Beowulf (Bilingual Edition) Read online

  þonne heoru bunden, hamere geþuren,

  sweord swāte fāh swīn ofer helme,

  ecgum dyhttig, andweard scireð.

  Đā wæs on healle heard-ecg togen,

  sweord ofer setlum, sīd-rand manig

  1290

  hafen handa fæst; helm ne gemunde,

  byrnan sīde, þā hine se brōga angeat.

  Hēo wæs on ofste, wolde ūt þanon,

  fēore beorgan, þā hēo onfunden wæs.

  Hraðe hēo æþelinga ānne hæfde

  fæste befangen, þā hēo tō fenne gang.

  Sē wæs Hrōþgāre hæleþa lēofost

  on gesīðes hād be sǣm twēonum,

  rīce rand-wiga, þone ðe hēo on ræste ābrēat,

  blǣd-fæstne beorn. Næs Bēowulf ðǣr,

  1300

  ac wæs ōþer in ǣr geteohhod

  æfter māþðum-gife mǣrum Gēate.

  Hrēan wearð in Heorote; hēo under heolfre genam

  cūþe folme; cearu wæs genīwod,

  geworden in wīcun. Ne wæs þæt gewrixle til,

  þæt hīe on bā healfa bicgan scoldon

  frēonda fēorum. Þā wæs frōd cyning,

  hār hilde-rinc, on hrēon mōde,

  syðþan hē aldor-þegn unlyfigendne,

  þone dēorestan dēadne wisse.

  1310

  Hraþe wæs tō būre Bēowulf fetod,

  sigor-ēadig secg. Samod ǣr-dæge

  ēode eorla sum, æþele cempa,

  self mid gesīðum, þǣr se snotera bād,

  hwæþre him Al-walda ǣfre wille

  æfter wēa-spelle wyrpe gefremman.

  Gang ðā æfter flōre fyrd-wyrðe man

  mid his hand-scale —heal-wudu dynede—

  þæt hē þone wīsan wordum nǣgde,

  frēan Ingwina; frægn gif him wǣre,

  1320

  æfter nēod-laðe, niht getǣse.

  Hrōðgār maþelode, helm Scyldinga:

  “Ne frīn þū æfter sǣlum; sorh is genīwod

  Denigea lēodum. Dēad is Æschere,

  Yrmenlāfes yldra brōþor,

  mīn rūn-wita ond mı īn rǣd-bora,

  eaxl-gestealla, ðonne wē on orlege

  hafelan weredon, þonne hniton fēþan,

  eoferas cnysedan. Swylc scolde eorl wesan,

  æðeling ǣr-gōd, swylc Æschere wæs!

  1330

  Wearð him on Heorote tō hand-banan

  wæl-gǣst wǣfre; ic ne wāt hwæder

  atol ǣse wlanc eft-sīðas tēah,

  fylle gefrǣgnod. Hēo þā fǣhðe wræc,

  þē þū gystran niht Grendel cwealdest

  þurh hǣstne hād heardum clammum,

  forþan hē tō lange lēode mīne

  wanode ond wyrde. Hē æt wīge gecrang

  ealdres scyldig; ond nū ōþer cwōm

  mihtig mān-scaða, wolde hyre mǣg wrecan,

  1340

  gē feor hafað fǣhðe gestǣled,

  þæs þe þincean mæg þegne monegum,

  sē þe æfter sinc-gyfan on sefan grēoteþ,

  hreþer-bealo hearde; nū sēo hand ligeð,

  sē þe ēow wēl-hwylcra wilna dohte.

  “Ic þæt lond-būend, lēode mīne,

  sele-rǣdende secgan hȳrde,

  þæt hīe gesāwon swylce twēgen

  micle mearc-stapan mōras healdan,

  ellor-gǣstas; ðǣra ōðer wæs,

  1350

  þæs þe hīe gewislīcost gewitan meahton,

  idese onlīcnes; ōðer earm-sceapen

  on weres wæstmum wrǣc-lāstas træd,

  næfne hē wæs māra þonne ǣnig man ōðer;

  þone on geār-dagum ‘Grendel’ nemdon

  fold-būende; nō hīe fæder cunnon,

  hwæþer him ǣnig wæs ǣr ācenned

  dyrnra gāsta. Hīe dȳgel lond

  warigeað, wulf-hleoþu, windige næssas,

  frēcne fen-gelād, ðǣr fyrgen-strēam

  1360

  under næssa genipu niþer gewīteð,

  flōd under foldan. Nis þæt feor heonon

  mīl-gemearces, þæt se mere standeð

  ofer þǣm hongiað hrinde bearwas;

  wudu wyrtum fæst wæter oferhelmað.

  Þǣr mæg nihta gehwǣm nīð-wundor sēon,

  fȳr on flōde; nō þæs frōd leofað

  gumena bearna þæt þone grund wite.

  Đēah þe hǣð-stapa hundum geswenced,

  heorot hornum trum holt-wudu sēce,

  1370

  feorran geflȳmed, ǣr hē feorh seleð,

  aldor on ōfre, ǣr hē in wille,

  hafelan hȳdan. Nis þæt hēoru stōw;

  þonon ȳð-geblond up āstīgeð

  won tō wolcnum, þonne wind styreþ

  lāð gewidru, oðþæt lyft ðrysmaþ,

  roderas rēotað. Nū is se rǣd gelang

  eft æt þē ānum. Eard gīt ne const,

  frēcne stōwe, ðær þū findan miht

  fela-sinnigne secg; sēc gif þū dyrre.

  1380

  Ic þē þā fǣhðe fēo lēanige,

  eald-gestrēonum, swā ic ǣr dyde,

  wundini golde, gyf þȳ on weg cymest.”

  Bēowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:

  “Ne sorga, snotor guma! Sēlre bið ǣghwǣm

  þæt hē his frēond wrece, þonne hē fela murne.

  Ūre ǣghwylc sceal ende gebīdan

  worolde līfes; wyrce sē þe mōte

  dōmes ǣr dēaþe; þæt bið driht-guman

  unlifgendum æfter sēlest.

  1390

  Ārīs, rīces weard, uton hraþe fēran,

  Grendles māgan gang scēawigan!

  Ic hit þē gehāte: nō hē on helm losaþ,

  nē on foldan fæþm, nē on fyrgen-holt,

  nē on gyfenes grund, gā þǣr hē wille.

  Đȳs dōgor þū geþyld hafa

  wēana gehwylces, swā ic þē wēne tō.”

  Āhlēop ðā se gomela, Gode þancode,

  mihtigan Drihtne, þæs se man gespræc.

  Þā wæs Hrōðgāre hors gebǣted,

  1400

  wicg wunden-feax; wīsa fengel

  geatolīc gende; gum-fēþa stōp

  lind-hæbbendra. Lāstas wǣron

  æfter wald-swaþum wīde gesȳne,

  gang ofer grundas, gegnum fōr

  ofer myrcan mor, mago-þegna bær

  þone sēlestan sāwol-lēasne,

  þāra þe mid Hrōðgāre hām eahtode.

  Oferēode þā æþelinga bearn

  stēap stān-hliðo, stīge nearwe,

  1410

  enge ān-paðas, uncūð gelād,

  neowle næssas, nicor-hūsa fela.

  Hē fēara sum beforan gengde

  wīsra monna, wong scēawian;

  oþþæt hē fǣringa fyrgen-bēamas

  ofer hārne stān hleonian funde,

  wyn-lēasne wudu; wæter under stōd

  drēorig on gedrēfed. Denum eallum wæs,

  winum Scyldinga, weorce on mōde

  tō geþolianne, ðegne monegum,

  1420

  oncȳð eorla gehwǣm, syðþan Æscheres

  on þām holm-clife hafelan mētton.

  Flōd blōde wēol —folc tō sægon—

  hātan heolfre. Horn stundum song

  fūslīc fyrd-lēoð. Fēþa eal gesæt;

  gesāwon ðā æfter wætere wyrm-cynnes fela,

  sellīce sǣ-dracan sund cunnian,

  swylce on næs-hleoðum nicras licgean,

  ðā on undern-mǣl oft bewitigað

  sorh-fulne sīð on segl-rāde,

  1430

  wyrmas ond wil-dēor. Hīe on weg hruron

  bitere ond gebolgne; bearhtm ongēaton,

  gūð-horn galan. Sumne Gēata lēod

  of flān-bogan fēores getwǣfde,

  ȳð-gewinnes, þæt him on aldre stōd

  here-strǣl hearda; hē on holme wæs


  sundes þē sǣnra, ðē hyne swylt fornam.

  Hraæþe wearð on ȳðum mid eofer-sprēotum

  heoro-hōcyhtum hearde genearwod,

  nīða genæged ond on næs togen

  1440

  wundorlīc wǣg-bora; weras scēawedon

  gryrelīcne gist.

  Gyrede hine Bēowulf

  eorl-gewǣdum, nalles for ealdre mearn;

  scolde here-byrne hondum gebrōden,

  sīd ond searo-fāh, sund cunnian,

  sēo ðe bān-cofan beorgan cūþe,

  þæt him hilde-grāp hreþre ne mihte,

  eorres inwit-feng aldre gesceþðan;

  ac se hwīta helm hafelan werede,

  sē þe mere-grundas mengan scolde,

  1450

  sēcan sund-gebland since geweorðad,

  befongen frēa-wrāsnum, swā hine fyrn-dagum

  worhte wǣpna smið, wundrum tēode,

  besette swīn-līcum, þæt hine syðþan nō

  brond nē beado-mēcas bītan ne meahton.

  Næs þæt þonne mǣtost mægen-fultuma,

  þæt him on ðearfe lāh ðyle Hrōðgāres;

  wæs þǣm hæft-mēce Hrunting nama;

  þæt wæs ān foran eald-gestrēona;

  ecg wæs īren, āter-tānum fāh,

  1460

  āhyrded heaþo-swāte; nǣfre hit æt hilde ne swāc

  manna ǣngum, þāra þe hit mid mundum bewand,

  sē ðe gryre-sīðas gegān dorste,

  folc-stede fāra. Næs þæt forma sīð

  þæt hit ellen-weorc æfnan scolde.

  Hūru ne gemunde mago Ecglāfes

  eafoþes cræftig, þæt hē ǣr gespræc

  wīne druncen, þā hē þæs wǣpnes onlāh

  sēlran sweord-frecan; selfa ne dorste

  under ȳða gewin aldre genēþan,

  1470

  drihtscype drēogan; þǣr hē dōme forlēas,

  ellen-mærðum. Ne wæs þǣm ōðrum swā,

  syðþan hē hine tō gūðe gegyred hæfde.

  Bēowulf maþelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:

  “Geþenc nū, se mǣra maga Healfdenes,

  snottra fengel, nū ic eom sīðes fūs,

  gold-wine gumena, hwæt wit geō sprǣcon,

  gif ic æt þearfe þīnre scolde

  aldre linnan, þæt ðū mē ā wǣre

  forð-gewitenum on fæder stǣle.

  1480

  Wes þū mund-bora mīnum mago-þegnum,

  hond-gesellum, gif mec hild nime;

  swylce þū ðā mādmas, þe þū mē sealdest,

  Hrōðgār lēofa, Higelāce onsend.

  Mæg þonne on þǣm golde ongitan Gēata dryhten,

  gesēon sunu Hrǣdles, þonne hē on þæt sinc starað,

  þæt ic gum-cystum gōdne funde

  bēaga bryttan, brēac þonne mōste.

  Ond þū Unferð lǣt ealde lāfe,

  wrǣtlīc wǣg-sweord, wīd-cūðne man

  1490

  heard-ecg habban; ic mē mid Hruntinge

  dōm gewyrce, oþðe mec dēað nimeð.”

  Æfter þǣm wordum Weder-Gēata lēod

  efste mid elne, nalas andsware

  bīdan wolde; brim-wylm onfēng

  hilde-rince. Đā wæs hwīl dæges,

  ǣr hē þone grund-wong ongytan mehte.

  Sōna þæt onfunde, sē ðe flōda begong

  heoro-gīfre behēold hund missēra,

  grim ond grǣdig, þæt þǣr gumena sum

  1500

  æl-wihta eard ufan cunnode.

  Grāp þā tōgēanes; gūð-rinc gefēng

  atolan clommum; nō þȳ ǣr in gescōd

  hālan līce; hring ūtan ymb-bearh,

  þæt hēo þone fyrd-hom ðurhfōn ne mihte,

  locene leoðo-syrcan lāþan fingrum.

  Bær þā sēo brim-wylf, þā hēo tō botme cōm,

  hringa þengel tō hofe sīnum,

  swā hē ne mihte, nō hē þæs mōdig wæs,

  wǣpna gewealdan; ac hine wundra þæs fela

  1510

  swencte on sunde, sǣ-dēor monig

  hilde-tūxum here-syrcan bræc,

  ēhton āglǣcan. Đā se eorl ongeat,

  þæt hē in nīð-sele nāt-hwylcum wæs,

  þǣr him nǣnig wæter wihte ne sceþede,

  nē him for hrōf-sele hrīnan ne mehte

  fǣr-gripe flōdes: fȳr-lēoht geseah,