BēowulfVII

371 Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scyldinga:

372 “Ic hine cūðe cniht-wesende.

373 “Wæs his eald-fæder Ecgþēo hāten,

374 “þǣm tō hām forgeaf Hrēðel Gēata

375 “āngan dōhtor; is his eafora nū

376 “heard hēr cumen, sōhte holdne wine.

377 “þonne sægdon þæt sǣ-līðende,

378 “þā þe gif-sceattas Gēata fyredon

379 “þyder tō þance, þæt hē þrīttiges

380 “manna mægen-cræft on his mund-grīpe

381 “heaðo-rōf hæbbe. Hine hālig god

382 “for ār-stafum us onsende,

383 “tō West-Denum, þæs ic wēn hæbbe,

384 “wið Grendles gryre: ic þǣm gōdan sceal

385 “for his mōd-þræce mādmas bēodan.

386 “Bēo þū on ofeste, hāt hig in gān,

387 “sēon sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere;

388 “gesaga him ēac wordum, þæt hīe sint wil-cuman

389 “Deniga lēodum.” Þā wið duru healle

390 Wulfgār ēode, word inne ābēad:

391 “Ēow hēt secgan sige-drihten mīn,

392 “aldor Ēast-Dena, þæt hē ēower æðelu can

393 “and gē him syndon ofer sǣ-wylmas,

394 “heard-hicgende, hider wil-cuman.

395 “Nū gē mōton gangan in ēowrum guð-geatawum,

396 “under here-grīman, Hrōðgār gesēon;

397 “lǣtað hilde-bord hēr onbidian,

398 “wudu wæl-sceaftas, worda geþinges.”

399 Ārās þā se rīca, ymb hine rinc manig,

400 þrȳðlīc þegna hēap; sume þǣr bidon,

401 heaðo-rēaf hēoldon, swā him se hearda bebēad.

402 Snyredon ætsomne, þā secg wīsode

403 under Heorotes hrōf; hyge-rōf ēode,

404 heard under helme, þæt hē on heoðe gestōd.

405 Bēowulf maðelode (on him byrne scān,

406 searo-net sēowed smiðes or-þancum):

407 “Wes þū Hrōðgār hāl! ic eom Higelāces

408 “mǣg and mago-þegn; hæbbe ic mǣrða fela

409 “ongunnen on geogoðe. Mē wearð Grendles þing

410 “on mīnre ēðel-tyrf undyrne cūð:

411 “secgað sǣ-līðend, þæt þes sele stande,

412 “reced sēlesta, rinca gehwylcum

413 “īdel and unnyt, siððan ǣfen-lēoht

414 “under heofenes hādor beholen weorðeð.

415 “Þā mē þæt gelǣrdon lēode mīne,

416 “þā sēlestan, snotere ceorlas,

417 “þēoden Hrōðgār, þæt ic þē sōhte;

418 “forþan hīe mægenes cræft mīnne cūðon:

419 “selfe ofersāwon, þā ic of searwum cwōm,

420 “fāh from fēondum, þǣr ic fīfe geband,

421 “ȳðde eotena cyn, and on ȳðum slōg

422 “niceras nihtes, nearo-þearfe drēah,

423 “wræc Wedera nīð (wēan āhsodon)

424 “forgrand gramum; and nū wið Grendel sceal,

425 “wið þām āglǣcan, āna gehegan

426 “þing wið þyrse. Ic þē nū þā,

427 “brego Beorht-Dena, biddan wille,

428 “eodor Scyldinga, ānre bēne;

429 “þæt þū mē ne forwyrne, wīgendra hlēo,

430 “frēo-wine folca, nū ic þus feorran cōm,

431 “þæt ic mōte āna and mīnra eorla gedryht,

432 “þes hearda hēap, Heorot fǣlsian.

433 “Hæbbe ic ēac geāhsod, þæt se ǣglǣca

434 “for his won-hȳdum wǣpna ne rēceð;

435 “ic þæt þonne forhicge, swā mē Higelāc sīe,

436 “mīn mon-drihten, mōdes blīðe,

437 “þæt ic sweord bere oððe sīdne scyld

438 “geolo-rand tō gūðe; ac ic mid grāpe sceal

439 “fōn wið fēonde and ymb feorh sacan,

440 “lāð wið lāðum; þǣr gelȳfan sceal

441 “dryhtnes dōme sē þe hine dēað nimeð.

442 “Wēn’ ic þæt hē wille, gif hē wealdan mōt,

443 “in þǣm gūð-sele Gēatena lēode

444 “etan unforhte, swā hē oft dyde

445 “mægen Hrēðmanna. Nā þū mīnne þearft

446 “hafalan hȳdan, ac hē mē habban wile

447 “drēore fāhne, gif mec dēað nimeð;

448 “byreð blōdig wæl, byrgean þenceð,

449 “eteð ān-genga unmurnlīce,

450 “mearcað mōr-hopu: nō þū ymb mīnes ne þearft

451 “līces feorme leng sorgian.

452 “Onsend Higelāce, gif mec hild nime,

453 “beadu-scrūda betst, þæt mīne brēost wereð,

454 “hrægla sēlest; þæt is Hrēðlan lāf,

455 “Wēlandes geweorc. Gǣð ā Wyrd swā hīo scel!”