The Oldest English Epic/Chapter 1/Beowulf 22
XXII
Beowulf spake, bairn of Ecgtheow:—
“Have mind, thou honored offspring of Healfdene,
1475gold-friend of men, now I go on this quest,
sovran wise, what once was said:
if in thy cause it came that I
should lose my life, thou wouldst loyal bide
to me, though fallen, in father’s place!
1480Be guardian, thou, to this group of my thanes,
my warrior-friends, if War should seize me;
and the goodly gifts thou gavest me,
Hrothgar beloved, to Hygelac send![1]
Geatland’s king may ken by the gold,
1485Hrethel’s son see, when he stares at the treasure,
that I got me a friend for goodness famed,
and joyed while I could in my jewel-bestower.
And let Unferth wield this wondrous sword,[2]
earl far-honored, this heirloom precious,
1490hard of edge: with Hrunting I
seek doom of glory, or Death shall take me.”
After these words the Weder-Geat lord
boldly hastened, biding never
answer at all: and ocean floods
1495closed o’er the hero. Long while[3] of the day
fled ere he felt the floor of the sea.
Soon found the fiend who the flood-domain
sword-hungry held these hundred winters,
greedy and grim, that some guest from above,
1500some man, was raiding her monster-realm.
She grasped out for him with grisly claws,[4]
and the warrior seized; yet scathed she not
his body hale; the breastplate hindered,
as she strove to shatter the sark of war,
1505the linkéd harness, with loathsome hand.
Then bore this brine-wolf, when bottom she[5] touched,
the lord of rings to the lair she haunted,
whiles vainly he strove, though his valor held,
weapon to wield against wondrous monsters
1510that sore beset him; sea-beasts many
tried with fierce tusks to tear his mail,
and swarmed on the stranger. But soon he marked
he was now in some hall, he knew not which,
where water never could work him harm,
1515nor through the roof could reach him ever
fangs of the flood. Firelight he saw,
beams of a blaze that brightly shone.
Then[6] the warrior was ware of that wolf-of-the-deep,
mere-wife monstrous. For mighty stroke
1520he swung his blade, and the blow withheld not.
Then sang on her head that seemly blade
its war-song wild. But the warrior found
the light-of-battle[7] was loath to bite,
to harm the heart: its hard edge failed
1525the noble at need, yet had known of old
strife hand to hand, and had helmets cloven,
doomed men’s fighting-gear. First time, this,
for the gleaming blade that its glory fell.
Firm still stood, nor failed in valor,
1530heedful of high deeds, Hygelac’s kinsman;
flung away fretted sword, featly jewelled,
the angry earl; on earth it lay
steel-edged and stiff. His strength he trusted,
hand-gripe of might. So man shall do
1535whenever in war he weens to earn him
lasting fame, nor fears for his life!
Seized then by shoulder,[8] shrank not from combat,
the Geatish war-prince Grendel’s mother.
Flung then the fierce one, filled with wrath,
1540his deadly foe, that she fell to ground.
Swift on her part she paid him back
with grisly grasp, and grappled with him.
Spent with struggle, stumbled the warrior,
fiercest of fighting-men, fell adown.
1545On the hall-guest she hurled herself, hent her short sword,
broad and brown-edged,[9] the bairn to avenge,
the sole-born son.—On his shoulder lay
braided breast-mail, barring death,
withstanding entrance of edge or blade.
1550Life would have ended for Ecgtheow’s son,
under wide earth for that earl of Geats,
had his armor of war not aided him,
battle-net hard, and holy God
wielded the victory, wisest Maker.
1555The Lord of Heaven allowed his cause;
and easily rose the earl erect.
- ↑ “Discharge for me,” that is, “my two great obligations: care for my thanes, and the rendering to my lord of what I have won by my prowess,”—good Germanic ethics.
- ↑ The sword which Hrothgar gave to Beowulf? Or Beowulf’s own sword which he brought with him?
- ↑ “An hour of the day,”—Müllenhoff. Others translate: “the space of a whole day.”
- ↑ In the saga of Orm and Grettir, it is a cat-monster with which the hero fights.
- ↑ Or “he”?
- ↑ Discrepancies here vex the higher critic; but they are simply somewhat exaggerated traits of structure and style. The course of the action is not “hopelessly confused.” Beowulf, overwhelmed by the first onset of Grendel’s mother, is dragged to her lair, and on the way is beset by monsters of every kind. Managing to extricate himself from the coil, he finds he is in a great arched hall, free of the water, and has only the mother of Grendel before him. He takes good heed of her and prepares his attack.
- ↑ Kenning for “sword.” Hrunting is bewitched, laid under a spell of uselessness, along with all other swords. See note above to v. 1455.
- ↑ Changed by many editions to “hair.” The two sentences here with “then” in each show well the dissected style of our old epic verse.
- ↑ This brown of swords, evidently meaning burnished, bright, continues to be a favorite adjective in the popular ballads.