Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 07

←

Beowulf: VII

→

1312473Beowulf (Wyatt) — Beowulf: VII

VII.

Hrōðgār maþelode,⁠helm Scyldinga:
“F[or w]ere-fyhtum^[1] þū,⁠wine mīn Bēowulf,
ond for ār-stafum⁠ūsic sōhtest.
Geslōh þin fæder⁠fǣhðe mǣste,
460wearþ hē Heaþolāfe⁠tō hand-bonan
mid Wilfingum;⁠ðā hine Wedera^[2] cyn
for here-brōgan⁠habban ne mihte.
Þanon hē gesōhte⁠Sūð-Dena folc
ofer ȳða gewealc,⁠Ār-*Scyldinga;Fol. 140b.
465ðā ic furþum wēold⁠folce Deniga,^[3]
ond on geogoðe hēold⁠gimme-rīce
hord-burh hæleþa.⁠Ðā wæs Heregār dēad,
mīn yldra mǣg⁠unlifigende,
bearn Healfdenes;⁠sē wæs betera ðonne ic.
470Siððan þā fǣhðe⁠fēo þingode;
sende ic Wylfingum⁠ofer wæteres hrycg
ealde mādmas;⁠hē mē āþas swōr.
Sorh is mē tō secganne⁠on sefan mīnum
gumena ǣngum,⁠hwæt mē Grendel hafað
475hȳnðo on Heorote⁠mid his hete-þancum,
fǣr-nīða gefremed;⁠is mīn flet-werod,
wīg-hēap, gewanod;⁠hīe wyrd forswēop
on Grendles gryre.⁠God ēaþe mæg
þone dol-sceaðan^[4]⁠dǣda getwǣfan.
480Ful oft gebēotedon⁠bēore druncne
ofer ealo-wǣge⁠ōret-mecgas,
þæt hīe in bēor-sele⁠bīdan woldon
Grendles gūþe⁠mid gryrum ecga.
Ðonne wæs þēos medo-heal⁠on morgen tīd,
485driht-sele drēor-fāh,⁠þonne dæg līxte,
eal *benc-þelu⁠blōde bestȳmed,Fol. 141a.
heall heoru-drēore;⁠āhte ic holdra þȳ lǣs,
dēorre duguðe,⁠þē þā dēað fornam.
Site nū tō symle⁠ond onsǣl meoto,
490sige-hrēð secgum,^[5]⁠swā þīn sefa hwette.”
Þā wæs Gēat-mæcgum⁠geador ætsomne
on bēor-sele⁠bene gerȳmed;
þǣr swīð-ferhþe⁠sittan ēodon,
þrȳðum dealle.⁠Þegn nytte behēold,
495sē þe on handa bær⁠hroden ealo-wǣge,
scencte scīr wered.⁠Scop hwīlum sang
hādor on Heorote;⁠þǣr wæs hæleða drēam,
duguð unlȳtel⁠Dena ond Wedera.

↑ 457. MS. ‘fere fyhtum.’ The reading in the text was suggested by Grundtvig.
↑ 461. MS. ‘gara’; Grundtvig ‘Wedera.’ See ll. 225, 423, &c.
↑ 465. MS. ‘deninga.’ See ll. 155, 271, &c.
↑ 479. MS. ‘sc^eaðan,’ the e in a different hand.
↑ 489—90. MS. ‘on sæl meoto sige hreð secgū.’ This passage has given rise to much discussion; the conjectures are too numerous to be given here. Meoto is the chief difficulty. I have followed Heyne in adopting Müllenhoff’s interpretation, taking meoto = meotu (with u-umlaut produced by inflectional u; Sievers § 106.3) = metu, pl. of met, ‘thought’; cf. metian, ‘meditate upon,’ Psalm 118. 174.

[1] 457. MS. ‘fere fyhtum.’ The reading in the text was suggested by Grundtvig.

[2] 461. MS. ‘gara’; Grundtvig ‘Wedera.’ See ll. 225, 423, &c.

[3] 465. MS. ‘deninga.’ See ll. 155, 271, &c.

[4] 479. MS. ‘sc^eaðan,’ the e in a different hand.

[5] 489—90. MS. ‘on sæl meoto sige hreð secgū.’ This passage has given rise to much discussion; the conjectures are too numerous to be given here. Meoto is the chief difficulty. I have followed Heyne in adopting Müllenhoff’s interpretation, taking meoto = meotu (with u-umlaut produced by inflectional u; Sievers § 106.3) = metu, pl. of met, ‘thought’; cf. metian, ‘meditate upon,’ Psalm 118. 174.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]