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Beowulf: VIII

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1312650Beowulf (Wyatt) — Beowulf: VIII

VIII.

Unferð^[1] maþelode,⁠Ecglāfes bearn,
500þe æt fōtum sæt⁠frēan Scyldinga,
onband beadu-rūne⁠(wæs him Bēowulfes sið,
mōdges mere-faran,⁠micel æf-þunca,
forþon þe hē ne ūþe,⁠þæt ǣnig ōðer man
ǣfre *mǣrða þon mā⁠middan-geardesFol. 141b.
505gehēdde under heofenum⁠þonne hē sylfa):
“Eart þū se Bēowulf,⁠sē þe wið Brecan wunne,
on sīdne sǣ⁠ymb sund flite,
ðǣr git for wlence⁠wada cunnedon,
ond for dol-gilpe⁠on dēop wæter
510aldrum nēþdon?⁠Ne inc ǣnig mon,
ne lēof nē lāð,⁠belēan mihte
sorh-fullne sīð,⁠þā git on sund rēon;
þǣr git ēagor-strēam⁠earmum þehton,
mǣton mere-strǣta,⁠mundum brugdon,
515glidon ofer gār-secg;⁠geofon ȳþum wēol,
wintrys wyhn.^[2]⁠Git on wæteres ǣht
seofon niht swuncon;⁠hē þē æt sunde oferflāt,
hæfde māre mægen.⁠Þā hine on morgen-tīd
on Heaþo-Rǣmas^[3]⁠holm up ætbær;
520ðonon hē gesōhte⁠swǣsne ēðel,^[4]
lēof his lēodum⁠lond Brondinga,
freoðo-burh fægere,⁠þǣr hē folc āhte,
burh ond bēagas.⁠*Bēot eal wið þēFol. 142a.
sunu Bēanstānes⁠sōðe gelǣste.
525Ðonne wēne ic tō þē⁠wyrsan geþingea,
ðēah þū heaðo-rǣsa⁠gehwǣr dohte,
grimre gūðe,⁠gif þū Grendles dearst
niht-longne fyrst⁠nēan bīdan.”
Bēowulf maþelode,⁠bearn Ecgþēowes:
530“Hwæt! þū worn fela,⁠wine mīn Unferð,^[5]
bēore druncen⁠ymb Brecan sprǣce,
sægdest from his sīðe.⁠Sōð ic talige,
þæt ic mere-strengo⁠māran āhte,
earfeþo^[6] on ȳþum,⁠ðonne ǣnig ōþer man.
535Wit þæt gecwǣdon⁠cniht-wesende
ond gebēotedon⁠(wǣron begen þā git
on geogoð-fēore),⁠þæt wit on gār-secg ūt
aldrum nēðdon;⁠ond þæt geæfndon swā.
Hæfdon swurd nacod,⁠þā wit on sund rēon,
540heard on handa;⁠wit unc wið hron-fixas
werian þōhton.⁠Nō hē wiht fram mē
flōd-ȳþum feor⁠flēotan meahte,
hraþor on holme;⁠nō ic fram him wolde.
Ðā wit æt *somne⁠on sǣ wǣronFol. 142b.
545fīf nihta fyrst,⁠oþ þæt unc flōd tōdrāf,
wado weallende;⁠wedera cealdost,
nīpende niht⁠ond norþan wind,
heaðo-grim ondhwearf;^[7]⁠hrēo wǣron ȳþa.
Wæs mere-fixa⁠mōd onhrēred;
550þǣr mē wið lāðum⁠līc-syrce mīn,
heard hond-locen,⁠helpe gefremede;
beado-hrægl brōden⁠on brēostum læg,
golde gegyrwed.⁠Mē tō grunde tēah
fāh fēond-scaða,⁠fæste hæfde
555grim on grāpe;⁠hwæþre mē gyfeþe wearð,
þæt ic āglǣcan⁠orde gerǣhte,
hilde-bille;⁠heaþo-rǣs fornam
mihtig mere-dēor⁠þurh mīne hand.

↑ 499. MS. ‘Hvnferð.’
↑ 515—16. Grein-Wülcker:

⁠‘geofon-yðum
weol wintrys wylm.’

Other editions needlessly change wylm to wylme or wylmum.
↑ 519. MS. ‘heaþoræmes.’
↑ 520. MS. ‘swæsne · ᛟ ·’ The O.E. name of this runic character was ēðel; hence the character is used here and in l. 913 for the word ēðel.
↑ 530. MS. ‘hun ferð.’ The initial is always h in the MS., although the word always alliterates with vowels.
↑ 534. There is this to be said for the emendation eafeþo, “strength,” that it is a closer parallel to mere-strengo than the reading of the MS.
↑ 548. MS. ‘⁊hwearf’; cf. ‘⁊swarode,’ l. 258. Grein takes hwearf to be an adj., which he glosses ‘versatilis, volubilis,’ and compares Icel. hverfr.

[1] 499. MS. ‘Hvnferð.’

[2] 515—16. Grein-Wülcker:

⁠‘geofon-yðum
weol wintrys wylm.’

Other editions needlessly change wylm to wylme or wylmum.

[3] 519. MS. ‘heaþoræmes.’

[4] 520. MS. ‘swæsne · ᛟ ·’ The O.E. name of this runic character was ēðel; hence the character is used here and in l. 913 for the word ēðel.

[5] 530. MS. ‘hun ferð.’ The initial is always h in the MS., although the word always alliterates with vowels.

[6] 534. There is this to be said for the emendation eafeþo, “strength,” that it is a closer parallel to mere-strengo than the reading of the MS.

[7] 548. MS. ‘⁊hwearf’; cf. ‘⁊swarode,’ l. 258. Grein takes hwearf to be an adj., which he glosses ‘versatilis, volubilis,’ and compares Icel. hverfr.

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