftum Folcwaldan sunu
"dōgra gehwylce Dene weorðode,
"Hengestes hēap hringum wenede,
"efne swā swīðe sinc-gestrēonum
"fǣttan goldes, swā hē Frēsena cyn
1095 "on bēor-sele byldan wolde.
"Þā hīe getruwedon on twā healfa
"fæste frioðu-wǣre; Fin Hengeste
"elne unflitme āðum benemde,
"þæt hē þā wēa-lāfe weotena dōme
1100 "ārum heolde, þæt þǣr ǣnig mon
"wordum nē worcum wǣre ne brǣce,
"nē þurh inwit-searo ǣfre gemǣnden,
"þēah hīe hira bēag-gyfan banan folgedon
"þēoden-lēase, þā him swā geþearfod wæs:
1105 "gyf þonne Frȳsna hwylc frēcnan sprǣce
"þæs morðor-hetes myndgiend wǣre,
"þonne hit sweordes ecg syððan scolde.
"Āð wæs geæfned and icge gold
"āhæfen of horde. Here-Scyldinga
1110 "betst beado-rinca wæs on bǣl gearu;
"æt þǣm āde wæs ēð-gesȳne
"swāt-fāh syrce, swȳn eal-gylden,
"eofer īren-heard, æðeling manig
"wundum āwyrded; sume on wæle crungon.
1115 "Hēt þā Hildeburh æt Hnæfes āde
"hire selfre sunu sweoloðe befæstan,
"bān-fatu bærnan and on bǣl dōn.
"Earme on eaxle ides gnornode,
"geōmrode giddum; gūð-rinc āstāh.
1120 "Wand tō wolcnum wæl-fȳra mǣst,
"hlynode for hlāwe; hafelan multon,
"ben-geato burston, þonne blōd ætspranc
"lāð-bite līces. Līg ealle forswealg,
"gǣsta gīfrost, þāra þe þǣr gūð fornam
1125 "bēga folces; wæs hira blǣd scacen.


XVIII. THE GLEEMAN'S TALE IS ENDED.

"Gewiton him þā wīgend wīca nēosian,
"frēondum befeallen Frȳsland gesēon,
"hāmas and hēa-burh. Hengest þā gȳt
"wæl-fāgne winter wunode mid Finne
1130 "ealles unhlitme; eard gemunde,
"þēah þe hē ne meahte on mere drīfan
"hringed-stefnan; holm storme wēol,
"won wið winde; winter ȳðe belēac
"īs-gebinde oð þæt ōðer cōm
1135 "geār in geardas, swā nū gȳt dēð,
"þā þe syngales sēle bewitiað,
"wuldor-torhtan weder. Þā wæs winter scacen,
"fæger foldan bearm; fundode wrecca,
"gist of geardum; hē tō gyrn-wræce
1140 "swīðor þōhte, þonne tō sǣ-lāde,
"gif hē torn-gemōt þurhtēon mihte,
"þæt hē Eotena bearn inne gemunde.
"Swā hē ne forwyrnde worold-rǣdenne,
"þonne him Hūnlāfing hilde-lēoman,
1145 "billa sēlest, on bearm dyde:
"þæs wǣron mid Eotenum ecge cūðe.
"Swylce ferhð-frecan Fin eft begeat
"sweord-bealo slīðen æt his selfes hām,
"siððan grimne gripe Gūðlaf ond Ōslāf
1150 "æfter sǣ-siðe sorge mǣndon,
"ætwiton wēana dǣl; ne meahte wǣfre mōd
"forhabban in hreðre.