Beowulf (Bilingual Edition) Read online

  hēafod-mǣgum; þæs þū in helle scealt

  werhðo drēogan, þēah þīn wit duge.

  590

  Secge ic þē tō sōðe, sunu Ecglāfes,

  þæt nǣfre Grendel swā fela gryra gefremede,

  atol ǣglǣca ealdre þīnum,

  hȳnðo on Heorote, gif þīn hige wǣre,

  sefa swā searo-grim, swā þū self talast;

  ac hē hafað onfunden, þæt hē þā fǣhðe ne þearf,

  atole ecg-þræce ēower lēode

  swīðe onsittan, Sige-Scyldinga.

  Nymeð nȳd-bāde, nǣnegum ārað

  lēode Deniga, ac hē lust wigeð,

  600

  swefeð ond sendeþ, secce ne wēneþ

  tō Gār-Denum. Ac ic him Gēata sceal

  eafoð ond ellen ungeāra nū,

  gūþe gebēodan. Gǣþ eft sē þe mōt

  tō medo mōdig, siþþan morgen-lēoht

  ofer ylda bearn ōþres dōgores,

  sunne swegl-wered sūþan scīneð!”

  Þā wæs on sālum sinces brytta,

  gamol-feax ond gūð-rōf; gēoce gelȳfde

  brego Beorht-Dena, gehȳrde on Bēowulfe

  610

  folces hyrde fæst-rǣdne geþōht.

  Đǣr wæs hæleþa hleahtor, hlyn swynsode,

  word wǣron wynsume. Ēode Wealhþēow forð,

  cwēn Hrōðgāres, cynna gemyndig;

  grētte gold-hroden guman on healle,

  ond þā frēolic wīf ful gesealde

  ǣrest Ēast-Dena ēþel-wearde;

  bæd hine blīðne æt þǣre bēor-þege,

  lēodum lēofne; hē on lust geþeah

  symbel ond sele-ful, sige-rōf kyning.

  620

  Ymb-ēode þā ides Helminga

  duguþe ond geogoþe dǣl ǣghwylcne,

  sinc-fato sealde, oþþæt sǣl ālamp,

  þæt hīo Bēowulfe, bēag-hroden cwēn

  mōde geþungen, medo-ful ætbær.

  Grētte Gēata lēod, gode þancode

  wīs-fæst wordum, þæs ðe hire se willa gelamp,

  þæt hēo on ǣnigne eorl gelȳfde

  fyrena frōfre. Hē þæt ful geþeah,

  wæl-rēow wiga, æt Wealhþēon,

  630

  ond þā gyddode gūþe gefȳsed;

  Bēowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:

  “Ic þæt hogode, þā ic on holm gestāh,

  sǣ-bāt gesæt mid mīnra secga gedriht,

  þæt ic ānunga ēowra lēoda

  willan geworhte, oþðe on wæl crunge,

  fēond-grāpum fæst. Ic gefremman sceal

  eorlīc ellen, oþðe ende-dæg

  on þisse meodu-healle mīnne gebīdan.”

  Đām wīfe þā word wēl līcodon,

  640

  gilp-cwide Gēates; ēode gold-hroden

  frēolicu folc-cwēn tō hire frēan sittan.

  Þā wæs eft swā ǣr inne on healle

  þrȳð-word sprecen, ðēod on sǣlum,

  sige-folca swēg, oþþæt semninga

  sunu Healfdenes sēcean wolde

  ǣfen-ræste. Wiste þǣm āhlǣ can

  tō þǣm hēah-sele hilde geþinged,

  siððan hīe sunnan lēoht gesēon meahton,

  oþ ðe nīpende niht ofer ealle,

  650

  scadu-helma gesceapu scrīðan cwōman

  wan under wolcnum. Werod eall ārās.

  Gegrētte þā guma ōþerne,

  Hrō ðgār Bēowulf, ond him hǣl ābēad,

  wīn-ærnes geweald, ond þæt word ācwæð:

  “Nǣfre ic ǣnegum men ǣr ālȳfde,

  siþðan ic hond ond rond hebban mihte,

  ðrȳþ-ærn Dena būton þē nū ðā.

  Hafa nū ond geheald husa sēlest:

  gemyne mǣrþo, mægen-ellen cȳð,

  660

  waca wið wrāþum! Ne bið þē wilna gād

  gif þū þæt ellen-weorc aldre gedīgest.”

  Đā him Hrōþgār gewāt mid his hæleþa gedryht,

  eodur Scyldinga ūt of healle;

  wolde wīg-fruma Wealhþēo sēcan,

  cwēn tō gebeddan. Hæfde kyning-wuldor

  Grendle tōgēanes, swā guman gefrungon,

  sele-weard āseted; sundor-nytte behēold

  ymb aldor Dena, eoton-weard’ ābēad.

  Hūru Gēata lēod georne truwode

  670

  mōdgan mægnes, Metodes hyldo.

  Đā hē him of dyde īsern-byrnan,

  helm of hafelan, sealde his hyrsted sweord,

  īrena cyst ombiht-þegne,

  ond gehealdan hēt hilde-geatwe.

  Gespræc þā se gōda gylp-worda sum,

  Bēowulf Gēata, ǣr hē on bed stige:

  “Nō ic mē an here-wæsmun hnāgran talige

  gūþ-geweorca þonne Grendel hine;

  forþan ic hine sweorde swebban nelle,

  680

  aldre benēotan, þēah ic eal mæge.

  Nāt hē þāra gōda, þæt hē mē ongēan slēa,

  rand gehēawe, þēah ðe hē rōf sīe

  nīþ-geweorca: ac wit on niht sculon

  secge ofersittan, gif hē gesēcean dear

  wīg ofer wǣpen: ond siþðan wītig God

  on swā hwæþere hond, hālig Dryhten,

  mǣrðo dēme, swā him gemet þince.”

  Hylde hine þā heaþo-dēor, hlēor-bolster onfēng

  eorles andwlitan, ond hine ymb monig

  690

  snellīc sǣ-rinc sele-reste gebēah.

  Nǣnig heora þōhte, þæt hē þanon scolde

  eft eard-lufan ǣfre gesēcean,

  folc oþðe frēo-burh, þǣr hē āfēded wæs;

  ac hīe hæfdon gefrūnen, þæt hīe ǣr tō fela micles

  in þǣm wīn-sele wæl-dēað fornam,

  Denigea lēode. Ac him Dryhten forgeaf

  wīg-spēda gewiofu, Wedera lēodum,

  frōfor ond fultum, þæt hīe fēond heora

  ðurh ānes cræft ealle ofercōmon,

  700

  selfes mihtum. Sōð is gecȳþed,

  þæt mihtig God manna cynnes

  weold wīde-ferhð. Cōm on wanre niht

  scrīðan sceadu-genga; scēotend swǣfon,

  þā þæt horn-reced healdan scoldon,

  ealle būton ānum. Þæt wæs yldum cūþ,

  þæt hīe ne mōste, þā Metod nolde,

  se syn-scaþa under sceadu bregdan,

  ac hē wæccende wrāþum on andan

  bād bolgen-mōd beadwa geþinges.

  710

  Đā cōm of mōre under mist-hleoþum

  Grendel gongan, Godes yrre bær,

  mynte se mān-scaða manna cynnes

  sumne besyrwan in sele þām hēan.

  Wōd under wolcnum, tō þæs þe hē wīn-reced,

  gold-sele gumena gearwost wisse,

  fǣttum fāhne. Ne wæs þæt forma sīð

  þæt hē Hrōþgāres hām gesōhte.

  Nǣfre hē on aldor-dagum ǣr nē siþðan

  heardran hǣle heal-ðegnas fand.

  720

  Cōm þā tō recede rinc sīðian

  drēamum bedǣled. Duru sōna onarn

  fȳr-bendum fæst, syþðan hē hire folmum gehrān:

  onbrǣd þā bealo-hȳdig, ðā hē gebolgen wæs,

  recedes mūþan. Raþe æfter þon

  on fāgne flōr fēond treddode,

  ēode yrre-mōd; him of ēagum stōd

  ligge gelīcost lēoht unfǣger.

  Geseah hē in recede rinca manige,

  swefan sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere,

  730

  mago-rinca hēap. Þā his mōd āhlōg;

  mynte þæt hē gedǣlde, ǣr þon dæg cwōme,

  atol āglǣca, ānra gehwylces

  līf wið līce, þā him ālumpen wæs

  wist-fylle wēn. Ne wæs þæt wyrd þā gēn,

  þæt hē mā mōste manna cynnes

  ðicgean ofer þā niht. Þrȳ
ð-swȳð behēold,

  mǣg Higelāces, hū se mān-scaða

  under fǣr-gripum gefaran wolde.

  Nē þæt se āglǣ ca yldan þōhte,

  740

  ac hē gefēng hraðe forman sīðe

  slǣpendne rinc, slāt unwearnum,

  bāt bān-locan, blōd ēdrum dranc,

  syn-snǣdum swealh; sōna hæfde

  unlyfigendes eal gefeormod,

  fēt ond folma. Forð nēar ætstōp,

  nam þā mid handa hige-þīhtigne

  rinc on ræste —rǣhte ongēan

  fēond mid folme; hē onfēng hraþe

  inwit-þancum ond wið earm gesæt.

  750

  Sōna þæt onfunde fyrena hyrde,

  þæt hē ne mētte middan-geardes,

  eorþan scēatta on elran men

  mund-gripe māran; hē on mōde wearð

  forht on ferhðe; nō þȳ ǣr fram meahte.

  Hyge wæs him hin-fūs, wolde on heolster flēon,

  sēcan dēofla gedræg; ne wæs his drohtoð þǣr,

  swylce hē on ealder-dagum ǣr gemētte.

  Gemunde þā se gōda mǣg Higelāces

  ǣfen-sprǣce, up-lang āstōd

  760

  ond him fæste wiðfēng; fingras burston:

  eoten wæs ūtweard, eorl furþur stōp.

  Mynte se mǣra, þǣr hē meahte swā,

  wīdre gewindan ond on weg þanon

  flēon on fen-hopu; wiste his fingra geweald

  on grames grāpum; þæt wæs gēocor sīð

  þæt se hearm-scaþa tō Heorute ātēah.

  Dryht-sele dynede, Denum eallum wearð,

  ceaster-būendum, cēnra gehwylcum,

  eorlum ealu-scerwen. Yrre wǣron bēgen,

  770

  rēþe ren-weardas. Reced hlynsode;

  þā wæs wundor micel, þæt se wīn-sele

  wiðhæfde heaþo-dēorum, þæt hē on hrūsan ne fēol,

  fǣger fold-bold; ac hē þæs fæste wæs

  innan ond ūtan īren-bendum

  searo-þoncum besmiþod. Þǣr fram sylle ābēag

  medu-benc monig, mīne gefrǣge,

  golde geregnad, þǣr þā graman wunnon.

  Þæs ne wēndon ǣr witan Scyldinga,

  þæt hit ā mid gemete manna ǣnig,

  780

  betlīc ond bān-fāg tōbrecan meahte,

  listum tōlūcan, nymþe līges fæþm

  swulge on swaþule. Swēg up āstāg

  nīwe geneahhe, Norð-Denum stōd

  atelīc egesa, ānra gehwylcum

  þāra þe of wealle wōp gehȳrdon,

  gryre-lēoð galan Godes andsacan,

  sige-lēasne sang, sār wānigean

  helle hæfton. Hēold hine fæste,

  sē þe manna wæs mægene strengest

  790

  on þǣm dæge þysses līfes.

  Nolde eorla hlēo ǣnige þinga

  þone cwealm-cuman cwicne forlǣtan,

  nē his līf-dagas lēoda ǣnigum

  nytte tealde. Þǣr genehost brægd

  eorl Bēowulfes ealde lāfe,

  wolde frēa-drihtnes feorh ealgian,

  mǣres þēodnes, ðǣr hīe meahton swā.

  Hīe þæt ne wiston, þā hīe gewin drugon,

  heard-hicgende hilde-mecgas,

  800

  ond on healfa gehwone hēawan þōhton,

  sāwle sēcan: þone syn-scaðan

  ǣnig ofer eorþan īrenna cyst,

  gūð-billa nān grētan nolde,

  ac hē sige-wǣpnum forsworen hæfde,

  ecga gehwylcre. Scolde his aldor-gedāl

  on ðǣm dæge þysses līfes

  earmlīc wurðan, ond se ellor-gāst

  on fēonda geweald feor sīðian.

  Đā þæt onfunde sē þe fela ǣror

  810

  mōdes myrðe manna cynne,

  fyrene gefremede —hē fāg wið God—

  þæt him se līc-homa lǣstan nolde,

  ac hine se mōdega mǣg Hygelāces

  hæfde be honda; wæs gehwæþer ōðrum

  lifigende lāð. Līc-sār gebād

  atol ǣglǣca; him on eaxle wearð

  syn-dolh sweotol; seonowe onsprungon,

  burston bān-locan. Bēowulfe wearð

  gūð-hrēð gyfeþe; scolde Grendel þonan

  820

  feorh-sēoc flēon under fen-hleoðu,