Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 11
XI.
710Ðā cōm of mōreunder mist-hleoþum
Grendel gongan,Godes yrre bær;
mynte se mān-scaðamanna cynnes
sumne besyrwanin sele þām hēan.
Wōd under wolcnum,tō þæs þe hē wīn-reced,
715gold-sele gumena,gearwost wisse,
fǣttum fāhne;ne wæs þæt forma sīð,
þæt hē Hrōþgāreshām gesōhte.
Nǣfre hē on aldor-dagumǣr *ne siþðanFol. 146b.
heardran hæle,heal-ðegnas fand.
720Cōm þā tō recederinc siðian
drēamum bedǣled;duru sōna onarn,
fȳr-bendum fæst,syþðan hē hire folmum [hr]ān;[1]
onbrǣd þā bealo-hȳdig,ðā [hē ge]bolgen[2] wæs,
recedes mūþan.Raþe æfter þon
725on fāgne flōrfēond treddode,
ēode yrre-mōd;him of ēagum stōd
ligge gelīcostlēoht unfæger.
Geseah hē in recederinca manige,
swefan sibbe-gedrihtsamod ætgædere,
730mago-rinca hēap.Þā his mōd āhlōg;
mynte þæt hē gedǣlde,ǣ þon dæg cwōme,
atol āglǣca,ānra gehwylces
līf wið līce,þā him ālumpen wæs
wist-fylle wēn.Ne wæs þæt wyrd þā gēn,
735þæt hē mā mōstemanna cynnes
ðicgean ofer þā niht.Þrȳð-swȳð behēold
mǣg Higelāces,hū se mān-scaða
under fǣr-gripumgefaran wolde.
Ne þæt se āglǣcayldan þōhte,
740ac he ge*fēng hraðeforman sīðeFol. 131a.
slǣpendne rinc,slāt unwearnum,
bāt bān-locan,blōd ēdrum dranc,
syn-snǣdum swealh;sōna hæfde
unlyfigendeseal gefeormod,
745fēt ond folma.Forð nēar ætstōp,
nam þā mid handahige-þihtigne
rinc on ræste;rǣhte ongēan
fēond mid folme;hē onfēng hraþe
inwit-þancumond wið earm gesæt.
750Sōna þæt onfundefyrena hyrde,
þæt hē ne mēttemiddan-geardes,
eorþan sceatta,[3]on elran men
mund-gripe māran;hē on mōde wearð
forht, on ferhðe;nō þȳ ǣr fram meahte.
755Hyge wæs him hin-fūs,wolde on heolster flēon,
sēcan dēofla gedræg;ne wæs his drohtoð þǣr,
swylce hē on ealder-dagumǣr gemētte.
Gemunde þā se gōdamǣg Higelāces
ǣfen-sprǣce,up-lang āstōd
760ond him fæste wiðfēng;fingras burston;
eoten wæs ūt-weard;eorl furþur stōp.
Mynte se mǣra,*hwǣr[4] hē meahte swā,Fol. 131b.
wīdre gewindanond on weg þanon
flēon on fen-hopu;wiste his fingra geweald
765on grames grāpum.Þæt (hē)[5] wæs gēocor sīð,
þæt se hearm-scaþatō Heorute ātēah.
Dryht-sele dynede;Denum eallum wearð,
ceaster-būendum,cēnra gehwylcum,
eorlum ealu-scerwen.Yrre wǣron begen
770rēþe rēn-weardas.Reced hlynsode;
þā wæs wundor micel,þæt se wīn-sele
wiðhæfde heaþo-dēorum,þæt hē on hrūsan ne fēol,
fæger fold-bold;ac hē þæs fæste wæs
innan ond ūtanīren-bendum
775searo-þoncum besmiþod.Þær fram sylle ābēag
medu-benc monig,mīne gefrǣge,
golde geregnad,þǣr þā graman wunnon;
þæs ne wēndon ǣrwitan Scyldinga,
þæt hit ā mid gemetemanna ǣnig,
780betlīc[6] ond bān-fāg,tōbrecan meahte,
listum tōlūcan,nymþe līges fæþm
swulge on swaþule.Swēg *ūp āstāgFol. 147a.
nīwe geneahhe;Norð-Denum stōd
atelīc egesa,ānra gehwylcum,
785 þāra þe of weallewōp gehȳrdon,
gryre-lēoð galangodes ondsacan,
sige-lēasne sang,sār wānigean
helle hæfton.[7]Hēold hine fæste,[8]
sē þe manna wæsmægene strengest
790on þǣem dægeþysses līfes.
- ↑ 722. MS. defective at edge. Zupitza’s transliteration of the facsimile of the MS. has ‘[gehr]an.’ There is room for two letters before hrān, but there is no evidence for ge-. On the contrary, whilst hrīnan usually governs the dat., gehrīnan more commonly takes the accus. (pace Grein).
- ↑ 723. MS. faded at edge. Kemble, Grein-Wülcker, and Heyne ‘[hē] ābolgen.’ Zupitza says: “Now bolgen is still distinct, and before it I think I see traces of two letters of which the first seems to have been g; but what preceded this is entirely faded.”
- ↑ 752. Many editors normalise to ‘scēata.’ See Sievers § 230.
- ↑ 762. MS. defective at corner. Ettmüller, Wülcker, Heyne ‘þǣr.’ Zupitza’s transliteration ‘hwær,’ as if there were no doubt as to the reading, but his foot-note runs: “hwær (hw with another ink, and crossed out in pencil) B, …ær A; now only the lower part of r left.”
- ↑ 765. MS. ‘þæ he wæs.’ Grein suggested the accepted emendation—the omission of hē.
- ↑ 780. MS. ‘hetlic’; Grundtvig ‘betlīc’ Cf. l. 1925.
- ↑ 788. Zupitza and others ‘helle-hæfton,’ but nothing is gained by making them a compound. For -an of the weak declension, -on is not uncommon.
- ↑ Almost all editors insert ‘tō’ before ‘fæste.’