Beowulf

BEOWULF NARRATES HIS ADVENTURES TO HIGELAC.


          "It well may discomfit the prince of the Heathobards
          And each of the thanemen of earls that attend him,
[70]      When he goes to the building escorting the woman,
          That a noble-born Daneman the knights should be feasting:
        5 There gleam on his person the leavings of elders
          Hard and ring-bright, Heathobards' treasure,
          While they wielded their arms, till they misled to the battle
          Their own dear lives and belovèd companions.
          He saith at the banquet who the collar beholdeth,
       10 An ancient ash-warrior who earlmen's destruction
          Clearly recalleth (cruel his spirit),
          Sadly beginneth sounding the youthful
          Thane-champion's spirit through the thoughts of his bosom,
          War-grief to waken, and this word-answer speaketh:

{Ingeld is stirred up to break the truce.}

       15 'Art thou able, my friend, to know when thou seest it
          The brand which thy father bare to the conflict
          In his latest adventure, 'neath visor of helmet,
          The dearly-loved iron, where Danemen did slay him,
          And brave-mooded Scyldings, on the fall of the heroes,
       20 (When vengeance was sleeping) the slaughter-place wielded?
          E'en now some man of the murderer's progeny
          Exulting in ornaments enters the building,
          Boasts of his blood-shedding, offbeareth the jewel
          Which thou shouldst wholly hold in possession!'
       25 So he urgeth and mindeth on every occasion
          With woe-bringing words, till waxeth the season
          When the woman's thane for the works of his father,
          The bill having bitten, blood-gory sleepeth,
          Fated to perish; the other one thenceward
       30 'Scapeth alive, the land knoweth thoroughly.[1]
          Then the oaths of the earlmen on each side are broken,
          When rancors unresting are raging in Ingeld
          And his wife-love waxeth less warm after sorrow.
          So the Heathobards' favor not faithful I reckon,
       35 Their part in the treaty not true to the Danemen,
          Their friendship not fast. I further shall tell thee

[71]

{Having made these preliminary statements, I will now tell thee of
Grendel, the monster.}

          More about Grendel, that thou fully mayst hear,
          Ornament-giver, what afterward came from
          The hand-rush of heroes. When heaven's bright jewel
       40 O'er earthfields had glided, the stranger came raging,
          The horrible night-fiend, us for to visit,
          Where wholly unharmed the hall we were guarding.

{Hondscio fell first}

          To Hondscio happened a hopeless contention,
          Death to the doomed one, dead he fell foremost,
       45 Girded war-champion; to him Grendel became then,
          To the vassal distinguished, a tooth-weaponed murderer,
          The well-beloved henchman's body all swallowed.
          Not the earlier off empty of hand did
          The bloody-toothed murderer, mindful of evils,
       50 Wish to escape from the gold-giver's palace,
          But sturdy of strength he strove to outdo me,
          Hand-ready grappled. A glove was suspended
          Spacious and wondrous, in art-fetters fastened,
          Which was fashioned entirely by touch of the craftman
       55 From the dragon's skin by the devil's devices:
          He down in its depths would do me unsadly
          One among many, deed-doer raging,
          Though sinless he saw me; not so could it happen
          When I in my anger upright did stand.
       60 'Tis too long to recount how requital I furnished
          For every evil to the earlmen's destroyer;

{I reflected honor upon my people.}

          'Twas there, my prince, that I proudly distinguished
          Thy land with my labors. He left and retreated,
          He lived his life a little while longer:
       65 Yet his right-hand guarded his footstep in Heorot,
          And sad-mooded thence to the sea-bottom fell he,
          Mournful in mind. For the might-rush of battle

{King Hrothgar lavished gifts upon me.}

          The friend of the Scyldings, with gold that was plated,
          With ornaments many, much requited me,
       70 When daylight had dawned, and down to the banquet
          We had sat us together. There was chanting and joyance:
          The age-stricken Scylding asked many questions
[72]      And of old-times related; oft light-ringing harp-strings,
          Joy-telling wood, were touched by the brave one;
       75 Now he uttered measures, mourning and truthful,
          Then the large-hearted land-king a legend of wonder
          Truthfully told us. Now troubled with years

{The old king is sad over the loss of his youthful vigor.}

          The age-hoary warrior afterward began to
          Mourn for the might that marked him in youth-days;
       80 His breast within boiled, when burdened with winters
          Much he remembered. From morning till night then
          We joyed us therein as etiquette suffered,
          Till the second night season came unto earth-folk.
          Then early thereafter, the mother of Grendel

{Grendel's mother.}

       85 Was ready for vengeance, wretched she journeyed;
          Her son had death ravished, the wrath of the Geatmen.
          The horrible woman avengèd her offspring,
          And with mighty mainstrength murdered a hero.

{Æschere falls a prey to her vengeance.}

          There the spirit of Æschere, agèd adviser,
       90 Was ready to vanish; nor when morn had lightened
          Were they anywise suffered to consume him with fire,
          Folk of the Danemen, the death-weakened hero,
          Nor the belovèd liegeman to lay on the pyre;

{She suffered not his body to be burned, but ate it.}

          She the corpse had offcarried in the clutch of the foeman[2]
       95 'Neath mountain-brook's flood. To Hrothgar 'twas saddest
          Of pains that ever had preyed on the chieftain;
          By the life of thee the land-prince then me[3]
          Besought very sadly, in sea-currents' eddies
          To display my prowess, to peril my safety,
      100 Might-deeds accomplish; much did he promise.

{I sought the creature in her den,}

          I found then the famous flood-current's cruel,
          Horrible depth-warder. A while unto us two
[73]      Hand was in common; the currents were seething
          With gore that was clotted, and Grendel's fierce mother's

{and hewed her head off.}

      105 Head I offhacked in the hall at the bottom
          With huge-reaching sword-edge, hardly I wrested
          My life from her clutches; not doomed was I then,

{Jewels were freely bestowed upon me.}

          But the warden of earlmen afterward gave me
          Jewels in quantity, kinsman of Healfdene.

    [1] For 'lifigende' (2063), a mere conjecture, 'wígende' has been
    suggested. The line would then read: _Escapeth by fighting, knows the
    land thoroughly_.

    [2] For 'fæðmum,' Gr.'s conjecture, B. proposes 'færunga.' These three
    half-verses would then read: _She bore off the corpse of her foe
    suddenly under the mountain-torrent_.

    [3] The phrase 'þíne lýfe' (2132) was long rendered '_with thy
    (presupposed) permission_.' The verse would read: _The land-prince
    then sadly besought me, with thy (presupposed) permission, etc_.