bēowulf #332

I. THE PASSING OF SCYLD.

Hwæt! wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum

þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon,

hū þā æðelingas ellen fremedon.

Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaðena þrēatum,

monegum mǣgðum meodo-setla oftēah.

Egsode eorl, syððan ǣrest wearð

fēa-sceaft funden: hē þæs frōfre gebād,

wēox under wolcnum, weorð-myndum ðāh,

oð þæt him ǣghwylc þāra ymb-sittendra

ofer hron-rāde hȳran scolde,

gomban gyldan: þæt wæs gōd cyning!

þǣm eafera wæs æfter cenned

geong in geardum, þone god sende

folce tō frōfre; fyren-þearfe ongeat,

þæt hīe ǣr drugon aldor-lēase

lange hwīle. Him þæs līf-frēa,

wuldres wealdend, worold-āre forgeaf;

Bēowulf wæs brēme (blǣd wīde sprang),

Scyldes eafera Scede-landum in.

Swā sceal geong guma, gōde gewyrcean,

fromum feoh-giftum on fæder wine,

þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen

wil-gesīðas, þonne wīg cume,

lēode gelǣsten: lof-dǣdum sceal

in mǣgða gehwǣre man geþēon.

Him þā Scyld gewāt tō gescæp-hwīle

fela-hrōr fēran on frēan wǣre;

hī hyne þā ætbǣron tō brimes faroðe.

swǣse gesīðas, swā hē selfa bæd,

þenden wordum wēold wine Scyldinga,

lēof land-fruma lange āhte.

Þǣr æt hȳðe stōd hringed-stefna,

īsig and ūtfūs, æðelinges fær;

ā-lēdon þā lēofne þēoden,

bēaga bryttan on bearm scipes,

mǣrne be mæste. Þǣr wæs mādma fela,

of feor-wegum frætwa gelǣded:

ne hȳrde ic cȳmlīcor cēol gegyrwan

hilde-wǣpnum and heaðo-wǣdum,

billum and byrnum; him on bearme læg

mādma mænigo, þā him mid scoldon

on flōdes ǣht feor gewītan.

Nalas hī hine lǣssan lācum tēodan,

þēod-gestrēonum, þonne þā dydon,

þē hine æt frumsceafte forð onsendon

ǣnne ofer ȳðe umbor wesende:

þā gȳt hīe him āsetton segen gyldenne

hēah ofer hēafod, lēton holm beran,

gēafon on gār-secg: him wæs geōmor sefa,

murnende mōd. Men ne cunnon

secgan tō soðe sele-rǣdende,

hæleð under heofenum, hwā þǣm hlæste onfēng.

fascinating.

what?

II. THE HALL HEOROT.

Þā wæs on burgum Bēowulf Scyldinga,

lēof lēod-cyning, longe þrāge

folcum gefrǣge (fæder ellor hwearf,

aldor of earde), oð þæt him eft onwōc

hēah Healfdene; hēold þenden lifde,

gamol and gūð-rēow, glæde Scyldingas.

Þǣm fēower bearn forð-gerīmed

in worold wōcun, weoroda rǣswan,

Heorogār and Hrōðgār and Hālga til;

hȳrde ic, þat Elan cwēn Ongenþēowes wæs

Heaðoscilfinges heals-gebedde.

Þā wæs Hrōðgāre here-spēd gyfen,

wīges weorð-mynd, þæt him his wine-māgas

georne hȳrdon, oð þæt sēo geogoð gewēox,

mago-driht micel. Him on mōd bearn,

þæt heal-reced hātan wolde,

medo-ærn micel men gewyrcean,

þone yldo bearn ǣfre gefrūnon,

and þǣr on innan eall gedǣlan

geongum and ealdum, swylc him god sealde,

būton folc-scare and feorum gumena.

Þā ic wīde gefrægn weorc gebannan

manigre mǣgðe geond þisne middan-geard,

folc-stede frætwan. Him on fyrste gelomp

ǣdre mid yldum, þæt hit wearð eal gearo,

heal-ærna mǣst; scōp him Heort naman,

sē þe his wordes geweald wīde hæfde.

Hē bēot ne ālēh, bēagas dǣlde,

sinc æt symle. Sele hlīfade

hēah and horn-gēap: heaðo-wylma bād,

lāðan līges; ne wæs hit lenge þā gēn

þæt se ecg-hete āðum-swerian

æfter wæl-nīðe wæcnan scolde.

Þā se ellen-gǣst earfoðlīce

þrāge geþolode, sē þe in þȳstrum bād,

þæt hē dōgora gehwām drēam gehȳrde

hlūdne in healle; þǣr wæs hearpan swēg,

swutol sang scopes. Sægde sē þe cūðe

frum-sceaft fīra feorran reccan,

cwæð þæt se ælmihtiga eorðan worhte,

wlite-beorhtne wang, swā wæter bebūgeð,

gesette sige-hrēðig sunnan and mōnan

lēoman tō lēohte land-būendum,

and gefrætwade foldan scēatas

leomum and lēafum; līf ēac gesceōp

cynna gehwylcum, þāra þe cwice hwyrfað.

Swā þā driht-guman drēamum lifdon

ēadiglīce, oð þæt ān ongan

fyrene fremman, fēond on helle:

wæs se grimma gæst Grendel hāten,

mǣre mearc-stapa, sē þe mōras hēold,

fen and fæsten; fīfel-cynnes eard

won-sǣlig wer weardode hwīle,

siððan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde.

In Caines cynne þone cwealm gewræc,

ēce drihten, þæs þe hē Ābel slōg;

ne gefeah hē þǣre fǣhðe, ac hē hine feor forwræc,

metod for þȳ māne man-cynne fram.

Þanon untȳdras ealle onwōcon,

eotenas and ylfe and orcnēas,

swylce gīgantas, þā wið gode wunnon

lange þrāge; hē him þæs lēan forgeald.

While I'm theoretically interested in Old English epic poetry slightly, I can only guess at what most of this means. Please offer a modern English translation or you won't have.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=beowulf+modern+translation

But I'm enjoying the Apioforum reading experience! I guess I could just post modern translations myself in segments.

true

Maybe I could set up some automation to do a page a day and we could discuss it (although getting people to do that would be nontrivial).