Beowulf 38Gazed on the sea-deeps, that the surging wave-currents
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Literature · Religion
Beowulf 38
Gazed on the sea-deeps, that the surging wave-currents
HallEnglish
Were mightily mingled, the mere-flood was gory:
Of the good one the gray-haired together held converse,
{Beowulf is given up for dead.}
The hoary of head, that they hoped not to see again
The atheling ever, that exulting in victory
40 He'd return there to visit the distinguished folk-ruler:
Then many concluded the mere-wolf had killed him.
The ninth hour came then. From the ness-edge departed
The bold-mooded Scyldings; the gold-friend of heroes
Homeward betook him. The strangers sat down then
45 Soul-sick, sorrowful, the sea-waves regarding:
They wished and yet weened not their well-loved friend-lord
{The giant-sword melts.}
To see any more. The sword-blade began then,
The blood having touched it, contracting and shriveling
With battle-icicles; 'twas a wonderful marvel
50 That it melted entirely, likest to ice when
The Father unbindeth the bond of the frost and
Unwindeth the wave-bands, He who wieldeth dominion
Of times and of tides: a truth-firm Creator.
Nor took he of jewels more in the dwelling,
55 Lord of the Weders, though they lay all around him,
Than the head and the handle handsome with jewels;
The brand early melted, burnt was the weapon:
So hot was the blood, the strange-spirit poisonous
{The hero swims back to the realms of day.}
That in it did perish. He early swam off then
60 Who had bided in combat the carnage of haters,
Went up through the ocean; the eddies were cleansèd,
The spacious expanses, when the spirit from farland
His life put aside and this short-lived existence.
The seamen's defender came swimming to land then
65 Doughty of spirit, rejoiced in his sea-gift,
The bulky burden which he bore in his keeping.
The excellent vassals advanced then to meet him,
To God they were grateful, were glad in their chieftain,
That to see him safe and sound was granted them.
70 From the high-minded hero, then, helmet and burnie
Were speedily loosened: the ocean was putrid,
The water 'neath welkin weltered with gore.
Forth did they fare, then, their footsteps retracing,
Merry and mirthful, measured the earth-way,
75 The highway familiar: men very daring
Bare then the head from the sea-cliff, burdening
Each of the earlmen, excellent-valiant.
{It takes four men to carry Grendel's head on a spear.}
Four of them had to carry with labor
The head of Grendel to the high towering gold-hall
80 Upstuck on the spear, till fourteen most-valiant
And battle-brave Geatmen came there going
Straight to the palace: the prince of the people
Measured the mead-ways, their mood-brave companion.
The atheling of earlmen entered the building,
85 Deed-valiant man, adorned with distinction,
Doughty shield-warrior, to address King Hrothgar:
Then hung by the hair, the head of Grendel
Was borne to the building, where beer-thanes were drinking,
Loth before earlmen and eke 'fore the lady:
90 The warriors beheld then a wonderful sight.
'Þæs monige gewearð' (1599) and 'hafað þæs geworden' (2027).--In a
paper published some years ago in one of the Johns Hopkins University
circulars, I tried to throw upon these two long-doubtful passages some
light derived from a study of like passages in Alfred's prose.--The
impersonal verb 'geweorðan,' with an accus. of the person, and a
þæt-clause is used several times with the meaning 'agree.' See Orosius
(Sweet's ed.) 1787; 20434; 20828; 21015; 280_20. In the two
Beowulf passages, the þæt-clause is anticipated by 'þæs,' which is
clearly a gen. of the thing agreed on.
The first passage (v. 1599 (b)-1600) I translate literally: _Then many
agreed upon this (namely), that the sea-wolf had killed him_.
The second passage (v. 2025 (b)-2027): _She is promised ...; to this
the friend of the Scyldings has agreed, etc_. By emending 'is' instead
of 'wæs' (2025), the tenses will be brought into perfect harmony.
In v. 1997 ff. this same idiom occurs, and was noticed in B.'s great
article on Beowulf, which appeared about the time I published my
reading of 1599 and 2027. Translate 1997 then: _Wouldst let the
South-Danes themselves decide about their struggle with Grendel_. Here
'Súð-Dene' is accus. of person, and 'gúðe' is gen. of thing agreed on.
With such collateral support as that afforded by B. (P. and B. XII.
97), I have no hesitation in departing from H.-So., my usual guide.
The idiom above treated runs through A.-S., Old Saxon, and other
Teutonic languages, and should be noticed in the lexicons.
'Bróden-mæl' is regarded by most scholars as meaning a damaskeened
sword. Translate: The damaskeened sword burned up. Cf. 25_16 and
note.
'Cyning-balde' (1635) is the much-disputed reading of K. and Th.
To render this, "nobly bold," "excellently bold," have been
suggested. B. would read 'cyning-holde' (cf. 290), and render: _Men
well-disposed towards the king carried the head, etc._ 'Cynebealde,'
says t.B., endorsing Gr.
XXV.
BEOWULF BRINGS HIS TROPHIES.--HROTHGAR'S GRATITUDE.
{Beowulf relates his last exploit.}
Beowulf spake, offspring of Ecgtheow:
"Lo! we blithely have brought thee, bairn of Healfdene,
Prince of the Scyldings, these presents from ocean
Which thine eye looketh on, for an emblem of glory.
5 I came off alive from this, narrowly 'scaping:
In war 'neath the water the work with great pains I
Performed, and the fight had been finished quite nearly,
Had God not defended me. I failed in the battle
Aught to accomplish, aided by Hrunting,
10 Though that weapon was worthy, but the Wielder of earth-folk
{God was fighting with me.}
Gave me willingly to see on the wall a
Heavy old hand-sword hanging in splendor
(He guided most often the lorn and the friendless),
That I swung as a weapon. The wards of the house then
15 I killed in the conflict (when occasion was given me).
Then the battle-sword burned, the brand that was lifted,
As the blood-current sprang, hottest of war-sweats;
Seizing the hilt, from my foes I offbore it;
I avenged as I ought to their acts of malignity,
20 The murder of Danemen. I then make thee this promise,
{Heorot is freed from monsters.}
Thou'lt be able in Heorot careless to slumber
With thy throng of heroes and the thanes of thy people
Every and each, of greater and lesser,
And thou needest not fear for them from the selfsame direction
25 As thou formerly fearedst, oh, folk-lord of Scyldings,
End-day for earlmen." To the age-hoary man then,
{The famous sword is presented to Hrothgar.}
The gray-haired chieftain, the gold-fashioned sword-hilt,
Old-work of giants, was thereupon given;
Since the fall of the fiends, it fell to the keeping
30 Of the wielder of Danemen, the wonder-smith's labor,
And the bad-mooded being abandoned this world then,
Opponent of God, victim of murder,
And also his mother; it went to the keeping
Of the best of the world-kings, where waters encircle,
35 Who the scot divided in Scylding dominion.
{Hrothgar looks closely at the old sword.}
Hrothgar discoursed, the hilt he regarded,
The ancient heirloom where an old-time contention's
Beginning was graven: the gurgling currents,
The flood slew thereafter the race of the giants,
40 They had proved themselves daring: that people was loth to
{It had belonged to a race hateful to God.}
The Lord everlasting, through lash of the billows
The Father gave them final requital.
So in letters of rune on the clasp of the handle
Gleaming and golden, 'twas graven exactly,
45 Set forth and said, whom that sword had been made for,
Finest of irons, who first it was wrought for,
Wreathed at its handle and gleaming with serpents.
The wise one then said (silent they all were)
{Hrothgar praises Beowulf.}
Son of old Healfdene: "He may say unrefuted
50 Who performs 'mid the folk-men fairness and truth
(The hoary old ruler remembers the past),
That better by birth is this bairn of the nobles!
Thy fame is extended through far-away countries,
Good friend Beowulf, o'er all of the races,
55 Thou holdest all firmly, hero-like strength with
Prudence of spirit. I'll prove myself grateful
As before we agreed on; thou granted for long shalt
Become a great comfort to kinsmen and comrades,
{Heremod's career is again contrasted with Beowulf's.}
A help unto heroes. Heremod became not
60 Such to the Scyldings, successors of Ecgwela;
He grew not to please them, but grievous destruction,
And diresome death-woes to Danemen attracted;
He slew in anger his table-companions,
Trustworthy counsellors, till he turned off lonely
65 From world-joys away, wide-famous ruler:
Though high-ruling heaven in hero-strength raised him,
In might exalted him, o'er men of all nations
Made him supreme, yet a murderous spirit
Grew in his bosom: he gave then no ring-gems
{A wretched failure of a king, to give no jewels to his retainers.}
