sārum wordum, oð ðæt sǣl cymeð,
þæt se fǣmnan þegn fore fæder dǣdum
2060æfter billes bite blōd-fāg swefeð,
ealdres scyldig; him se ōðer þonan
losað *[li]figende,[1] con him land geare.Fol. 175b.
Þonne bīoð brocene[2] on bā healfe
āð-sweord[3] eorla, [syð]ðan Ingelde
2065weallað wæl-nīðas, ond him wīf-lufan
æfter cear-wælmum cōlran weorðað.
Þȳ ic Heaðobear[d]na[4] hyldo ne telge,
dryht-sibbe dǣl, Denum unfǣcne,
frēond-scipe fæstne. Ic sceal forð sprecan
2070gēn ymbe Grendel, þæt ðū geare cunne,
sinces brytta, tō hwan syððan wearð
hond-rǣs hæleða. Syððan heofones gim
glād ofer grundas, gæst yrre cwōm,
eatol ǣfen-grom, ūser nēosan,
2075ðǣr wē gesunde sæl weardodon.
þǣr wæs Hondscīo hild[5] onsǣge,
feorh-bealu fǣgum; hē fyrmest læg,
gyrded cempa; him Grendel wearð,
mǣrum magu-þegne,[6] tō mūð-bonan,
2080lēofes mannes līc eall forswealg.
- ↑ 2062. MS. defective at corner and edge here and in two following lines. A ‘figende’; Thorkelin ‘wīgende’ (so most editors); Heyne ‘lifigende’ (so Zupitza).
- ↑ 2063. AB ‘orocene’ (B with a stop before it); Kemble ‘[ā]brocene’ (so Zupitza); other editors as text.
- ↑ 2064. Zupitza ‘að-sweorð.’ His foot-note runs: “There is a stroke through d in sweord, but without the usual head, nor is it quite distinct.”
- ↑ 2067. MS. ‘heaðo bearna.’
- ↑ 2076. MS. ‘hilde.’ In support of Rieger’s emendation cf. l. 2483.
- ↑ 2079. MS. ‘mærū magū (i.e. magum) þegne.’ But see ll. 293, 408, etc. The mistake is due to “repetition.” In l. 158 we have the opposite error of “anticipation.”
