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122
BEOWULF.


2845lǣnan līfes.  Næs ðā lang tō ðon,
þæt ðā hild-latan  holt ofgēfan,
tydre trēow-logan  tȳne ætsomne,
ðā ne dorston ǣr  dareðum lācan
on hyra man-dryhtnes  miclan þearfe;
2850ac hȳ scamiende  scyldas bǣran,
gūð-gewǣdu,  þǣr se gomela læg;
wlitan on Wī[g]lāf.[1]  Hē gewērgad sæt,
fēðe-cempa,  frēan eaxlum nēah,
wehte hyne wætre;  him wiht ne spēow.[2]
2855Ne meahte hē on eorðan,  ðēah hē ūðe wel,
on ðām frum-gāre  feorh gehealdan,
ne ðæs Wealdendes [willan][3]  wiht oncirran.
Wolde dōm *Godes  dǣdum rǣdanFol. 192a.
gumena gehwylcum,  swā hē nē gēn dēð.
2860Þā wæs æt ðām geongum  grim ondswaru
ēð-begēte,  þām ðe ǣr his elne forlēas.
Wīglāf maðelode,  Weohstānes sunu,
sec[g][4] sārig-ferð  seah on unlēofe:
“Þæt lā! mæg secgan,  sē ðe wyle sōð specan,
2865þæt se mon-dryhten,  sē ēow ðā māðmas geaf,
ēored-geatwe,  þe gē þǣr on standað,
þonne hē on ealu-bence  oft gesealde
heal-sittendum  helm ond byrnan,
þēoden his þegnum,  swylce hē þrȳðlīcost[5]
2870ōwēr feor oððe nēah  findan meahte,

  1. 2852. MS. ‘wilaf.’
  2. 2854. MS. ‘speop.’
  3. 2857. Thorpe reads ‘willan’ for ‘wiht’ (so Wülcker). Heyne’s emendation in text. It is easier to believe that the scribe omitted a word, than that he wrote wiht for willan.
  4. 2863. MS. ‘sec’
  5. 2869. MS. ‘þrydlicost.’