Beowulf (Harrison and Sharp)/The Fight at Finnsburh
For other versions of this work, see Fight at Finnsburh.
THE ATTACK IN FINNSBURG.
[edit]". . . . . . . . . . . næs byrnað nǣfre."Hleoðrode þāheaðo-geong cyning:"Ne þis ne dagað ēastan,ne hēr draca ne flēogeð,ne hēr þisse heallehornas ne byrnað,5 ac fēr forð beraðfugelas singað,gylleð grǣg-hama,gūð-wudu hlynneð,scyld scefte oncwyð.Nū scȳneð þes mōnawaðol under wolcnum;nū ārīsað wēa-dǣda,þē þisne folces nīðfremman willað.10 Ac onwacnigeað nū,wīgend mīne,hebbað ēowre handa,hicgeað on ellen,winnað on orde,wesað on mōde!"Þā ārās monig gold-hladen þegn,gyrde hine his swurde;þā tō dura ēodondrihtlīce cempan,15 Sigeferð and Eaha,hyra sweord getugon,and æt ōðrum durumOrdlāf and Gūðlāf,and Hengest sylf;hwearf him on lāste.Þā gīt GārulfGūðere styrode,þæt hīe swā frēolīc feorhforman sīðe20 tō þǣre healle durumhyrsta ne bǣran,nū hyt nīða heardānyman wolde:ac hē frægn ofer ealundearninga,dēor-mōd hæleð,hwā þā duru hēolde."Sigeferð is mīn nama (cwæð hē),ic eom Secgena lēod,25 wrecca wīde cūð.Fela ic wēana gebād,heardra hilda;þē is gȳt hēr witod,swæðer þū sylf tō mēsēcean wylle."Þā wæs on weallewæl-slihta gehlyn,sceolde cēlod bordcēnum on handa30 bān-helm berstan.Buruh-þelu dynede,oð þæt æt þǣre gūðeGārulf gecrang,ealra ǣresteorð-būendra,Gūðlāfes sunu;ymbe hine gōdra fela.Hwearf flacra hrǣwhræfn, wandrode35 sweart and sealo-brūn;swurd-lēoma stōdswylce eal Finns-buruhfȳrenu wǣre.Ne gefrægn ic nǣfre wurðlīcoræt wera hildesixtig sige-beornasēl gebǣran,ne nǣfre swānas swētnemedo sēl forgyldan,40 þonne Hnæfe guldonhis hæg-stealdas.Hig fuhton fīf dagas,swā hyra nān ne fēoldriht-gesīða,ac hig þā duru hēoldon.Þā gewāt him wund hæleðon wæg gangan,sǣde þæt his byrneābrocen wǣre,45 here-sceorpum hrōr,and ēac wæs his helm þyrl.Þā hine sōna frægnfolces hyrde,hū þā wīgendhyra wunda genǣsonoððe hwæðer þǣra hyssa . . . . . . .