Bēowulf I
52 lines
1 Hwæt! wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum
2 þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon,
3 hū þā æðelingas ellen fremedon.
4 Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaðena þrēatum,
5 monegum mǣgðum meodo-setla oftēah.
6 Egsode eorl, syððan ǣrest wearð
7 fēa-sceaft funden: hē þæs frōfre gebād,
8 wēox under wolcnum, weorð-myndum ðāh,
9 oð þæt him ǣghwylc þāra ymb-sittendra
10 ofer hron-rāde hȳran scolde,
11 gomban gyldan: þæt wæs gōd cyning!
12 þǣm eafera wæs æfter cenned
13 geong in geardum, þone god sende
14 folce tō frōfre; fyren-þearfe ongeat,
15 þæt hīe ǣr drugon aldor-lēase
16 lange hwīle. Him þæs līf-frēa,
17 wuldres wealdend, worold-āre forgeaf;
18 Bēowulf wæs brēme (blǣd wīde sprang),
19 Scyldes eafera Scede-landum in.
20 Swā sceal geong guma, gōde gewyrcean,
21 fromum feoh-giftum on fæder wine,
22 þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
23 wil-gesīðas, þonne wīg cume,
24 lēode gelǣsten: lof-dǣdum sceal
25 in mǣgða gehwǣre man geþēon.
26 Him þā Scyld gewāt tō gescæp-hwīle
27 fela-hrōr fēran on frēan wǣre;
28 hī hyne þā ætbǣron tō brimes faroðe.
29 swǣse gesīðas, swā hē selfa bæd,
30 þenden wordum wēold wine Scyldinga,
31 lēof land-fruma lange āhte.
32 Þǣr æt hȳðe stōd hringed-stefna,
33 īsig and ūtfūs, æðelinges fær;
34 ā-lēdon þā lēofne þēoden,
35 bēaga bryttan on bearm scipes,
36 mǣrne be mæste. Þǣr wæs mādma fela,
37 of feor-wegum frætwa gelǣded:
38 ne hȳrde ic cȳmlīcor cēol gegyrwan
39 hilde-wǣpnum and heaðo-wǣdum,
40 billum and byrnum; him on bearme læg
41 mādma mænigo, þā him mid scoldon
42 on flōdes ǣht feor gewītan.
43 Nalas hī hine lǣssan lācum tēodan,
44 þēod-gestrēonum, þonne þā dydon,
45 þē hine æt frumsceafte forð onsendon
46 ǣnne ofer ȳðe umbor wesende:
47 þā gȳt hīe him āsetton segen gyldenne
48 hēah ofer hēafod, lēton holm beran,
49 gēafon on gār-secg: him wæs geōmor sefa,
50 murnende mōd. Men ne cunnon
51 secgan tō soðe sele-rǣdende,
52 hæleð under heofenum, hwā þǣm hlæste onfēng.