Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
30 They gazed upon Wiglaf. He was sitting exhausted,
Foot-going fighter, not far from the shoulders
Of the lord of the people, would rouse him with water;
No whit did it help him; though he hoped for it keenly,
He was able on earth not at all in the leader
35 Life to retain, and nowise to alter
The will of the Wielder; the World-Ruler's power[1]
Would govern the actions of each one of heroes,
{Wiglaf is ready to excoriate them.}
As yet He is doing. From the young one forthwith then
Could grim-worded greeting be got for him quickly
40 Whose courage had failed him. Wiglaf discoursed then,
Weohstan his son, sad-mooded hero,
{He begins to taunt them.}
Looked on the hated: "He who soothness will utter
Can say that the liegelord who gave you the jewels,
The ornament-armor wherein ye are standing,
45 When on ale-bench often he offered to hall-men
Helmet and burnie, the prince to his liegemen,
As best upon earth he was able to find him,--
[97]
{Surely our lord wasted his armor on poltroons.}
That he wildly wasted his war-gear undoubtedly
When battle o'ertook him.[2] The troop-king no need had
50 To glory in comrades; yet God permitted him,
{He, however, got along without you}
Victory-Wielder, with weapon unaided
Himself to avenge, when vigor was needed.
I life-protection but little was able
To give him in battle, and I 'gan, notwithstanding,
{With some aid, I could have saved our liegelord}
55 Helping my kinsman (my strength overtaxing):
He waxed the weaker when with weapon I smote on
My mortal opponent, the fire less strongly
Flamed from his bosom. Too few of protectors
Came round the king at the critical moment.
{Gift-giving is over with your people: the ring-lord is dead.}
60 Now must ornament-taking and weapon-bestowing,
Home-joyance all, cease for your kindred,
Food for the people; each of your warriors
Must needs be bereavèd of rights that he holdeth
In landed possessions, when faraway nobles
65 Shall learn of your leaving your lord so basely,
{What is life without honor?}
The dastardly deed. Death is more pleasant
To every earlman than infamous life is!"
[1] For 'dædum rædan' (2859) B. suggests 'déað árædan,' and renders:
_The might (or judgment) of God would determine death for every man,
as he still does._
[2] Some critics, H. himself in earlier editions, put the clause,
'When ... him' (A.-S. 'þá ... beget') with the following sentence;
that is, they make it dependent upon 'þorfte' (2875) instead of upon
'forwurpe' (2873).
XL.
THE MESSENGER OF DEATH.
{Wiglaf sends the news of Beowulf's death to liegemen near by.}
Then he charged that the battle be announced at the hedge
Up o'er the cliff-edge, where the earl-troopers bided
The whole of the morning, mood-wretched sat them,
Bearers of battle-shields, both things expecting,
5 The end of his lifetime and the coming again of
The liegelord belovèd. Little reserved he
Of news that was known, who the ness-cliff did travel,
But he truly discoursed to all that could hear him:
[98]
{The messenger speaks.}
"Now the free-giving friend-lord of the folk of the Weders,
10 The folk-prince of Geatmen, is fast in his death-bed,
By the deeds of the dragon in death-bed abideth;
Along with him lieth his life-taking foeman
Slain with knife-wounds: he was wholly unable
To injure at all the ill-planning monster
{Wiglaf sits by our dead lord.}
15 With bite of his sword-edge. Wiglaf is sitting,
Offspring of Wihstan, up over Beowulf,
Earl o'er another whose end-day hath reached him,
Head-watch holdeth o'er heroes unliving,[1]
{Our lord's death will lead to attacks from our old foes.}
For friend and for foeman. The folk now expecteth
20 A season of strife when the death of the folk-king
To Frankmen and Frisians in far-lands is published.
The war-hatred waxed warm 'gainst the Hugmen,
{Higelac's death recalled.}
When Higelac came with an army of vessels
Faring to Friesland, where the Frankmen in battle
25 Humbled him and bravely with overmight 'complished
That the mail-clad warrior must sink in the battle,
Fell 'mid his folk-troop: no fret-gems presented
The atheling to earlmen; aye was denied us
Merewing's mercy. The men of the Swedelands
30 For truce or for truth trust I but little;
But widely 'twas known that near Ravenswood Ongentheow
{Hæthcyn's fall referred to.}
Sundered Hæthcyn the Hrethling from life-joys,
When for pride overweening the War-Scylfings first did
Seek the Geatmen with savage intentions.
35 Early did Ohthere's age-laden father,
Old and terrible, give blow in requital,
Killing the sea-king, the queen-mother rescued,
The old one his consort deprived of her gold,
Onela's mother and Ohthere's also,
[99] 40 And then followed the feud-nursing foemen till hardly,
Reaved of their ruler, they Ravenswood entered.
Then with vast-numbered forces he assaulted the remnant,
Weary with wounds, woe often promised
The livelong night to the sad-hearted war-troop:
45 Said he at morning would kill them with edges of weapons,
Some on the gallows for glee to the fowls.
Aid came after to the anxious-in-spirit
At dawn of the day, after Higelac's bugle
And trumpet-sound heard they, when the good one proceeded
50 And faring followed the flower of the troopers.
[1] 'Hige-méðum' (2910) is glossed by H. as dat. plu. (= for the
dead). S. proposes 'hige-méðe,' nom. sing. limiting Wigláf; i.e. _W.,
mood-weary, holds head-watch o'er friend and foe_.--B. suggests taking
the word as dat. inst. plu. of an abstract noun in -'u.' The
translation would be substantially the same as S.'s.
XLI.
THE MESSENGER'S RETROSPECT.
{The messenger continues, and refers to the feuds of Swedes and Geats.}
"The blood-stainèd trace of Swedes and Geatmen,
The death-rush of warmen, widely was noticed,
How the folks with each other feud did awaken.
The worthy one went then[1] with well-beloved comrades,
5 Old and dejected to go to the fastness,
Ongentheo earl upward then turned him;
Of Higelac's battle he'd heard on inquiry,
The exultant one's prowess, despaired of resistance,
With earls of the ocean to be able to struggle,
10 'Gainst sea-going sailors to save the hoard-treasure,
His wife and his children; he fled after thenceward
Old 'neath the earth-wall. Then was offered pursuance
To the braves of the Swedemen, the banner[2] to Higelac.
[100] They fared then forth o'er the field-of-protection,
15 When the Hrethling heroes hedgeward had thronged them.
Then with edges of irons was Ongentheow driven,
The gray-haired to tarry, that the troop-ruler had to
Suffer the power solely of Eofor:
{Wulf wounds Ongentheow.}
Wulf then wildly with weapon assaulted him,
20 Wonred his son, that for swinge of the edges
The blood from his body burst out in currents,
Forth 'neath his hair. He feared not however,
Gray-headed Scylfing, but speedily quited
{Ongentheow gives a stout blow in return.}
The wasting wound-stroke with worse exchange,
25 When the king of the thane-troop thither did turn him:
The wise-mooded son of Wonred was powerless
To give a return-blow to the age-hoary man,
But his head-shielding helmet first hewed he to pieces,
That flecked with gore perforce he did totter,
30 Fell to the earth; not fey was he yet then,
But up did he spring though an edge-wound had reached him.
{Eofor smites Ongentheow fiercely.}
Then Higelac's vassal, valiant and dauntless,
When his brother lay dead, made his broad-bladed weapon,
Giant-sword ancient, defence of the giants,
35 Bound o'er the shield-wall; the folk-prince succumbed then,
{Ongentheow is slain.}
Shepherd of people, was pierced to the vitals.
There were many attendants who bound up his kinsman,
Carried him quickly when occasion was granted
That the place of the slain they were suffered to manage.
40 This pending, one hero plundered the other,
His armor of iron from Ongentheow ravished,
His hard-sword hilted and helmet together;
{Eofor takes the old king's war-gear to Higelac.}
The old one's equipments he carried to Higelac.
He the jewels received, and rewards 'mid the troopers
45 Graciously promised, and so did accomplish:
The king of the Weders requited the war-rush,
Hrethel's descendant, when home he repaired him,
{Higelac rewards the brothers.}
To Eofor and Wulf with wide-lavished treasures,
To each of them granted a hundred of thousands
[101] 50 In land and rings wrought out of wire:
{His gifts were beyond cavil.}
None upon mid-earth needed to twit him[3]
With the gifts he gave them, when glory they conquered;
{To Eofor he also gives his only daughter in marriage.}
And to Eofor then gave he his one only daughter,
The honor of home, as an earnest of favor.
55 That's the feud and hatred--as ween I 'twill happen--
The anger of earthmen, that earls of the Swedemen
Will visit on us, when they hear that our leader
Lifeless is lying, he who longtime protected
His hoard and kingdom 'gainst hating assailers,
60 Who on the fall of the heroes defended of yore
The deed-mighty Scyldings,[4] did for the troopers
What best did avail them, and further moreover
{It is time for us to pay the last marks of respect to our lord.}
Hero-deeds 'complished. Now is haste most fitting,
That the lord of liegemen we look upon yonder,
65 And _that_ one carry on journey to death-pyre
Who ring-presents gave us. Not aught of it all
Shall melt with the brave one--there's a mass of bright jewels,
Gold beyond measure, grewsomely purchased
And ending it all ornament-rings too
70 Bought with his life; these fire shall devour,
Flame shall cover, no earlman shall wear
A jewel-memento, nor beautiful virgin
Have on her neck rings to adorn her,
But wretched in spirit bereavèd of gold-gems
75 She shall oft with others be exiled and banished,
Since the leader of liegemen hath laughter forsaken,
[102] Mirth and merriment. Hence many a war-spear
Cold from the morning shall be clutched in the fingers,
Heaved in the hand, no harp-music's sound shall
80 Waken the warriors, but the wan-coated raven
Fain over fey ones freely shall gabble,
Shall say to the eagle how he sped in the eating,
When, the wolf his companion, he plundered the slain."