The Tale of Beowulf/Chapter 10
X. BEOWULF MAKES AN END OF HIS TALE OF THE SWIMMING. WEALHTHEOW, HROTHGAR'S QUEEN, GREETS HIM; AND HROTHGAR DELIVERS TO HIM THE WARDING OF THE HALL.
THUS oft and oft over the doers of evilThey threaten'd me hard; thane-service I did them560With the dear sword of mine, as forsooth it was meet,That nowise of their fill did they win them the joyThe evil fordoers in swallowing me down,Sitting round at the feast nigh the ground of the sea.Yea rather, a morning-tide, mangled by sword-edgeAlong the waves' leaving up there did they lieLull'd asleep with the sword, so that never sithence About the deep floods for the farers o'er oceanThe way have they letted. Came the light from the eastward,569The bright beacon of God, and grew the seas calm,So that the sea-nesses now might I look on,The windy walls. Thuswise Weird oft will be savingThe earl that is unfey, when his valour availeth.Whatever, it happ'd me that I with the sword slewNicors nine. Never heard I of fighting a night-tide'Neath the vault of the heavens was harder than that,Nor yet on the sea-streams of woefuller wight.Whatever, forth won I with life from the foes' clutchAll of wayfaring weary. But me the sea upbore,The flood downlong the tide with the weltering of waters,580All onto the Finnland. No whit of thee everMid such strife of the battle-gear have I heard say,Such terrors of bills. Nor never yet BrecaIn the play of the battle, nor both you, nor either.So dearly the deeds have framed forsoothWith the bright flashing swords; though of this naught I boast me.But thou of thy brethren the banesman becamest, Yea thine head-kin forsooth, for which in hell shalt thouDree weird of damnation, though doughty thy wit be;For unto thee say I forsooth, son of Ecglaf,590That so many deeds never Grendel had done,That monster the loathly, against thine own lord,The shaming in Hart-hall, if suchwise thy mind were,And thy soul e'en as battle-fierce, such as thou sayest.But he, he hath fram'd it that the feud he may heed not,The fearful edge-onset that is of thy folk,Nor sore need be fearful of the Victory-Scyldings.The need-pledges taketh he, no man he sparethOf the folk of the Danes, driveth war as he lusteth,Slayeth and feasteth un weening of strife600With them of the Spear-Danes. But I, I shall show it,The Geats' wightness and might ere the time weareth old,Shall bide him in war-tide. Then let him go who may goHigh-hearted to mead, sithence when the morn-lightO'er the children of men of the second day hence, The sun clad in heaven's air, shines from the southward.Then merry of heart was the meter of treasures,The hoary-man'd war-renown'd, help now he trow'd in;The lord of the Bright-Danes on Beowulf hearken'd,609The folk-shepherd knew him, his fast-ready mind.There was laughter of heroes, and high the din rangAnd winsome the words were. Went Wealhtheow forth,The Queen she of Hrothgar, of courtesies mindful,The gold-array'd greeted the grooms in the hall,The free and frank woman the beaker there wended,And first to the East-Dane-folk's fatherland's warder,And bade him be blithe at the drinking of beer,To his people beloved, and lustily took heThe feast and the hall-cup, that victory-fam'd King.Then round about went she, the Dame of the Helmings,620And to doughty and youngsome, each deal of the folk there,Gave cups of the treasure, till now it betidThat to Beowulf duly the Queen the ring-dighted,Of mind high uplifted, the mead-beaker bare. Then she greeted the Geat-lord, and gave God the thank,She, the wisefast in words, that the will had wax'd in herIn one man of the earls to have trusting and trothFor comfort from crimes. But the cup then he took,The slaughter-fierce warrior, from Wealhtheow the Queen.629And then rim'd he the word, making ready for war,And Beowulf spake forth, the Ecgtheow's bairn:E'en that in mind had I when up on holm strode I,And in sea-boat sat down with a band of my men,That for once and for all the will of your peopleWould I set me to work, or on slaughter-field cringeFast in grip of the fiend; yea and now shall I frameThe valour of earl-folk, or else be abidingThe day of mine end, here down in the mead-hall.To the wife those his words well liking they were,The big word of the Geat; and the gold-adorn'd wended,640The frank and free Queen to sit by her lord. And thereafter within the high hall was as erstThe proud word outspoken and bliss on the people,Was the sound of the victory-folk, till on a suddenThe Healfdene's son would now be a-seekingHis rest of the even: wotted he for the EvilWithin the high hall was the Hild-play bedight,Sithence that the sun-light no more should they see,When night should be darkening, and down over allThe shapes of the shadow-helms should be a-striding650Wan under the welkin. Uprose then all war-folk;Then greeted the glad-minded one man the other,Hrothgar to Beowulf, bidding him hail,And the wine-hall to wield, and withal quoth the word:Never to any man erst have I given,Since the hand and the shield's round aloft might I heave,This high hall of the Dane-folk, save now unto thee.Have now and hold the best of all houses,Mind thee of fame, show the might of thy valour!Wake the wroth one: no lack shall there be to thy willing660If that wight work thou win and life therewithal.