Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
The Hetwars by no means had need to be boastful
Of their fighting afoot, who forward to meet him
Carried their war-shields: not many returned from
The brave-mooded battle-knight back to their homesteads.
55 Ecgtheow's bairn o'er the bight-courses swam then,
Lone-goer lorn to his land-folk returning,
Where Hygd to him tendered treasure and kingdom,
{Heardred's lack of capacity to rule.}
Rings and dominion: her son she not trusted,
To be able to keep the kingdom devised him
60 'Gainst alien races, on the death of King Higelac.
{Beowulf's tact and delicacy recalled.}
Yet the sad ones succeeded not in persuading the atheling
In any way ever, to act as a suzerain
To Heardred, or promise to govern the kingdom;
Yet with friendly counsel in the folk he sustained him,
65 Gracious, with honor, till he grew to be older,
{Reference is here made to a visit which Beowulf receives from Eanmund and
Eadgils, why they come is not known.}
Wielded the Weders. Wide-fleeing outlaws,
Ohthere's sons, sought him o'er the waters:
They had stirred a revolt 'gainst the helm of the Scylfings,
The best of the sea-kings, who in Swedish dominions
70 Distributed treasure, distinguished folk-leader.
[81] 'Twas the end of his earth-days; injury fatal[3]
By swing of the sword he received as a greeting,
Offspring of Higelac; Ongentheow's bairn
Later departed to visit his homestead,
75 When Heardred was dead; let Beowulf rule them,
Govern the Geatmen: good was that folk-king.
[1] 'Hám' (2326), the suggestion of B. is accepted by t.B. and other
scholars.
[2] For 'láðan cynnes' (2355), t.B. suggests 'láðan cynne,' apposition
to 'mægum.' From syntactical and other considerations, this is a most
excellent emendation.
[3] Gr. read 'on feorme' (2386), rendering: _He there at the banquet a
fatal wound received by blows of the sword._
XXXIV.
BEOWULF SEEKS THE DRAGON.--BEOWULF'S REMINISCENCES.
He planned requital for the folk-leader's ruin
In days thereafter, to Eadgils the wretched
Becoming an enemy. Ohthere's son then
Went with a war-troop o'er the wide-stretching currents
5 With warriors and weapons: with woe-journeys cold he
After avenged him, the king's life he took.
{Beowulf has been preserved through many perils.}
So he came off uninjured from all of his battles,
Perilous fights, offspring of Ecgtheow,
From his deeds of daring, till that day most momentous
10 When he fate-driven fared to fight with the dragon.
{With eleven comrades, he seeks the dragon.}
With eleven companions the prince of the Geatmen
Went lowering with fury to look at the fire-drake:
Inquiring he'd found how the feud had arisen,
Hate to his heroes; the highly-famed gem-vessel
15 Was brought to his keeping through the hand of th' informer.
{A guide leads the way, but}
That in the throng was thirteenth of heroes,
That caused the beginning of conflict so bitter,
Captive and wretched, must sad-mooded thenceward
{very reluctantly.}
Point out the place: he passed then unwillingly
20 To the spot where he knew of the notable cavern,
The cave under earth, not far from the ocean,
The anger of eddies, which inward was full of
Jewels and wires: a warden uncanny,
[82] Warrior weaponed, wardered the treasure,
25 Old under earth; no easy possession
For any of earth-folk access to get to.
Then the battle-brave atheling sat on the naze-edge,
While the gold-friend of Geatmen gracious saluted
His fireside-companions: woe was his spirit,
30 Death-boding, wav'ring; Weird very near him,
Who must seize the old hero, his soul-treasure look for,
Dragging aloof his life from his body:
Not flesh-hidden long was the folk-leader's spirit.
Beowulf spake, Ecgtheow's son:
{Beowulf's retrospect.}
35 "I survived in my youth-days many a conflict,
Hours of onset: that all I remember.
I was seven-winters old when the jewel-prince took me,
High-lord of heroes, at the hands of my father,
Hrethel the hero-king had me in keeping,
{Hrethel took me when I was seven.}
40 Gave me treasure and feasting, our kinship remembered;
Not ever was I _any_ less dear to him
{He treated me as a son.}
Knight in the boroughs, than the bairns of his household,
Herebald and Hæthcyn and Higelac mine.
To the eldest unjustly by acts of a kinsman
45 Was murder-bed strewn, since him Hæthcyn from horn-bow
{One of the brothers accidentally kills another.}
His sheltering chieftain shot with an arrow,
Erred in his aim and injured his kinsman,
One brother the other, with blood-sprinkled spear:
{No fee could compound for such a calamity.}
'Twas a feeless fight, finished in malice,
50 Sad to his spirit; the folk-prince however
Had to part from existence with vengeance untaken.
{[A parallel case is supposed.]}
So to hoar-headed hero 'tis heavily crushing[1]
[83] To live to see his son as he rideth
Young on the gallows: then measures he chanteth,
55 A song of sorrow, when his son is hanging
For the raven's delight, and aged and hoary
He is unable to offer any assistance.
Every morning his offspring's departure
Is constant recalled: he cares not to wait for
60 The birth of an heir in his borough-enclosures,
Since that one through death-pain the deeds hath experienced.
He heart-grieved beholds in the house of his son the
Wine-building wasted, the wind-lodging places
Reaved of their roaring; the riders are sleeping,
65 The knights in the grave; there's no sound of the harp-wood,
Joy in the yards, as of yore were familiar.
[1] 'Gomelum ceorle' (2445).--H. takes these words as referring to
Hrethel; but the translator here departs from his editor by
understanding the poet to refer to a hypothetical old man, introduced
as an illustration of a father's sorrow.
Hrethrel had certainly never seen a son of his ride on the gallows to
feed the crows.
The passage beginning 'swá bið géomorlic' seems to be an effort to
reach a full simile, 'as ... so.' 'As it is mournful for an old man,
etc. ... so the defence of the Weders (2463) bore heart-sorrow, etc.'
The verses 2451 to 2463-1/2 would be parenthetical, the poet's feelings
being so strong as to interrupt the simile. The punctuation of the
fourth edition would be better--a comma after 'galgan' (2447). The
translation may be indicated as follows: _(Just) as it is sad for an
old man to see his son ride young on the gallows when he himself is
uttering mournful measures, a sorrowful song, while his son hangs for a
comfort to the raven, and he, old and infirm, cannot render him any
kelp--(he is constantly reminded, etc., 2451-2463)--so the defence of
the Weders, etc._
XXXV.
REMINISCENCES (_continued_).--BEOWULF'S LAST BATTLE.
"He seeks then his chamber, singeth a woe-song
One for the other; all too extensive
Seemed homesteads and plains. So the helm of the Weders
{Hrethel grieves for Herebald.}
Mindful of Herebald heart-sorrow carried,
5 Stirred with emotion, nowise was able
To wreak his ruin on the ruthless destroyer:
He was unable to follow the warrior with hatred,
With deeds that were direful, though dear he not held him.
[84] Then pressed by the pang this pain occasioned him,
10 He gave up glee, God-light elected;
He left to his sons, as the man that is rich does,
His land and fortress, when from life he departed.
{Strife between Swedes and Geats.}
Then was crime and hostility 'twixt Swedes and Geatmen,
O'er wide-stretching water warring was mutual,
15 Burdensome hatred, when Hrethel had perished,
And Ongentheow's offspring were active and valiant,
Wished not to hold to peace oversea, but
Round Hreosna-beorh often accomplished
Cruelest massacre. This my kinsman avengèd,
20 The feud and fury, as 'tis found on inquiry,
Though one of them paid it with forfeit of life-joys,
{Hæthcyn's fall at Ravenswood.}
With price that was hard: the struggle became then
Fatal to Hæthcyn, lord of the Geatmen.
Then I heard that at morning one brother the other
25 With edges of irons egged on to murder,
Where Ongentheow maketh onset on Eofor:
The helmet crashed, the hoary-haired Scylfing
Sword-smitten fell, his hand then remembered
Feud-hate sufficient, refused not the death-blow.
{I requited him for the jewels he gave me.}
30 The gems that he gave me, with jewel-bright sword I
'Quited in contest, as occasion was offered:
Land he allowed me, life-joy at homestead,
Manor to live on. Little he needed
From Gepids or Danes or in Sweden to look for
35 Trooper less true, with treasure to buy him;
'Mong foot-soldiers ever in front I would hie me,
Alone in the vanguard, and evermore gladly
Warfare shall wage, while this weapon endureth
That late and early often did serve me
{Beowulf refers to his having slain Dæghrefn.}
40 When I proved before heroes the slayer of Dæghrefn,
Knight of the Hugmen: he by no means was suffered
To the king of the Frisians to carry the jewels,
The breast-decoration; but the banner-possessor
Bowed in the battle, brave-mooded atheling.
[85] 45 No weapon was slayer, but war-grapple broke then
The surge of his spirit, his body destroying.
Now shall weapon's edge make war for the treasure,
And hand and firm-sword." Beowulf spake then,
Boast-words uttered--the latest occasion:
{He boasts of his youthful prowess, and declares himself still fearless.}
50 "I braved in my youth-days battles unnumbered;
Still am I willing the struggle to look for,
Fame-deeds perform, folk-warden prudent,
If the hateful despoiler forth from his cavern
Seeketh me out!" Each of the heroes,
55 Helm-bearers sturdy, he thereupon greeted
{His last salutations.}
Belovèd co-liegemen--his last salutation:
"No brand would I bear, no blade for the dragon,
Wist I a way my word-boast to 'complish[1]
Else with the monster, as with Grendel I did it;
60 But fire in the battle hot I expect there,
Furious flame-burning: so I fixed on my body
Target and war-mail. The ward of the barrow[2]
I'll not flee from a foot-length, the foeman uncanny.
At the wall 'twill befall us as Fate decreeth,
{Let Fate decide between us.}
65 Each one's Creator. I am eager in spirit,
With the wingèd war-hero to away with all boasting.
Bide on the barrow with burnies protected,
{Wait ye here till the battle is over.}
Earls in armor, which of _us_ two may better