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1 From Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney Introduction of the Danes So. The Spear -Danes in days done by And the kings who ruled them had c ourage and greatness. We have heard of those prince’ s heroic campaigns. There was S hield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, A wrecker of mead -benches, rampaging among foes. This terror of the hall -troops had come far. A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on As his powers waxed and his worth was proved. In the end each clan on the outlying coats Beyond the whale -road had to yield to him 10 And begin to pay tribute. That was one good king. Afterwards a boy -child was born to Shield, A cub in the yard, a comfort sent By God to that nation. He knew what they had tholed *, The long times and troubles they’d come through Without a leader; so the Lord of Life, The glorious Almight y, made this man renowned. Shield had fathered a famous son: Beow’s name was known through the north and a young prince must be prudent like that, 20 Giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards in age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line. Behaviour that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere. *tholed - suffered Shield was still thriving when his time came and crossed over into the Lord’s Keeping. His warrior band did what he bade them when he laid down the law among the Danes: they shouldered him out to the sea’s flood, 30 the chief they revered who had long r uled them. A ring -whorled prow rode in the harbor , Ice –clad, outbound, a craft for a prince. They stretched their beloved lord in his boat, Laid out by the mast, amidships, the great ring -giver. Far -fetched treasures were piled upon him, and precious g ear. I never heard before of a ship so well furbished With battle tackle, bladed weapons And coats of mail. The massed treasure 40 was loaded on top of him: it woul d travel far on out into the ocean’s sway. They decked his body no less bountifully Wit h offerings than thos e first ones did Who cast him away when he was a child And launched him alone out over the waves. And they set a gold standard up High above his head and let him drift To wind and tide, bewailing him And mourning their loss. No man can tell, 50 No wise man in hall or weathered veteran Knows for certain who salvaged that load. 2 Then it fell to Beow to keep the forts. He was well regarded and ruled the Danes For a long time after his father took lea ve Of his life on earth. And then his heir, The great Halfdane, held sway For as long as he lived, their elder and war lord. He was four times a father, this fighter prince: One by one they entered the world, 60 Heorogar, Hrothgar, the good Halga, And a daughter, I have heard, who was Onela’s queen, A balm in bed to the battle -scarred Swede. The fortunes of war favored Hrothgar. Friends and kinsmen flocked to his ranks, Young followers, a force that grew To be a mighty army. S o his mind turned To hall -building : he handed down orders For men to work on a great mead -hall Meant to be a wonder of the world forever; 70 It would be his throne -room and there he would dispense His God -given goods to young and old — But not the common land or people’s live s. Far and wide through the world, I have heard, Orders for the work to adorn that wallstead Were sent to many peoples. And soon it stood there, Finished and read y, in full view, The hall of halls. Heorot was the name He settled on it, whose utterance was law. Nor did he renege, but doled out rings 80 And torques at the table . The hall towered, Its gables wide and high and awaiting A barbarous bur ning. That doom abided, But in time it would come: the killer instinct Unleashed among in -laws, the blo od -lust rampant. Grendel Attacks Herot Then a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark, Nursed a hard grievance. It harrowed him To hear the din of the loud banquet Every day in the hall, the harp being struck And the clear song of a skilled poet 90 Telling with mastery of man’s beginnings, How the Almighty had made the earth A gleaming plain girdled with waters; In His splendour He set the sun and the moon To be earth’s lamplight, lanterns for men, And filled the broad lap of the world With branch es and leaves; and quickened life In every other thing that moved. So times were pleasant for the people there Until finally one, a fiend out of hell, 100 Began to work his evil in the world. Grendel was the name of this grim demon Haunting the marches, marauding round the heath And the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time In misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed And condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel The Eternal Lord had exac ted a price: 3 Cain got no good from committing that murder Because the Almighty mad him anathema 110 And out of t he curse of this exile there sprang Ogres and elves and evil phantoms And the giants too who stove with God Time and gain until He gave them t heir reward. So, after nightfall, Grendel set out For the lofty house, to see how the Ring -Danes Were settling into it after their drink, And there he came upon them, a company of the best , Asleep from their feasting, insensible to pain And human sorrow. Suddenly then 120 The God -cursed brute was creating havoc: Greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men From their resting places and rushed to his lair, Flushed up and inflamed from the raid, Blundering back with the butchered corpses. Then as dawn brighte ned and the day broke Grendel’s powers of destruction were plain: Their wassail was over, they wept to heaven And mourned under morning. Their mighty prince, The storied leader, sat stricken and helpless, 130 Humiliated by the loss of his guard, Bewildered and stunned, staring aghast At the demon’s trail, in deep distress. He was numb with grief, but got no respite For one night later merciless Grendel Struck again with more gruesome murders. Malignant by nature, he never showed remorse. It was ea sy then to meet with a man Shifting himself to a safer distance To bed in the bothies *, for who could be blind 140 To the evidence of his eyes, the obviousness Of that hall -watcher’s hate? Whoever escaped Kept a weather -eye open and moved away. * both ies - small huts or cottages So Grendel ruled in defiance of right, One against all, until the greatest house In the world stood empty , a deserted wallstead. For twelve winters, seasons of woe, The lord of the Shildings suffered under His load of sorrow; a nd so, before long, The news was known over the whole world. 150 Sad lays * were sung about the beset king , The vicious raids and ravages of Grendel, His long and unrelenting feud, Nothing but war; how he would never Parley or make peace with any Dane Nor stop his death -dealing nor pay the death -price. No counselor could ever expect Fair reparation from those rabid hands. All were endangered; young and old Were hunted down by that dark death -shadow 160 Who lurked and swooped in the long nights On the misty moors; nobody knows Where these reavers * from hell roam on their errands. *lays - stories about how things are *reavers - raiders or pillagers 4 So Grendel waged his lonely war, Inflicting constant cruelties on the people, Atrocious hurt. He took over Heorot, Haunted the glittering hall after dark, But the throne itself, the treasure -seat, He was kept from approaching; he was the Lord’s outcast. These were hard times, heart -breaking 170 For the prince of the Shieldings; powerful counselors, The hig hest in the land, would lend advice, Plotting how best the bold defenders Might resist and beat off sudden attacks. Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed Offerings to idols, swore oaths That the killer of souls might come to their aid And save the people. That was their way, Their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts They remembered hell. The Almighty Judge 180 Of good deeds and bad, the Lord God, Head of the Heavens and High King of the World, Was unknown to them. Oh, cursed is he Who in time of tro uble has to thrust his soul In the fire’s embrace, forfeiting help; He has nowhere to turn. But blessed is he Who after death can approach the Lord And find friendship in the Father’s embrace. So that trouble time continued, woe That never stopped, stea dy affliction 190 For Halfdane’s son, too hard an ordeal. There was panic after dark, people endured Raids in the night, riven* by the te rror. *riven - to be split or torn apart When he heard about Grendel, Hygelac’s thane Was on home ground, over in Geatland. There was no on else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, High -born and powerful. He ordered a boat That would ply the waves. He announced his plan: To sail the swan’s road and search out that king, 200 The famous p rince who needed defenders. Nobody tried to keep him from going, No elder denied him, dear as he was to them. Instead, they inspected omens and spurred His ambition to go, whilst he moved about Like the leader he was, enlisting men, The best he could find; with fourteen others The warrior boarded the boat as captain, A canny pilot along coast and currents. A hero arrives (Beowulf and his men traveled over a calm sea from Geatland to Denmark, and as they disembark , a Danish coast guard questions them - espec ially why they have come dressed for battle. The Geat leader answers… ) The leader of the troop unlocked his word -hoard; The distinguished one delivered this answer: “We belong by birth to the Geat people 260 and owe allegiance to Lord Hygelac. 5 In his day, my father was a famous man, A noble warrior -lord name Ecgtheow. He outlasted many a long winter And went on his way. All over the world Men wise in counsel continue to remember him. We come in good faith to find your lord And nation’s shield, the s on of Halfdane. Give us the right advice and direction. We have arrived here on a great errand 270 To the lord of the Danes, and I believe therefore There should be nothing hidden or withheld between us. So tell us if what we have heard is tru e About th is threat, whatever it is, This danger abroad in the dark nights, This corpse -maker mongering death In the Shildings’ country. I come to proffer My wholehearted help and counsel. I can show the wise Hrothgar a way To defeat his enemy and find respite — 280 If any repose is to reach him, ever. I can calm the turmoil and terror in his mind. Otherwise, he must endure woes And live with grief for as long as his hall Stands at the horizon, on its high ground.” (The coast guard recognizes the nobility in th e Geat leader, and readily leads them to Heorot. The Geat soldiers leave their boat and carry their beautiful, ancient, and family battle -gear toward the mead -hall . Upon arrival, Wulfgar, a renowned fighter, similarly questions them about their intention s at Heorot. ) The man whose name was known for courage, 340 The Geat leader, resolute in his helmet, Answered in return: “We are retainers From Hygelac’s band. Beowulf’s my name. If your lord and master, the most renowned Son of Halfdane, will hear me out And graciously allow me to greet him in person, I am ready and willing to report my errand. ” (The guard takes this message to Hrothgar with the description of the Geats’ noble appearance. Hrothgar recounts hearing of Beowulf’s deeds as a hero and how the king once helped save Ecgtheow - Beowulf’s father. Hrothgar quickly agrees to let the Geats come to Heorot . Once there, Beowulf greets the Danish king.) In webbed links that the smith had woven, The fine -forged mesh of his gleaming mail -shirt, Resolu te in his helmet, Beowulf spoke: “Greetings to Hrothgar. I am Hygelac’s kinsman, one of his hall -troop. When I was younger, I had great triumphs . Then news of Grendel, Hard to ignore, reached me at home: 410 Sailors brought stories of the plight you suffer In this legendary hall, how it lies deserted, Empty and useless once the evening light Hides itself under heaven’s dome. So every elder and experience d council man Among my people supported my resolve To come here to you, King Hrothgar, Because al l knew of my awesome strength. They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies When I battled and bound five beasts, 420 Raided a troll -nest and in the night -sea Slaughtered sea -brutes. I have suffered extremes 6 And avenged the Geats (their enemies br ought it Upon themselves, I devastated them). Now I mean to be a match for Grendel, Settle the outcome in single combat. And so, my request, O king of the Bright -Danes, Dear prince of the Shieldings, friend of the people And their ring of defense, my on e r equest Is that you won’t refuse me, who have come this far, 430 The privilege of purifying Heorot, With my own men to help me, and nobody else. I have heard moreover that the monster scorns In his reckless way to use weapons; Therefore, to heighten Hygel ac’s fame And gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war -board: hand -to-hand is how it will be, a life -and -death fight with the fiend. Whichever one death fells 440 must deem it a just judgment by God. If Grendel wins, it will be a gruesome day; He will glut himself on the Geats in the war -hall, Swoop without fear on that flower of manhood As on others before. Then my face wont be there To be covered in death: he will carry me away as he goes to ground, gorged and bloodied; he will run gloating with my raw corpse and feed on it alone, in a cruel frenzy, fouling his mo or-nest. No need then 450 to lament for long or lay out my body: if the battle takes me, send back this breast -webbing tha t Weland fashioned and Hrethel gave me , to Lord Hygelac. Fate goes ever a s fate must.” (In answer, Hrothgar recounts the help he gave Beowulf’s father by supplying him with enough treasure, a weregild, to avoid war with the Wulfings. Although Hrothgar says that it “bothers him” to have someone else kill Grendel, he knows that Beowulf has his father’s debt to p ay. A bench is then cleared for Beowulf and his men to enjoy the food and mead of the great hall.) Then a bench was cleared in that banquet hall So the Geats could have room to be together And at the party sat, proud in their bearing, Strong and stalwart . A n attendant stood by With a decorated pitcher, pouring bright Helpings of mead. And the minstrel sang, Filling Heorot with the head -clearing voice, Gladdening that great rally of Geats and Danes. From where he crouched at the king’s feet, Unferth, a son of Ecglaf’s, spoke 500 Contrary words. Beowulf’s coming, His sea -braving, made him sick with envy: He could not brook or abide the fact That anyone else alive under heaven Might enjoy greater regard than he did: “Are you the Beowulf who took on B reca in a swimming match on the open sea, risking the water just to prove that you could win? It was sheer vanity made you venture out On the main deep. And no matter who tried, 510 Friend or foe, to deflect the pair of you, Ne ither would back down: th e sea -test obsessed you. 7 You waded in, embracing water, Taking its measure, mastering currents, Riding on the swells. The ocean swayed, Winter went wild in the waves, but you vied For seven nights; and then he outswam you, Came ashore the stro nger conten der. He was cast up safe and sound one morning Among the Heathoreams, then made his way 520 To where he belonged in Bronding country, Home again, sure of his ground In strongroom and brawn. So Breca made good His boast upon you and was proved right. No matter, therefore, how you may have fared in ever y bout and battle until now, This time you’ll be worsted; no one has ever outlasted an entire night against Grendel.” Beowulf, Ecgtheow’s son, replied: “Well, friend Unferth, you have had your say 530 about Breca and me. But it was mostly beer that was doing the talking. The truth is this: when the going was heavy in those high waves, I was the strongest swimmer of all. We’d been children together and we grew up Daring ourselves to ou tdo each other, Boasting and urging each other to risk Our lives on the sea. And s o it turned out. Each of us swam holding a sword, A naked, hard -proofed bl ade for protection 540 Against the whale -beasts. But Breca could never Move out farther or faster from me Than I could manage to move from him. Shoulder to shoulder, we struggled on For five nights, until the long flow And pitch of the waves, the perishing cold, Night falling and winds from the north drove us apart. The deep boiled up and its wallowing sent the sea -brutes wild. My armour helped me to hold out; 550 My hard -ringed chain -mail, hand -forged and linked, A fine, close -fitting filigree of gold, Kept me safe when some ocean creature Pulled me to the bottom. Pinioned fast And swathed in its grip, I was granted one Final chance: my sword plunged And the ordeal was over. Through my hands, The fury of battle had finished off the sea -beast. “Time and again, foul things attacked me, lurking and stalking, but I lashed out, 560 gave as good as I got wi th my sword. My flesh was not for feasting on, There would be no monsters gnawing and gloating Over their banquet at the bottom of the sea. Instead, in the morning, mangled and sleeping The sleep of the sword, they slopped an d floated Like the ocean’s lea vings. From now on Sailors would be safe, the deep -sea raids Were over for good. Light came from the east, Bright guarantee of God, and the waves 570 8 Went quiet; I could see the headlands And buffeted cliffs. Often, for undanted courage, Fate spares the man it has not already marked. However, it occurred, my sword had killed Nine sea -monsters. Such night -dangers And hard ordeals I have never heard of Nor a man more desolate in sur ging waves . But worn out as I was, I survived, Came through with my life. The ocean lifted And laid me ashore, I landed safe 580 On the coast of Finland. Now I cannot recall Any fight you entered, Unferth, That bears comparison. I don’t boast when I say That neither you nor Breca were ever mu ch Celebrated for swordsmanship Or for facing danger on the field of battle. You killed your own kith and kin, So for all your cleverness and quick tongue , You will suffer damnation in the depths of hell. That fact is, Unferth, if you were truly 590 As keen or courageous as you claim to be , Grendel would never have got away with Such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, Havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere. But he knows he need never be in dread Of your blad e mak ing mizzle of his blood Or of venge ance arriving ever from this quarter — From the Victory -Shieldings, the shoulderers of the spear. He knows he can t rample down you Danes To his heart’s content , humiliate and murder 600 Without fear of reprisal. But he will find me different. I will show him how Geats shape to kill In the heat of battle. Then whosever want s to may go bravely to mead, when morning light, Scarfed in sun -dazzle, shines forth from the south and bring another daybreak to the world.” Then the grey -haired treasure -giver was glad; Far -famed in battle, the prince of Bright Danes And keep er of his people counted on Beowulf, On the warrior’s steadfastness and his word. 610 (The feast continues until Wealhtheow, Hrothgar’s Queen, comes in and serves mead to the warriors. With the Queen’s cup in hand, Beowulf makes a formal boast restating his intention to fight Grendel in a battle to the death. At the end of the feast, Hrothgar leaves Heorot in Beowulf’s care, and he again states his intention to fight Grendel bare -handed. Once all the Danes leave, the Geats settle in to sleep in the cursed mead -hall.) Fight with Grendel Then out of the night Came the shadow -stalker, stealthy and swift; The hall -guards were slack, asleep at their posts, All except one; it was widely unders tood That as long as God disallowed it, The fiend could not bear them to his shadow -bourne. One man, however, was in a fighting mood, Awake and on edge, spoiling for action. 9 In off the moors *, down through the mist bands 710 God -cursed Grendel came gr eedily loping. The bane of the race of men roamed forth, Hunting for a prey in the high hall. Under the cloud -murk he moved toward it Until it shone above him, a sheer keep Of fortified gold. Nor was that the first time He had scouted the grounds of Hrothar’s dwelling — Although never in his life, before or since, Did he find harder fortune for hall -defenders. Spurned and joyless, he journeyed on ahead 720 And arrived at the bawn *. The iron -braced door turned on its hinge when his hands touched it. Then his rage boiled over, he ripped open the mouth of the building, maddening for blood, pacing the length of the patterned floor with his loathsome tread, while a baleful light, flame more than light, flared from his eyes. He sa w many men in the mansi on, sleeping, A ranked company of kinsmen and warriors Quartered together. And his glee was demonic, 730 Picturing the mayhem: before morning He would rip life from limb and devour them, Feed on their flesh; but his fat e that night Was due to change, hi s days of ravening Had come to an end. *Moor - an open wasteland *Bawn - a rocky shoreline Mighty and canny, Hygelac’s kinsman was keenly watching For the first move the monster would make. Nor did the creature keep him waiting But struck suddenly and started in; He grabbed and mauled a man on his bench, 740 Bit into his bone -lappings, bol ted down his blood And gorged on him in lumps, leaving the body Utterly lifele ss, eaten up Hand and food. Venturing closer, His talon was raised to attack Beowulf Where he lay on the bed ; he was bearing in With open claw when the alert hero’s Comeback and armlock forestalled him utterly. The captain of evil discovered himself In a handgrip harder than anything 750 He had ever encountered in any man On the face of the earth. Every bone in his body Quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape. He was desperate to flee to his den and hide With the devil’s litter, for in all his days He had never been clamped or cornered like t his. Then Hygelac’s trusty retainer recalled His bedtime speech, sprang to his feet And got a firm hold. Fingers were bursting, The monster back -tracking, the man overpowering. 760 The dread of the land was desperate to escape, To take a roundabout road and flee To his lair in the fens. The latching power In his fingers weakened; it was the worst trip 10 The terror -monger had taken to Heorot. And now the timbers trembled and san g, A hall -session that harrowed every Dane Inside the stockade: stumbling in fury, The two contenders crashed through the building. The hall clattered and hammered, but somehow 770 Survived the onslaught and kept standing: It was handsomely structured, a sturdy frame Braced with the best of blacksmith’s work Inside and out. The story goes That as the pair struggled, mead -benches were smashed And sprung off the floor, gold fittings and all. Before then, no Shielding elder would believe There was any power of person upon earth Capable of wrecking their horn -rigged hall Unless the burning embrace of a fire 780 Engulf it in flame. Then an extraordinary Wail arose, and bewildering fear Came over the Danes. Everyone felt it Who heard that cry as it echoed off the wall, A G od -cursed scream and strain of ca tastrophe, The howl of t he los s, the lament of the hell -serf Keening his wound. He was overwhelmed, Manacled tight by the man who of all men Was foremost and strongest in the days of this life. But the earl -troop’s leader was not inclined 790 To allow his caller to depart al ive: He did not consider that life of much account To anyone anywhere. Time and again, Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend Their lord’s life, laying about them As best they could with their ancestral blades. Stalwart in action, they kept striking out On every side, seeking to cut Straight to the soul. When the y joined the struggle There was something that could not have known at the time, 800 That no blade on earth, no blacksmith’s art Could ever damage their demon opponent. He had conjured the harm from the cutting edge Of every weapon. But his going away Out of this world and the days of his life Would be agony to him, and his alien spirit Would travel far into fiend’s keeping. Then he who had harrowed the hearts of men With pain and affliction in for mer times And had given offence also to God 810 Found that his bodily powers failed him. Hygelac’s kinsman kept him helplessly Locked in a handgrip. As long as either lived, He was hateful to the other. The monster’s whole body was in pain, a tremen dous wound Appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split And the bone -lappings burst. Beowulf was granted The gory of winning; Grendel was driven Under the fen -banks, fatally hurt, To his desolate lair. His days were numbered, 820 The end of his life was coming over him, He knew it for certain; and one bloody clash 11 Had fulfilled the d earest wish of the Danes. (After the battle, the Danes rejoice. The proof of the victory as they followed the trail of blood to Grendel’s swamp where he died in the murky wa ters. The people rejoiced throughout Denmark, and many raced back and forth telling the mighty deeds of Beowulf - often comparing him to Sigemund the dragon slayer. Hrothgar returned to the hall and adopts Beowulf (symbolically) as a son. He praises the mighty hero and blessings of God. Hrothgar finishes his speech by saying…) But you have made yourself immortal 953 By your glorious action. May the God of Ages Continues to keep and requite you well.” Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke: “We have gone t hrough with a glorious endeavour and been much favoured in this fight we dared against the unknown, Nevertheless, if you could have seen the monster himself` 960 where he lay beaten, I would have been better pleased. My plan was to pounce, pin him down In a tight grip and grapple him to death — Have him panting for life, powerless and clasped In my bare hands, his body in thrall. But I couldn’t stop him from slipping my hold. The Lord allowed it, my lock on him Wasn’t strong enough, he struggled fiercely And broke and ran. Yet he bought his freedom At a high price, for he left his hand 970 and arm and shoulder to show he had been here, A cold comfort for having come among us. And now he won ’t be long for this world. He has done his worst but the wound will end him. He is hasped and hooped and hirpling with pain, Limping and looped in it. Like a man outlawed For wickedness, he must await The mighty judgment of God in majesty.” There was less tampering and big talk then From Unferth the boaster, less o f his blather 960 As the hall -thanes eyed the awful proof Of the hero’s prowess, the splayed hand Up under the eaves. … (Hrothgar orders the hall to be restored to its former glory, and soon a victory feast begins. Beowulf and his men are awarded gold , jewels, swords, and armor for their reward. Then a minstral sings a tale of Hildeburh, a Danish princess, who was married off to an ally of her enemies as part of a truce. In this story, the Danes are in exile after a stalemate battle with the Jutes an d Frisians, but they thirst for vengance. After a year, they attack and kill the king and bring his widow Hildeburh back home to Denmark. This story foreshadows the feud between the Geats and the Swedes. ) Grendel ’s Mother (After the celebration, men once again stay in Heorot . However, Grendel’s Mother will come , and for one them, this will be his last night on earth. She is a n outcast because of her ancestor Cain who killed his own brother. The family of Cain has become m onster s. Seeking vengeance for her son’s death, she attacks Heorot and kills just one man - Hrothgar’s closest friend and advisor. In his grief over the loss of his friend, Hrothgar describes where Grendel’s Mother lives to Beowulf. The old king will ask for one more favor.) “A few miles from here a frost stiffened wood waits and keeps watch above a mere; the overhanging ban k is a maze of tree -roots mirrored in its surface. 12 At night there, somethi8ng uncanny happens: The water burns. And the mere bo ttom Has never been sounded by the sons of men. On its bank, the heather -stepper halts: The hart in flight from pursuing hounds Will turn to face them with firm -set horns 1370 And die in the woo d rather than dive Beneath its surface. That is no good place. When the wind blows up and stormy weather Makes clouds scud and the skies weep, Out of its depths a dirty surge Is pitched towards the heavens. Now help depends Again on you and on you alone . The gap of danger where the demon waits Is still unknow n to you. Seek it if you dare. I will compensate you for settling the feud 1380 As I did the last time with lavish wealth, Coffers of coiled gold, if you come back. ” Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke: “Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to a venge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world Means waiting for our end. Let whoever can Win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, That will be his best and only bulwark. So arise, my lord, and let us immedi ately 1390 Set forth on the tr ail of this troll -dam. I guarantee you: she will not get away, Not to dens under ground nor upland groves Nor the ocean floor. She’ll have nowhere to flee to. Endure your trouble to -day. Bear up And be the man I expect yo u to be.” (A war party is quickly formed, and they track Grendel’s Mother to the fen where she lives. To the astonishment of the party, it is marked by the head of Hrothgar’s slain friend ; the blood from the severed head stirs up all kinds of sea monsters near the shore. Beowulf kills one with an arrow and brings it ashore allowing all to see the type of monsters that await him in the water. Unferth, too afraid to go into the water, gives Beowulf a mighty sword named Hrunting. Beowulf also dresse s for battle with chain -mail, shield, and helmet. Beowulf reminds Hrothgar of his earlier words about the death of a warrior.) After these words, the prince of the W eather -Geats 1492 Was impatien t to be away and plunged sudden ly: Without more ado, he di ved into the heaving Depth s of the lake. It was the best part of a day Before he could see the solid bottom. Quickly the one who haunted those waters, Who had scavenged and gone her gluttonous rounds For a hundred seasons, sensed a human Observing her out landish lair from above. 1500 So she lunged and clutched and managed to catch him In her brutal grip, but his body, for all that, Remained unscathed: the mesh of the chain -mail Saved him on the outside. Her savage talons Failed to rip the web of his warshirt. Then once sh e touched bottom, that wolfish sw immer Carried the ring -mailed prince to her court So that for all his courage he could never use The weapons he carried; and a bewildering horde 13 Came at him from the depths, droves of s ea-beasts 1510 Who attacked with tusks and tore at his chain -mail In a ghastly on slaught. The gallant man Could see he had entered some hellish turn -hole And yet the water did not work against him Because the hall -roofing held off The force of the curre nt; then he saw a firelight, A glam and flare -up, a glimmer or brightness. The hero observed that swamp -thing from hell, The tarn -hag in all her terrible strength, Then heaved his war -sword and swung his arm: 1520 The decorated blade came down ringing And singing on her head. But he soon found his battle -torch extinguished: the shinning blade Refused to bite. It spared her and failed The man in his need. It has gone through many Hand -to-hand fights, had hewed the armour And helmets of the doomed, bu t there at last The fabulous powers of that heirloom failed. Hygelac’s kinsman kept thinking about His name and fame: he never lost heart. 1530 Then, in a fury, he flung his sword away. The keep, inlaid, worm -loop -patterned steel Was hurled to the grou nd: he would have to rely On the might of his arm. S o must a man do Who inten ds to gain enduring glory In a combat. Life doesn’t cost him a thought. Then the prince of War -Geats, warming to this fight With Grendel’s mother, gripped her shoulder And laid about him in a battle frenzy: He pitched his killer opponent to the floor 1540 But she rose quickly and retaliated, Grappled him tightly in her grim embrace. The sure -footed fighter felt daunted, The strongest of warriors stumbled and fell. So she pounced upon him and pulled out A broad, whetted knife: now she would avenge Her only child. But the mesh of chain -mail On Beowulf’s shoulder shielded his life, Turned the edge and tip of the blade. The son of Ecgtheow would have surely perished 1550 An d the Geats lost their warrior under the wide ear th Had the strong links and locks of his war -gear Not helped to save him: holy God Decided the victory. It was easy for the Lord, The Ruler of Heaven, to redress the balance Once Beowulf got back up on his feet. Then he saw a blade that boded well, A sword in her armoury, and ancient heirloom From the days of giants, and ideal weapon, On e that any warrior would envy, 1560 But so huge and heavy of itself Only Beowulf could wield it in a battle. So the Sh ielding’s hero, hard -pressed and enraged, Took a firm hold of the hilt and swung The blade in an arc, a resolute blow That bit deep into her neck -bone 14 And severed it entirely, toppling the doomed House of her flesh; she fell to the floor. The sword dripped blood, the swordsman was elated. A light appeared and the place brightened 1570 The way the sky does when heaven’s candle Is shinning clearly. He inspected he vault: With sword held high, its hilt raised To guard and threaten, Hygelac’s thane Scouted by the wall in Grendel’s wake. Now the weapon was to prove its worth. The warrior determined to take revenge For every gross act Grendel had committed — And not only for that one occasion When he’d come to slaughter the sleeping troops, 1580 Fifteen of H rothgar’s house -guards Surprised on their benches and ruthlessly devoured, And as many again carried away, A brutal plunder. Beowulf in his fury Now settled that score: he saw the monster In his resting place, a war -weary and wrecked, A lifeless corpse, a casualty Of the battle in Heorot. The body gaped At the stroke dealt to it after death: Beowulf cut the corpse’s head off. 1590 Beowulf becomes King of the Geats (After the battle, Beowulf brings Grendel’s head and the giant’s sword back to Heorot a s tribute to Hrothgar. Beowulf is awarded many more valuables for his bravery, but most importantly Hrothgar teaches Beowulf what it means to be a good king and to respect life. Before the Geats return home, Hrothgar proclaims Beowulf fit to be king of t he Geats. Once home in Geatland, Beowulf recounts his tales and shares his treasure with Hygelac. King Hygelac in turn awards Beowulf w ith the best sword and treasure that the Geats own. Although Beowulf had at times been poorly regarded, his status as a brave warrior was now set, and he carried himself with valor and restraint - never harming those who were drunken or brawling - until Hygelac is killed in battle. Then…) The wide kingdom Reverted to Beowulf. He ruled it well For fifty winters, grew o ld and wise As warden of the land Until one began 2210 To dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl Form the steep vaults of the stone -roofed barrow Where he guarded a hoard; there was a hidden passage Unknown to men, but someone managed To enter by it and interfere With the heathen trove. He had handled and removed A gem -studded goblet; it gained him nothing, Though with a thief’s wiles he had outwitted The sleeping dragon; that drove him into a rage, As the people of that country would soon discove r. 2220 The intruder who broached the dragon’s treasure And moved him to wrath had never meant to. It was desperation on the part of a slave Fleeing the heavy hand of some master, Guilt -ridden and on the run, Going to ground. But he soon began To shake with terror; ……….. In shock The wretch…………………………………… ……………………………panicked and ran away with the precious …………………….. 2230 metalwork. There were many other 15 heirlooms heaped inside the earth -house, because long ago, with deliberate care, somebody now fo rgotten had buried the riches of a high -born race in this ancient cache. Death had come and taken them all in times gone by and the only one left to tell their tale, the last of their line, could look forward to nothing but the same fate for himself: he foresaw that his joy 2240 in the treasure would be brief. A newly constructed Barrow stood waiting, on a wide headland Close to the waves, its entryway secured. Into it the keeper of the hoard had carried All the good s and golden war e Worth preserving. His words were few: “Now, earth, hold what earls once held and heroes can no more; it was mined from you first by honourable me n. My own people have been ruined in war; one by one 2250 they went down to death, looked their last on sweet life in the hall. I am left with nobody to bear a sword or burnish plated goblets, put a sheen on the cup. The companies have departed. The hard helmet, hasped with gold, Will be stripped of its hoops; and the helmet -shiner Wh o should polish the metal of the war -mask sleeps; The coat of mail that came through all fights, Through shield -collapse and cut of sword, Decays with the warrior. Nor many webbed mail 2260 Range far and wide on the warlord’s back Beside his mustered tr oops. No trembling harp, No tuned timber, no tumbling hawk Swerving through the hall, no swift horse Pawing the courtyard. Pillage and slaughter Have emptied the earth of entire peoples.” And so he mourned as he moved about the world, Deserted and alone, lamenting his unhappiness Day and night, until death’s flood Brimmed up in his heart. Then and old harrower of the dark 2270 Happened to find the hoard open, The burning one who hunts out barrows, The slick -skinned dragon, threatening the night s ky With treamers of fire. People on the farms Are in dread of him. He is driven to hunt out Hoards under ground, to guard heather gold Through age -long vigils, though to little avail. For three centuries, this scourge of the people had stood guard on tha t stoutly protected underground treasury, until the intruder 2280 unleashed its fury; he hurried to his lord with the gold -plated cup and made his plea to be reinstated. Then the vault was rifled, the ring -hoard robbed, and the wretched man had his re quest granted. His master gazed on that find from the past for the first time. When the dragon awoke, trouble flared again. He rippled down the rock, writing with anger 16 when he saw the footprints of the prowler who had stolen too close to his dreaming head. 2290 So may a man not marked by fate easily escape exile and woe by the grace of God …. Beowulf attacks the dragon (The dragon continues to attack the villages and farms of Geatland; even Beowulf’s home, the throne room, is burned to the ground. Beowulf orders an all iron shield to replace his wooden one . In his old age, this is a very dangerous battle, yet Beowulf was too proud to call up a large army. Instead he recalls the glorious battles of his youth - including the fight with Grendel - and the many fights he had as King of the Geats. And so the son of Ecgtheow had survived every extreme, excelling himself in daring and in danger , until the day arrived When he had to come face to face with the dragon. 2400 The lord of the Geats took ele ven comrades and went in a rage to reconnoiter. … The veteran king sat down on the cliff -top. He wished good luck to the Geats who had shared his hearth and his gold. He was sad at heart, unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. 2420 His fate hovered n ear, unknowable but certain: it would soon claim his coffered soul, part life from limb. Before long the prince’s spirit would spin free from his body. (Beowulf recounts his childhood and several battles between the Geats and Swedes. In the most recent skirmish, the Swedish king is killed by one of Hygelac’s thanes - at the time a peer with Beowulf. This foreshadows the continued strife between the Swedes and the Geats.) Beowulf spoke, made a formal boast 2510 for the last time: “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth -fort and face me in the open.” Then he addressed each d ear companion one final time, those fig hters in their helmets, resolute and high -born: “I would rather not use a weapon if I kn ew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast 2520 as I did against Grendel in days gone by. But I shall be meeting molten venom in the fire he bre athes, so I go forth in mai l-shirt and shield. I won’t shift a foot when I meet the cave -guard: what occurs on the wall between the two of us will turn out as fate, overseer of men, decides. I am resolved. I scorn further words against this sky -borne foe . “Men at arms, remain here on the barrow, safe in your armour, to see which one of us 2530 is better in the end at bearing wounds in a deadly fray. This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster 17 or to prove his worth. I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away.” Then he drew himself up beside his shield. The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet trusted in his own strength entirely 2540 and went under the crag. No coward path. Hard by the rock -face that hale veteran, a good man who had gone repeatedly into combat and danger and come through, saw a stone arch and a gushing stream that burst from the barrow, blazing and wafting a dead ly heat. It would be hard to survive unscathed near the hoard , to hold firm against the dragon in those flaming depths. Then he gave a shout. The lord of the Geats 2550 unburdened his breast and broke out in a storm of anger. Under grey stone his voic e challenged and resounded clearly. Hate was ignited. The hoard -guard recognized a human voice, the time was over for peace and parleying. Pouring forth in a hot battle -fume, the breath of the monster burst from the rock. There was a rumble under ground . Down there in the barrow, Beowulf the warrior lifted his shield: the outlandish thing 2560 writhed and convulsed and viciously turned on the king, whose keen -edged sword, an heirloom inherited by the ancient right, was already in his hand. Roused to a fury, each antagonist struck terror in the other. Unyielding, the lord of his people loomed by his tall shield, sure of his ground, while the serpent looped and unleashed itself. Swaddled in flames, it came gliding and flexing and racing towards its fate. Yet his shield defended 2570 the renowned leader’s life and limb for a shorter time than he meant it to: that final day was the first time when Beowulf fought and fate denied him glory in battle. S o the king of the Geats raised his hand and struck hard at the enameled scales, but scarcely cut through: the blade flashed and slashed yet the blow was far less powerful than the hard -pressed king had need of at that moment. The mound -keeper 2580 went into a spasm and spouted deadly flames when he felt the stroke, battle -fire billowed and spewed. Beowulf was foiled of a glorious victory. The glittering sword, infallible before that day, failed when he unsheathed it, as it never should have. For the son of Ecgtheow, it was no easy thing to have to giv e ground like that and go unwillinginly to inhabit another home in a place beyond; so every man must yield 2590 the leasehold of his days. Before long 18 the fierce contenders clashed again. The hoard -guard took heart, inhaled and swelled up and got a new wind; he who had once ruled was furled in fire and had to face the worst. No help or backing was to be had then from his high -born comrades; that hand -picked troop broke ranks and ran for their lives to the safety of the wood. But within one heart sorrow welled up: in a man of worth 2600 the claims of kinship cannot be denied. His name was Wiglaf, a son of Weohstan’s, a well -regarded Shylfing [ Swedish] warrior… … And now the youth was to enter the line of battle with his lord, his first time to be tested as a fighter. His spirit did not break and the ancestral blade would keep its edge, as the dragon discovered as soon as they came together in combat. 2630 Sad at heart, addressing his companions, Wiglaf spoke wise and fluent words: “I rememb er that time when mead was flowing, how we pledged loyalty to our lord in the hall, promised our ring -giver we would be worth our price, make good the gift of the war -gear, those swords and helmets, as and when his need required it. He picked us out from the army deliberately, honoured us and judged us fit for this action, made me these lavish gifts — 2640 and all because he considered us the best of his arms -bearing thanes. And now, although he wanted this challenge to be one he’d face by himself alon e—the shepherd of our land, a man unequalled in the quest for glory and a name for daring — now the day has come when this lord we serve needs sound men to give him their support. Let us go to him, help our leader through the hot flame and dread of the fire . As God is my witness, 2650 I would rather my body were robed in the same burning blaze as my gold -giver’s body than go back home bearing arms. That is unthinkable, unless we have first slain the foe and defended the life of the prince of the Weather -Geats. I well know the things he has done for us deserve better. Should he alone be left exposed to fall in battle? We must bond together, shield and helmet, mail -shirt and sword.” 2660 Then he waded the dangerous reek and went under arms to his lord, saying only: “Go one, dear Beowulf, do everything you said you would when you were still young and vowed you would never let your name and fame be dimmed while you lived. Your deeds are famous, so stay resolute, my lord, defend your life now with the whole of your strength. I shall stand by you.” After those words, a wildness rose 19 in the dragon again and drove it to attack, 2670 heaving up fire, hunting for enemies, the humans it loathed. Flames lapped the shield, charred it to the boss, and the b ody armour of the young warrior was useless to him. But Wiglaf did w ell under the wide rim Beowulf shared with him once his own had shattered in sparks and ashes. Inspired again by the thought of glory, the war -king threw his whole strength behind the s word -stroke and connected with the skull. And Naegling [the sword] snapped. 2680 Beowulf’s ancient iron -grey sword let him down in the fight. It was never his fortune to be helped in combat by the cutting edge of weapons made of iron. When he wielded a sword, no matter how blooded and hard -edged the blade his hand was too strong, the stroke he dealt (I have heard) would ruin it. He could reap no advantage. Then the bane of that people, the fire -breathing dragon, was mad to attack for a third time. When a chance came, he caught the hero 2690 in a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs into his neck. Beowulf’s body ran wet with his life -blood: it came welling out. Next thing, they say, the noble son of Weohstan saw the king in danger at his side and displayed his inborn bravery and strength. He left the head alone, but his fighting hand was burned when he came to his kinsman’s aid. He lunged at the enemy lower down so that his decorated sword sank into its belly 2700 and the flames grew weaker. Once again the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried on his belt, sharpened for battle. He stuck it deep into the dragon’s flank. Beowulf dealt it a deadly wound. They had killed the enemy, courage quelled his life; that pair of ki nsmen, partners in nobility, had destroyed the foe. So every man should act, be at hand when needed ; but now, for the king, this would be the last of his many labours 2710 and triumphs in the world. Then the wound dealt by the ground –burner earlie r began to scald and swell; Beowulf discovered deadly poison suppurating inside him, surges of nausea, and so, in his wisdom, the prince realized his state and struggled towards a seat on the rampart. He steadied his gaze on those gi gantic stones, saw how the earthwork was braced with arches built over columns. And now that than e unequalled for goodness 2720 with his own hands washed his lord’s wounds, swabbed the weary prince with water, bathed him clean, unbuckled his helmet. 20 Beow ulf spoke: in spite of his wound s, mortal wounds, he still spoke for he well kne w his days in the world had been lived out to the end: his allotted time was drawing to a close, death was very near. (Beowulf asks Wiglaf to go into the barrow and examine the dragon’s treasure be fore bringing some to Beowulf. The dying king wants to see what he gave his life for, so Wiglaf does as he is commanded. Once Wiglaf returns with the gold, Beowulf gives thanks “to the everlasting Lord of All” and asks to be buried in a barrow on the coa st to remind his people and sailors of his brave deeds.) Then the king in his great -heartedness unclasped the collar of gold from his neck and gave it 2810 to the young thane, telling him to use it and the warshirt and the gilded helmet well. “You are t he last of us, the only one left of the Waegmundings. Fate swept us all away, sent my whole brave high -born clan to their final doom. Now I must follow them.” That was the warrior’s last word. He had no more to confide. The furious heat of the pyre would assail him. His soul fled from his breast to its destined place among the steadfast ones. It was hard then on the yo ung hero, having to watch the one he held so dear there on the ground, going through his death agony. The dragon from underearth, his nightmarish destroyer, lay destroyed as well, utterly without life. … …The treasure had been won, been bought and paid for by Beowulf’s death. Both had reached the end of the road through the life they had been lent. (Soon the deserters return, and Wiglaf berates them for the cowards that they are. He recounts the battles and on -going feud with the Swedes and predicts that with Beowulf’s death and the rumors of deserting soldiers, it is only a matter of time before they are invaded. Wiglaf quickly orders seven men to collect the dragon’s treasure, and they quickly set about preparing Beowulf’s barrow along the high cliffs of the shore. After building a large pyre, adorned with swords and shields, they burned Beowulf’s body. What remained after the fire was placed in the barrow as a memorial to their great king. Twelve riders circled the barrow lamenting and telling the great deeds of king Beowulf.) They extolled his heroic nature and exploits 3173 and gave thanks for his greatness; which was th e proper thing, for a man should praise whom he holds dear and cherish his memory when that moment comes when he has to be conv oyed from his bodily home. So the Geat people, his hearth companions, sorrowed for the lord who had been laid low. They said tha t of all the kings upon the earth , 3180 he was the man most gracious and fair -minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame. ~the end