Giver of rings, on the breast of the vessel,
The famed by the mainmast. A many of jewels,
Of fretted embossings, from far-lands brought over,
Was placed near at hand then; and heard I not ever
40 That a folk ever furnished a float more superbly
With weapons of warfare, weeds for the battle,
Bills and burnies; on his bosom sparkled
Many a jewel that with him must travel
On the flush of the flood afar on the current.
45 And favors no fewer they furnished him soothly,
Excellent folk-gems, than others had given him
{He leaves Daneland on the breast of a bark.}
Who when first he was born outward did send him
Lone on the main, the merest of infants:
And a gold-fashioned standard they stretched under heaven
50 High o'er his head, let the holm-currents bear him,
Seaward consigned him: sad was their spirit,
Their mood very mournful. Men are not able
{No one knows whither the boat drifted.}
Soothly to tell us, they in halls who reside,
Heroes under heaven, to what haven he hied.
For the 'Þæt' of verse 15, Sievers suggests 'Þá' (= which). If
this be accepted, the sentence 'He had ... afflicted' will read: He
(i.e. God) _had perceived the malice-caused sorrow which they,
lordless, had formerly long endured_.
For 'aldor-léase' (15) Gr. suggested 'aldor-ceare': _He perceived
their distress, that they formerly had suffered life-sorrow a long
while_.
A very difficult passage. 'Áhte' (31) has no object. H. supplies
'geweald' from the context; and our translation is based upon this
assumption, though it is far from satisfactory. Kl. suggests
'lændagas' for 'lange': _And the beloved land-prince enjoyed (had) his
transitory days (i.e. lived)_. B. suggests a dislocation; but this is
a dangerous doctrine, pushed rather far by that eminent scholar.
The reading of the H.-So. text has been quite closely followed;
but some eminent scholars read 'séle-rædenne' for 'sele-rædende.' If
that be adopted, the passage will read: _Men cannot tell us, indeed,
the order of Fate, etc._ 'Sele-rædende' has two things to support it:
(1) v. 1347; (2) it affords a parallel to 'men' in v. 50.
II.
SCYLD'S SUCCESSORS.--HROTHGAR'S GREAT MEAD-HALL.
{Beowulf succeeds his father Scyld}
In the boroughs then Beowulf, bairn of the Scyldings,
Belovèd land-prince, for long-lasting season
Was famed mid the folk (his father departed,
The prince from his dwelling), till afterward sprang
5 Great-minded Healfdene; the Danes in his lifetime
He graciously governed, grim-mooded, agèd.
{Healfdene's birth.}
Four bairns of his body born in succession
Woke in the world, war-troopers' leader
Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga the good;
10 Heard I that Elan was Ongentheow's consort,
{He has three sons--one of them, Hrothgar--and a daughter named Elan.
Hrothgar becomes a mighty king.}
The well-beloved bedmate of the War-Scylfing leader.
Then glory in battle to Hrothgar was given,
Waxing of war-fame, that willingly kinsmen
Obeyed his bidding, till the boys grew to manhood,
15 A numerous band. It burned in his spirit
To urge his folk to found a great building,
A mead-hall grander than men of the era
{He is eager to build a great hall in which he may feast his retainers}
Ever had heard of, and in it to share
With young and old all of the blessings
20 The Lord had allowed him, save life and retainers.
Then the work I find afar was assigned
To many races in middle-earth's regions,
To adorn the great folk-hall. In due time it happened
Early 'mong men, that 'twas finished entirely,
25 The greatest of hall-buildings; Heorot he named it
{The hall is completed, and is called Heort, or Heorot.}
Who wide-reaching word-sway wielded 'mong earlmen.
His promise he brake not, rings he lavished,
Treasure at banquet. Towered the hall up
High and horn-crested, huge between antlers:
30 It battle-waves bided, the blasting fire-demon;
Ere long then from hottest hatred must sword-wrath
Arise for a woman's husband and father.
Then the mighty war-spirit endured for a season,
{The Monster Grendel is madly envious of the Danemen's joy.}
Bore it bitterly, he who bided in darkness,
35 That light-hearted laughter loud in the building
Greeted him daily; there was dulcet harp-music,
Clear song of the singer. He said that was able
{[The course of the story is interrupted by a short reference to some old
account of the creation.]}
To tell from of old earthmen's beginnings,
That Father Almighty earth had created,
40 The winsome wold that the water encircleth,
Set exultingly the sun's and the moon's beams
To lavish their lustre on land-folk and races,
And earth He embellished in all her regions
With limbs and leaves; life He bestowed too
45 On all the kindreds that live under heaven.
{The glee of the warriors is overcast by a horrible dread.}
So blessed with abundance, brimming with joyance,
The warriors abided, till a certain one gan to
Dog them with deeds of direfullest malice,
A foe in the hall-building: this horrible stranger
50 Was Grendel entitled, the march-stepper famous
Who dwelt in the moor-fens, the marsh and the fastness;
The wan-mooded being abode for a season
In the land of the giants, when the Lord and Creator
Had banned him and branded. For that bitter murder,
55 The killing of Abel, all-ruling Father
{Cain is referred to as a progenitor of Grendel, and of monsters in
general.}
The kindred of Cain crushed with His vengeance;
In the feud He rejoiced not, but far away drove him
From kindred and kind, that crime to atone for,
Meter of Justice. Thence ill-favored creatures,
60 Elves and giants, monsters of ocean,
Came into being, and the giants that longtime
Grappled with God; He gave them requital.
R. and t. B. prefer 'ellor-gæst' to 'ellen-gæst' (86): _Then the
stranger from afar endured, etc._
Some authorities would translate 'demon' instead of
'stranger.'
Some authorities arrange differently, and render: _Who dwelt in
the moor-fens, the marsh and the fastness, the land of the
giant-race._
III.
GRENDEL THE MURDERER.
{Grendel attacks the sleeping heroes}
When the sun was sunken, he set out to visit
The lofty hall-building, how the Ring-Danes had used it
For beds and benches when the banquet was over.
Then he found there reposing many a noble
5 Asleep after supper; sorrow the heroes,
Misery knew not. The monster of evil
Greedy and cruel tarried but little,
{He drags off thirty of them, and devours them}
Fell and frantic, and forced from their slumbers
Thirty of thanemen; thence he departed
10 Leaping and laughing, his lair to return to,
With surfeit of slaughter sallying homeward.
In the dusk of the dawning, as the day was just breaking,
Was Grendel's prowess revealed to the warriors:
{A cry of agony goes up, when Grendel's horrible deed is fully realized.}
Then, his meal-taking finished, a moan was uplifted,
15 Morning-cry mighty. The man-ruler famous,
The long-worthy atheling, sat very woful,
Suffered great sorrow, sighed for his liegemen,
When they had seen the track of the hateful pursuer,
The spirit accursèd: too crushing that sorrow,
{The monster returns the next night.}
20 Too loathsome and lasting. Not longer he tarried,
But one night after continued his slaughter
Shameless and shocking, shrinking but little
From malice and murder; they mastered him fully.
He was easy to find then who otherwhere looked for
25 A pleasanter place of repose in the lodges,
A bed in the bowers. Then was brought to his notice
Told him truly by token apparent
The hall-thane's hatred: he held himself after
Further and faster who the foeman did baffle.
30 So ruled he and strongly strove against justice
Lone against all men, till empty uptowered
{King Hrothgar's agony and suspense last twelve years.}
The choicest of houses. Long was the season:
Twelve-winters' time torture suffered
The friend of the Scyldings, every affliction,
35 Endless agony; hence it after became
Certainly known to the children of men
Sadly in measures, that long against Hrothgar
Grendel struggled:--his grudges he cherished,
Murderous malice, many a winter,
40 Strife unremitting, and peacefully wished he
Life-woe to lift from no liegeman at all of
The men of the Dane-folk, for money to settle,
No counsellor needed count for a moment
On handsome amends at the hands of the murderer;
