Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
{He expresses no little admiration for the strangers.}
20 Men so many of mien more courageous.
I ween that from valor, nowise as outlaws,
But from greatness of soul ye sought for King Hrothgar."
{Beowulf replies.}
Then the strength-famous earlman answer rendered,
The proud-mooded Wederchief replied to his question,
{We are Higelac's table-companions, and bear an important commission to
your prince.}
25 Hardy 'neath helmet: "Higelac's mates are we;
Beowulf hight I. To the bairn of Healfdene,
The famous folk-leader, I freely will tell
To thy prince my commission, if pleasantly hearing
He'll grant we may greet him so gracious to all men."
30 Wulfgar replied then (he was prince of the Wendels,
His boldness of spirit was known unto many,
His prowess and prudence): "The prince of the Scyldings,
{Wulfgar, the thane, says that he will go and ask Hrothgar whether he will
see the strangers.}
The friend-lord of Danemen, I will ask of thy journey,
The giver of rings, as thou urgest me do it,
35 The folk-chief famous, and inform thee early
What answer the good one mindeth to render me."
He turned then hurriedly where Hrothgar was sitting,
[2]Old and hoary, his earlmen attending him;
The strength-famous went till he stood at the shoulder
40 Of the lord of the Danemen, of courteous thanemen
The custom he minded. Wulfgar addressed then
His friendly liegelord: "Folk of the Geatmen
[14]
{He thereupon urges his liegelord to receive the visitors courteously.}
O'er the way of the waters are wafted hither,
Faring from far-lands: the foremost in rank
45 The battle-champions Beowulf title.
They make this petition: with thee, O my chieftain,
To be granted a conference; O gracious King Hrothgar,
Friendly answer refuse not to give them!
{Hrothgar, too, is struck with Beowulf's appearance.}
In war-trappings weeded worthy they seem
50 Of earls to be honored; sure the atheling is doughty
Who headed the heroes hitherward coming."
[1] Instead of the punctuation given by H.-So, S. proposed to insert a
comma after 'scír' (322), and to take 'hring-íren' as meaning
'ring-mail' and as parallel with 'gúð-byrne.' The passage would then
read: _The firm and hand-locked war-burnie shone, bright ring-mail,
rang 'mid the armor, etc_.
[2] Gr. and others translate 'unhár' by 'bald'; _old and bald_.
VII.
HROTHGAR AND BEOWULF.
{Hrothgar remembers Beowulf as a youth, and also remembers his father.}
Hrothgar answered, helm of the Scyldings:
"I remember this man as the merest of striplings.
His father long dead now was Ecgtheow titled,
Him Hrethel the Geatman granted at home his
5 One only daughter; his battle-brave son
Is come but now, sought a trustworthy friend.
Seafaring sailors asserted it then,
{Beowulf is reported to have the strength of thirty men.}
Who valuable gift-gems of the Geatmen[1] carried
As peace-offering thither, that he thirty men's grapple
10 Has in his hand, the hero-in-battle.
{God hath sent him to our rescue.}
The holy Creator usward sent him,
To West-Dane warriors, I ween, for to render
'Gainst Grendel's grimness gracious assistance:
I shall give to the good one gift-gems for courage.
15 Hasten to bid them hither to speed them,[2]
To see assembled this circle of kinsmen;
Tell them expressly they're welcome in sooth to
The men of the Danes." To the door of the building
[15]
{Wulfgar invites the strangers in.}
Wulfgar went then, this word-message shouted:
20 "My victorious liegelord bade me to tell you,
The East-Danes' atheling, that your origin knows he,
And o'er wave-billows wafted ye welcome are hither,
Valiant of spirit. Ye straightway may enter
Clad in corslets, cased in your helmets,
25 To see King Hrothgar. Here let your battle-boards,
Wood-spears and war-shafts, await your conferring."
The mighty one rose then, with many a liegeman,
An excellent thane-group; some there did await them,
And as bid of the brave one the battle-gear guarded.
30 Together they hied them, while the hero did guide them,
'Neath Heorot's roof; the high-minded went then
Sturdy 'neath helmet till he stood in the building.
Beowulf spake (his burnie did glisten,
His armor seamed over by the art of the craftsman):
{Beowulf salutes Hrothgar, and then proceeds to boast of his youthful
achievements.}
35 "Hail thou, Hrothgar! I am Higelac's kinsman
And vassal forsooth; many a wonder
I dared as a stripling. The doings of Grendel,
In far-off fatherland I fully did know of:
Sea-farers tell us, this hall-building standeth,
40 Excellent edifice, empty and useless
To all the earlmen after evenlight's glimmer
'Neath heaven's bright hues hath hidden its glory.
This my earls then urged me, the most excellent of them,
Carles very clever, to come and assist thee,
45 Folk-leader Hrothgar; fully they knew of
{His fight with the nickers.}
The strength of my body. Themselves they beheld me
When I came from the contest, when covered with gore
Foes I escaped from, where five[3] I had bound,
[16] The giant-race wasted, in the waters destroying
50 The nickers by night, bore numberless sorrows,
The Weders avenged (woes had they suffered)
Enemies ravaged; alone now with Grendel
{He intends to fight Grendel unaided.}
I shall manage the matter, with the monster of evil,
The giant, decide it. Thee I would therefore
55 Beg of thy bounty, Bright-Danish chieftain,
Lord of the Scyldings, this single petition:
Not to refuse me, defender of warriors,
Friend-lord of folks, so far have I sought thee,
That _I_ may unaided, my earlmen assisting me,
60 This brave-mooded war-band, purify Heorot.
I have heard on inquiry, the horrible creature
{Since the monster uses no weapons,}
From veriest rashness recks not for weapons;
I this do scorn then, so be Higelac gracious,
My liegelord belovèd, lenient of spirit,
65 To bear a blade or a broad-fashioned target,
A shield to the onset; only with hand-grip
{I, too, shall disdain to use any.}
The foe I must grapple, fight for my life then,
Foeman with foeman; he fain must rely on
The doom of the Lord whom death layeth hold of.
{Should he crush me, he will eat my companions as he has eaten thy
thanes.}
70 I ween he will wish, if he win in the struggle,
To eat in the war-hall earls of the Geat-folk,
Boldly to swallow[4] them, as of yore he did often
The best of the Hrethmen! Thou needest not trouble
A head-watch to give me;[5] he will have me dripping
[17]
{In case of my defeat, thou wilt not have the trouble of burying me.}
75 And dreary with gore, if death overtake me,[6]
Will bear me off bleeding, biting and mouthing me,
The hermit will eat me, heedless of pity,
Marking the moor-fens; no more wilt thou need then
{Should I fall, send my armor to my lord, King Higelac.}
Find me my food.[7] If I fall in the battle,
80 Send to Higelac the armor that serveth
To shield my bosom, the best of equipments,
Richest of ring-mails; 'tis the relic of Hrethla,
{Weird is supreme}
The work of Wayland. Goes Weird as she must go!"
[1] Some render 'gif-sceattas' by 'tribute.'--'Géata' B. and Th.
emended to 'Géatum.' If this be accepted, change '_of_ the Geatmen' to
'_to_ the Geatmen.'
[2] If t.B.'s emendation of vv. 386, 387 be accepted, the two lines,
'Hasten ... kinsmen' will read: _Hasten thou, bid the throng of
kinsmen go into the hall together_.
[3] For 420 (_b_) and 421 (_a_), B. suggests: Þær ic (on) fífelgeban
ýðde eotena cyn = _where I in the ocean destroyed the
eoten-race_.--t.B. accepts B.'s "brilliant" 'fífelgeban,' omits 'on,'
emends 'cyn' to 'hám,' arranging: Þær ic fífelgeban ýðde, eotena hám =
_where I desolated the ocean, the home of the eotens_.--This would be
better but for changing 'cyn' to 'hám.'--I suggest: Þær ic fífelgeband
(cf. nhd. Bande) ýðde, eotena cyn = _where I conquered the monster
band, the race of the eotens_. This makes no change except to read
'_fífel_' for '_fífe_.'
[4] 'Unforhte' (444) is much disputed.--H.-So. wavers between adj. and
adv. Gr. and B. take it as an adv. modifying _etan: Will eat the Geats
fearlessly_.--Kl. considers this reading absurd, and proposes
'anforhte' = timid.--Understanding 'unforhte' as an adj. has this
advantage, viz. that it gives a parallel to 'Geátena leóde': but to
take it as an adv. is more natural. Furthermore, to call the Geats
'brave' might, at this point, seem like an implied thrust at the
Danes, so long helpless; while to call his own men 'timid' would be
befouling his own nest.
[5] For 'head-watch,' cf. H.-So. notes and cf. v. 2910.--Th.
translates: _Thou wilt not need my head to hide_ (i.e., thou wilt have
no occasion to bury me, as Grendel will devour me whole).--Simrock
imagines a kind of dead-watch.--Dr. H. Wood suggests: _Thou wilt not
have to bury so much as my head_ (for Grendel will be a thorough
undertaker),--grim humor.
[6] S. proposes a colon after 'nimeð' (l. 447). This would make no
essential change in the translation.
[7] Owing to the vagueness of 'feorme' (451), this passage is
variously translated. In our translation, H.-So.'s glossary has been
quite closely followed. This agrees substantially with B.'s
translation (P. and B. XII. 87). R. translates: _Thou needst not take
care longer as to the consumption of my dead body._ 'Líc' is also a
crux here, as it may mean living body or dead body.
VIII.
HROTHGAR AND BEOWULF.--_Continued_.
{Hrothgar responds.}
Hrothgar discoursed, helm of the Scyldings:
"To defend our folk and to furnish assistance,[1]
Thou soughtest us hither, good friend Beowulf.
{Reminiscences of Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow.}
The fiercest of feuds thy father engaged in,
5 Heatholaf killed he in hand-to-hand conflict
'Mid Wilfingish warriors; then the Wederish people
For fear of a feud were forced to disown him.
Thence flying he fled to the folk of the South-Danes,
[18] The race of the Scyldings, o'er the roll of the waters;
10 I had lately begun then to govern the Danemen,
The hoard-seat of heroes held in my youth,
Rich in its jewels: dead was Heregar,
My kinsman and elder had earth-joys forsaken,
Healfdene his bairn. He was better than I am!
15 That feud thereafter for a fee I compounded;
O'er the weltering waters to the Wilfings I sent
Ornaments old; oaths did he swear me.
{Hrothgar recounts to Beowulf the horrors of Grendel's persecutions.}
It pains me in spirit to any to tell it,