BEOWULF
diacritically-marked text and facing translation
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last updated on 14-December-2005
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XX |
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Hróðgár maþelode helm Scyldinga: |
  | Hrothgar spoke, the Helm of the Scyldings: | ||
'Ne frín þú æfter saélum· sorh is geníwod |
  | 'Do not you ask after pleasures; sorrow is renewed | ||
Denigea léodum· déad is Æschere |
  1323 | for the Danish nation; Æschere is dead, | ||
Yrmenláfes yldra bróþor |
  | Yrmenlaf's elder brother, | ||
mín rúnwita ond mín raédbora |
  | my confident and my chief counsellor, | ||
eaxlgestealla ðonne wé on orlege |
  | shoulder-companion, when we in war | ||
hafelan weredon þonne hniton féþan |
  | protected the head, when clashed with foot-soldiers, | ||
eoferas cnysedan· swylc eorl scolde |
  1328 | dashed boars (atop helmets); so ought a man | ||
wesan aérgód swylc Æschere wæs. |
  | be experienced and noble, as Æschere was. | ||
Wearð him on Heorote tó handbanan |
  | In Heorot for him was a hand-slayer, | ||
wælgaést waéfre· ic ne wát hwæþer |
  | restless death-spirit; I know not whether, | ||
atol aése wlanc eftsíðas téah |
  | glorying in the carcass, she undertook a return journey, | ||
fylle gefraégnod· héo þá faéhðe wræc |
  1333 | contented by her feast; she avenged the feud | ||
þe þú gystran niht Grendel cwealdest |
  | in which you yester-night Grendel quelled | ||
þurh haéstne hád heardum clammum |
  | through violent means in harsh embrace, | ||
forþan hé tó lange léode míne |
  | because he for too long my people | ||
wanode ond wyrde hé æt wíge gecrang |
  | diminished and destroyed, he fell in the fight, | ||
ealdres scyldig ond nú óþer cwóm |
  1338 | having forfeited his life, and now the other has come, | ||
mihtig mánscaða· wolde hyre maég wrecan· |
  | the mighty crime-wreaker, she wants to avenge her kinsman, | ||
gé feor hafað faéhðe gestaéled |
  | and has very far carried her feud, | ||
þæs þe þincean mæg þegne monegum |
  | as it must seem to many a thane, | ||
sé þe æfter sincgyfan on sefan gréoteþ: |
  | who for the treasure-giver weeps in his heart: | ||
hreþerbealo hearde· nú séo hand ligeð |
  1343 | hard mind-grief! now the hand has fallen away, | ||
sé þe éow wélhwylcra wilna dohte. |
  | which in all of you had sustained wishes. | ||
Ic þæt londbúend léode míne |
  | I it, land-dwellers, my people, | ||
seleraédende secgan hýrde |
  | hall-counsellors have heard tell | ||
þæt híe gesáwon swylce twégen |
  | that they saw two such | ||
micle mearcstapan móras healdan, |
  1348 | massive marchers of no-man's land haunting the moors, | ||
ellorgaéstas· ðaéra óðer wæs |
  | alien spirits; one of them was, | ||
þæs þe híe gewislícost gewitan meahton |
  | as they most certainly were able to discern, | ||
idese onlícnæs· óðer earmsceapen |
  | of the likeness of a woman; the other one wretchedly shaped | ||
on weres wæstmum wraéclástas træd |
  | in the form of a man trod in the tracks of an exile, | ||
næfne hé wæs mára þonne aénig man óðer· |
  1353 | except he was larger than any other man; | ||
þone on géardagum Grendel nemdon |
  | in days of yore him 'Grendel' named | ||
foldbúende· nó híe fæder cunnon· |
  | the earth-dwellers; they did not know of his father, | ||
hwæþer him aénig wæs aér ácenned |
  | whether of them any were born previously | ||
dyrnra gásta. Híe dýgel lond |
  |
| ||
warigeað wulfhleoþu windige næssas |
  1358 | inhabited, wolf-slopes, windy water-capes, | ||
frécne fengelád ðaér fyrgenstréam |
  | a dangerous passage over the fen-waters, where mountain-stream | ||
under næssa genipu niþer gewíteð |
  | under the darkness of the headlands descended downward, | ||
flód under foldan· nis þæt feor heonon |
  | the flood under the earth; it is not that far hence | ||
mílgemearces þæt se mere standeð· |
  | in mile-marks, that the mere stands; | ||
ofer þaém hongiað hrímge bearwas· |
  1363 | over it hangs frost-covered groves, | ||
wudu wyrtum fæst wæter oferhelmað· |
  | tree held fast by its roots overshadows the water; | ||
þaér mæg nihta gehwaém níðwundor séon |
  | there one may every night a horrible marvel see: | ||
fýr on flóde· nó þæs fród leofað |
  | fire on the water; not even the wise of them lives, | ||
gumena bearna þæt þone grund wite. |
  | of men's sons, that knows the bottom. | ||
Ðéah þe haéðstapa hundum geswenced |
  1368 | Though the heath-stepper harrassed by hounds, | ||
heorot hornum trum holtwudu séce |
  | the hart with strong horns, seeks the forest, | ||
feorran geflýmed· aér hé feorh seleð |
  | put to flight from far, first he will give up his life, | ||
aldor on ófre aér hé in wille |
  | existence on the shore, before he will (leap) in | ||
hafelan helan· nis þæt héoru stów· |
  | to hide his head; it is not a pleasant place; | ||
þonon ýðgeblond úp ástígeð |
  1373 | thence a maelström of the waves rises up, | ||
won tó wolcnum þonne wind styreþ |
  | dark to the clouds, when the wind stirs | ||
láð gewidru oð þæt lyft drysmaþ· |
  | grievous storms, until the air grows dark, | ||
roderas réotað. Nú is se raéd gelang |
  | the skies weep. Now is the remedy dependent upon | ||
eft æt þé ánum· eard gít ne const |
  | you alone once again; you do not know the region yet, | ||
frécne stówe ðaér þú findan miht |
  1378 | terrible place where you might find | ||
felasinnigne secg· séc gif þú dyrre· |
  | the much-sinning creature; seek if you dare; | ||
ic þé þá faéhðe féo léanige |
  | for the feud you I would reward with wealth, | ||
ealdgestréonum swá ic aér dyde, |
  | with old treasures, as I did before, | ||
wundungolde gyf þú on weg cymest.' |
  | with twisted-gold, if you come away.' |