Beowulf

VI: Beowulf Introduces Himself at the Palace

The highway glistened with many-hued pebble, A by-path led the liegemen together. Firm and hand-locked the war-burnie glistened, The ring-sword radiant rang ’mid the armor As the party was approaching the palace together In warlike equipments. ’Gainst the wall of the building Their wide-fashioned war-shields they weary did set then, Battle-shields sturdy; benchward they turned then; Their battle-sarks rattled, the gear of the heroes; The lances stood up then, all in a cluster, The arms of the seamen, ashen-shafts mounted With edges of iron: the armor-clad troopers Were decked with weapons. Then a proud-mooded hero Asked of the champions questions of lineage: “From what borders bear ye your battle-shields plated, Gilded and gleaming, your gray-colored burnies, Helmets with visors and heap of war-lances?— To Hrothgar the king I am servant and liegeman. ’Mong folk from far-lands found I have never Men so many of mien more courageous. I ween that from valor, nowise as outlaws, But from greatness of soul ye sought for King Hrothgar.” Then the strength-famous earlman answer rendered, The proud-mooded Wederchief replied to his question, Hardy ’neath helmet: “Higelac’s mates are we; Beowulf hight I. To the bairn of Healfdene, The famous folk-leader, I freely will tell To thy prince my commission, if pleasantly hearing He’ll grant we may greet him so gracious to all men.” Wulfgar replied then (he was prince of the Wendels, His boldness of spirit was known unto many, His prowess and prudence): “The prince of the Scyldings, The friend-lord of Danemen, I will ask of thy journey, The giver of rings, as thou urgest me do it, The folk-chief famous, and inform thee early What answer the good one mindeth to render me.” He turned then hurriedly where Hrothgar was sitting, Old and hoary, his earlmen attending him; The strength-famous went till he stood at the shoulder Of the lord of the Danemen, of courteous thanemen The custom he minded. Wulfgar addressed then His friendly liegelord: “Folk of the Geatmen O’er the way of the waters are wafted hither, Faring from far-lands: the foremost in rank The battle-champions Beowulf title. They make this petition: with thee, O my chieftain, To be granted a conference; O gracious King Hrothgar, Friendly answer refuse not to give them! In war-trappings weeded worthy they seem Of earls to be honored; sure the atheling is doughty Who headed the heroes hitherward coming.”

VII: Hrothgar and Beowulf

Hrothgar answered, helm of the Scyldings: “I remember this man as the merest of striplings. His father long dead now was Ecgtheow titled, Him Hrethel the Geatman granted at home his One only daughter; his battle-brave son Is come but now, sought a trustworthy friend. Sea-faring sailors asserted it then, Who valuable gift-gems of the Geatmen carried As peace-offering thither, that he thirty men’s grapple Has in his hand, the hero-in-battle. The holy Creator usward sent him, To West-Dane warriors, I ween, for to render ’Gainst Grendel’s grimness gracious assistance: I shall give to the good one gift-gems for courage. Hasten to bid them hither to speed them, To see assembled this circle of kinsmen; Tell them expressly they’re welcome in sooth to The men of the Danes.” To the door of the building Wulfgar went then, this word-message shouted: “My victorious liegelord bade me to tell you, The East-Danes’ atheling, that your origin knows he, And o’er wave-billows wafted ye welcome are hither, Valiant of spirit. Ye straightway may enter Clad in corslets, cased in your helmets, To see King Hrothgar. Here let your battle-boards, Wood-spears and war-shafts, await your conferring.” The mighty one rose then, with many a liegeman, An excellent thane-group; some there did await them, And as bid of the brave one the battle-gear guarded. Together they hied them, while the hero did guide them, ’Neath Heorot’s roof; the high-minded went then Sturdy ’neath helmet till he stood in the building. Beowulf spake (his burnie did glisten, His armor seamed over by the art of the craftsman): “Hail thou, Hrothgar! I am Higelac’s kinsman And vassal forsooth; many a wonder I dared as a stripling. The doings of Grendel, In far-off fatherland I fully did know of: Sea-farers tell us, this hall-building standeth, Excellent edifice, empty and useless To all the earlmen after evenlight’s glimmer ’Neath heaven’s bright hues hath hidden its glory. This my earls then urged me, the most excellent of them, Carles very clever, to come and assist thee, Folk-leader Hrothgar; fully they knew of The strength of my body. Themselves they beheld me When I came from the contest, when covered with gore Foes I escaped from, where five I had bound, The giant-race wasted, in the waters destroying The nickers by night, bore numberless sorrows, The Weders avenged (woes had they suffered) Enemies ravaged; alone now with Grendel I shall manage the matter, with the monster of evil, The giant, decide it. Thee I would therefore Beg of thy bounty, Bright-Danish chieftain, Lord of the Scyldings, this single petition: Not to refuse me, defender of warriors, Friend-lord of folks, so far have I sought thee, That I may unaided, my earlmen assisting me, This brave-mooded war-band, purify Heorot. I have heard on inquiry, the horrible creature From veriest rashness recks not for weapons; I this do scorn then, so be Higelac gracious, My liegelord belovèd, lenient of spirit, To bear a blade or a broad-fashioned target, A shield to the onset; only with hand-grip The foe I must grapple, fight for my life then, Foeman with foeman; he fain must rely on The doom of the Lord whom death layeth hold of. I ween he will wish, if he win in the struggle, To eat in the war-hall earls of the Geat-folk, Boldly to swallow them, as of yore he did often The best of the Hrethmen! Thou needest not trouble A head-watch to give me; he will have me dripping And dreary with gore, if death overtake me, Will bear me off bleeding, biting and mouthing me, The hermit will eat me, heedless of pity, Marking the moor-fens; no more wilt thou need then Find me my food. If I fall in the battle, Send to Higelac the armor that serveth To shield my bosom, the best of equipments, Richest of ring-mails; ’tis the relic of Hrethla, The work of Wayland. Goes Weird as she must go!”

VIII: Hrothgar and Beowulf—Continued

Hrothgar discoursed, helm of the Scyldings: “To defend our folk and to furnish assistance, Thou soughtest us hither, good friend Beowulf. The fiercest of feuds thy father engaged in, Heatholaf killed he in hand-to-hand conflict ’Mid Wilfingish warriors; then the Wederish people For fear of a feud were forced to disown him. Thence flying he fled to the folk of the South-Danes, The race of the Scyldings, o’er the roll of the waters; I had lately begun then to govern the Danemen, The hoard-seat of heroes held in my youth, Rich in its jewels: dead was Heregar, My kinsman and elder had earth-joys forsaken, Healfdene his bairn. He was better than I am! That feud thereafter for a fee I compounded; O’er the weltering waters to the Wilfings I sent Ornaments old; oaths did he swear me. It pains me in spirit to any to tell it, What grief in Heorot Grendel hath caused me, What horror unlooked-for, by hatred unceasing. Waned is my war-band, wasted my hall-troop; Weird hath offcast them to the clutches of Grendel. God can easily hinder the scather From deeds so direful. Oft drunken with beer O’er the ale-vessel promised warriors in armor They would willingly wait on the wassailing-benches A grapple with Grendel, with grimmest of edges. Then this mead-hall at morning with murder was reeking, The building was bloody at breaking of daylight, The bench-deals all flooded, dripping and bloodied, The folk-hall was gory: I had fewer retainers, Dear-beloved warriors, whom death had laid hold of. Sit at the feast now, thy intents unto heroes, Thy victor-fame show, as thy spirit doth urge thee!” For the men of the Geats then together assembled, In the beer-hall blithesome a bench was made ready; There warlike in spirit they went to be seated, Proud and exultant. A liegeman did service, Who a beaker embellished bore with decorum, And gleaming-drink poured. The gleeman sang whilom Hearty in Heorot; there was heroes’ rejoicing, A numerous war-band of Weders and Danemen.

IX: Unferth Taunts Beowulf

Unferth spoke up, Ecglaf his son, Who sat at the feet of the lord of the Scyldings, Opened the jousting (the journey of Beowulf, Sea-farer doughty, gave sorrow to Unferth And greatest chagrin, too, for granted he never That any man else on earth should attain to, Gain under heaven, more glory than he): “Art thou that Beowulf with Breca did struggle, On the wide sea-currents at swimming contended, Where to humor your pride the ocean ye tried, From vainest vaunting adventured your bodies In care of the waters? And no one was able Nor lief nor loth one, in the least to dissuade you Your difficult voyage; then ye ventured a-swimming, Where your arms outstretching the streams ye did cover, The mere-ways measured, mixing and stirring them, Glided the ocean; angry the waves were, With the weltering of winter. In the water’s possession, Ye toiled for a seven-night; he at swimming outdid thee, In strength excelled thee. Then early at morning On the Heathoremes’ shore the holm-currents tossed him, Sought he thenceward the home of his fathers, Beloved of his liegemen, the land of the Brondings, The peace-castle pleasant, where a people he wielded, Had borough and jewels. The pledge that he made thee The son of Beanstan hath soothly accomplished. Then I ween thou wilt find thee less fortunate issue, Though ever triumphant in onset of battle, A grim grappling, if Grendel thou darest For the space of a night near-by to wait for!” Beowulf answered, offspring of Ecgtheow: “My good friend Unferth, sure freely and wildly, Thou fuddled with beer of Breca hast spoken, Hast told of his journey! A fact I allege it, That greater strength in the waters I had then, Ills in the ocean, than any man else had. We made agreement as the merest of striplings Promised each other (both of us then were Younkers in years) that we yet would adventure Out on the ocean; it all we accomplished. While swimming the sea-floods, sword-blade unscabbarded Boldly we brandished, our bodies expected To shield from the sharks. He sure was unable To swim on the waters further than I could, More swift on the waves, nor would I from him go. Then we two companions stayed in the ocean Five nights together, till the currents did part us, The weltering waters, weathers the bleakest, And nethermost night, and the north-wind whistled Fierce in our faces; fell were the billows. The mere fishes’ mood was mightily ruffled: And there against foemen my firm-knotted corslet, Hand-jointed, hardy, help did afford me; My battle-sark braided, brilliantly gilded, Lay on my bosom. To the bottom then dragged me, A hateful fiend-scather, seized me and held me, Grim in his grapple: ’twas granted me, nathless, To pierce the monster with the point of my weapon, My obedient blade; battle offcarried The mighty mere-creature by means of my hand-blow.

X: Beowulf Silences Unferth—Glee Is High

“So ill-meaning enemies often did cause me Sorrow the sorest. I served them, in quittance, With my dear-lovèd sword, as in sooth it was fitting; They missed the pleasure of feasting abundantly, Ill-doers evil, of eating my body, Of surrounding the banquet deep in the ocean; But wounded with edges early at morning They were stretched a-high on the strand of the ocean, Put to sleep with the sword, that sea-going travelers No longer thereafter were hindered from sailing The foam-dashing currents. Came a light from the east, God’s beautiful beacon; the billows subsided, That well I could see the nesses projecting, The blustering crags. Weird often saveth The undoomed hero if doughty his valor! But me did it fortune to fell with my weapon Nine of the nickers. Of night-struggle harder ’Neath dome of the heaven heard I but rarely, Nor of wight more woeful in the waves of the ocean; Yet I ’scaped with my life the grip of the monsters, Weary from travel. Then the waters bare me To the land of the Finns, the flood with the current, The weltering waves. Not a word hath been told me Of deeds so daring done by thee, Unferth, And of sword-terror none; never hath Breca At the play of the battle, nor either of you two, Feat so fearless performèd with weapons Glinting and gleaming ⋮ ⋮ I utter no boasting; Though with cold-blooded cruelty thou killedst thy brothers, Thy nearest of kin; thou needs must in hell get Direful damnation, though doughty thy wisdom. I tell thee in earnest, offspring of Ecglaf, Never had Grendel such numberless horrors, The direful demon, done to thy liegelord, Harrying in Heorot, if thy heart were as sturdy, Thy mood as ferocious as thou dost describe them. He hath found out fully that the fierce-burning hatred, The edge-battle eager, of all of your kindred, Of the Victory-Scyldings, need little dismay him: Oaths he exacteth, not any he spares Of the folk of the Danemen, but fighteth with pleasure, Killeth and feasteth, no contest expecteth From Spear-Danish people. But the prowess and valor Of the earls of the Geatmen early shall venture To give him a grapple. He shall go who is able Bravely to banquet, when the bright-light of morning Which the second day bringeth, the sun in its ether-robes, O’er children of men shines from the southward!” Then the gray-haired, war-famed giver of treasure Was blithesome and joyous, the Bright-Danish ruler Expected assistance; the people’s protector Heard from Beowulf his bold resolution. There was laughter of heroes; loud was the clatter, The words were winsome. Wealhtheow advanced then, Consort of Hrothgar, of courtesy mindful, Gold-decked saluted the men in the building, And the freeborn woman the beaker presented To the lord of the kingdom, first of the East-Danes, Bade him be blithesome when beer was a-flowing, Lief to his liegemen; he lustily tasted Of banquet and beaker, battle-famed ruler. The Helmingish lady then graciously circled ’Mid all the liegemen lesser and greater: Treasure-cups tendered, till time was afforded That the decorous-mooded, diademed folk-queen Might bear to Beowulf the bumper o’errunning; She greeted the Geat-prince, God she did thank, Most wise in her words, that her wish was accomplished, That in any of earlmen she ever should look for Solace in sorrow. He accepted the beaker, Battle-bold warrior, at Wealhtheow’s giving, Then equipped for combat quoth he in measures, Beowulf spake, offspring of Ecgtheow: “I purposed in spirit when I mounted the ocean, When I boarded my boat with a band of my liegemen, I would work to the fullest the will of your people Or in foe’s-clutches fastened fall in the battle. Deeds I shall do of daring and prowess, Or the last of my life-days live in this mead-hall.” These words to the lady were welcome and pleasing, The boast of the Geatman; with gold trappings broidered Went the freeborn folk-queen her fond-lord to sit by. Then again as of yore was heard in the building Courtly discussion, conquerors’ shouting, Heroes were happy, till Healfdene’s son would Go to his slumber to seek for refreshing; For the horrid hell-monster in the hall-building knew he A fight was determined, since the light of the sun they No longer could see, and lowering darkness O’er all had descended, and dark under heaven Shadowy shapes came shying around them. The liegemen all rose then. One saluted the other, Hrothgar Beowulf, in rhythmical measures, Wishing him well, and, the wassail-hall giving To his care and keeping, quoth he departing: “Not to any one else have I ever entrusted, But thee and thee only, the hall of the Danemen, Since high I could heave my hand and my buckler. Take thou in charge now the noblest of houses; Be mindful of honor, exhibiting prowess, Watch ’gainst the foeman! Thou shalt want no enjoyments, Survive thou safely adventure so glorious!”

XI: All Sleep Save One

Then Hrothgar departed, his earl-throng attending him, Folk-lord of Scyldings, forth from the building; The war-chieftain wished then Wealhtheow to look for, The queen for a bedmate. To keep away Grendel The Glory of Kings had given a hall-watch, As men heard recounted: for the king of the Danemen He did special service, gave the giant a watcher: And the prince of the Geatmen implicitly trusted His warlike strength and the Wielder’s protection. His armor of iron off him he did then, His helmet from his head, to his henchman committed His chased-handled chain-sword, choicest of weapons, And bade him bide with his battle-equipments. The good one then uttered words of defiance, Beowulf Geatman, ere his bed he upmounted: “I hold me no meaner in matters of prowess, In warlike achievements, than Grendel does himself; Hence I seek not with sword-edge to sooth him to slumber, Of life to bereave him, though well I am able. No battle-skill has he, that blows he should strike me, To shatter my shield, though sure he is mighty In strife and destruction; but struggling by night we Shall do without edges, dare he to look for Weaponless warfare, and wise-mooded Father The glory apportion, God ever-holy, On which hand soever to him seemeth proper.” Then the brave-mooded hero bent to his slumber, The pillow received the cheek of the noble; And many a martial mere-thane attending Sank to his slumber. Seemed it unlikely That ever thereafter any should hope to Be happy at home, hero-friends visit Or the lordly troop-castle where he lived from his childhood; They had heard how slaughter had snatched from the wine-hall, Had recently ravished, of the race of the Scyldings Too many by far. But the Lord to them granted The weaving of war-speed, to Wederish heroes Aid and comfort, that every opponent By one man’s war-might they worsted and vanquished, By the might of himself; the truth is established That God Almighty hath governed for ages Kindreds and nations. A night very lurid The trav’ler-at-twilight came tramping and striding. The warriors were sleeping who should watch the horned-building, One only excepted. ’Mid earthmen ’twas ’stablished, Th’ implacable foeman was powerless to hurl them To the land of shadows, if the Lord were unwilling; But serving as warder, in terror to foemen, He angrily bided the issue of battle.