Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 11

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Beowulf: XI

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1316204Beowulf (Wyatt) — Beowulf: XI

XI.

710Ðā cōm of mōre⁠under mist-hleoþum
Grendel gongan,⁠Godes yrre bær;
mynte se mān-scaða⁠manna cynnes
sumne besyrwan⁠in sele þām hēan.
Wōd under wolcnum,⁠tō þæs þe hē wīn-reced,
715gold-sele gumena,⁠gearwost wisse,
fǣttum fāhne;⁠ne wæs þæt forma sīð,
þæt hē Hrōþgāres⁠hām gesōhte.
Nǣfre hē on aldor-dagum⁠ǣr *ne siþðanFol. 146b.
heardran hæle,⁠heal-ðegnas fand.
720Cōm þā tō recede⁠rinc siðian
drēamum bedǣled;⁠duru sōna onarn,
fȳr-bendum fæst,⁠syþðan hē hire folmum [hr]ān;^[1]
onbrǣd þā bealo-hȳdig,⁠ðā [hē ge]bolgen^[2] wæs,
recedes mūþan.⁠Raþe æfter þon
725on fāgne flōr⁠fēond treddode,
ēode yrre-mōd;⁠him of ēagum stōd
ligge gelīcost⁠lēoht unfæger.
Geseah hē in recede⁠rinca manige,
swefan sibbe-gedriht⁠samod ætgædere,
730mago-rinca hēap.⁠Þā his mōd āhlōg;
mynte þæt hē gedǣlde,⁠ǣ þon dæg cwōme,
atol āglǣca,⁠ānra gehwylces
līf wið līce,⁠þā him ālumpen wæs
wist-fylle wēn.⁠Ne wæs þæt wyrd þā gēn,
735þæt hē mā mōste⁠manna cynnes
ðicgean ofer þā niht.⁠Þrȳð-swȳð behēold
mǣg Higelāces,⁠hū se mān-scaða
under fǣr-gripum⁠gefaran wolde.
Ne þæt se āglǣca⁠yldan þōhte,
740ac he ge*fēng hraðe⁠forman sīðeFol. 131a.
slǣpendne rinc,⁠slāt unwearnum,
bāt bān-locan,⁠blōd ēdrum dranc,
syn-snǣdum swealh;⁠sōna hæfde
unlyfigendes⁠eal gefeormod,
745fēt ond folma.⁠Forð nēar ætstōp,
nam þā mid handa⁠hige-þihtigne
rinc on ræste;⁠rǣhte ongēan
fēond mid folme;⁠hē onfēng hraþe
inwit-þancum⁠ond wið earm gesæt.
750Sōna þæt onfunde⁠fyrena hyrde,
þæt hē ne mētte⁠middan-geardes,
eorþan sceatta,^[3]⁠on elran men
mund-gripe māran;⁠hē on mōde wearð
forht, on ferhðe;⁠nō þȳ ǣr fram meahte.
755Hyge wæs him hin-fūs,⁠wolde on heolster flēon,
sēcan dēofla gedræg;⁠ne wæs his drohtoð þǣr,
swylce hē on ealder-dagum⁠ǣr gemētte.
Gemunde þā se gōda⁠mǣg Higelāces
ǣfen-sprǣce,⁠up-lang āstōd
760ond him fæste wiðfēng;⁠fingras burston;
eoten wæs ūt-weard;⁠eorl furþur stōp.
Mynte se mǣra,⁠*hwǣr^[4] hē meahte swā,Fol. 131b.
wīdre gewindan⁠ond on weg þanon
flēon on fen-hopu;⁠wiste his fingra geweald
765on grames grāpum.⁠Þæt (hē)^[5] wæs gēocor sīð,
þæt se hearm-scaþa⁠tō Heorute ātēah.
Dryht-sele dynede;⁠Denum eallum wearð,
ceaster-būendum,⁠cēnra gehwylcum,
eorlum ealu-scerwen.⁠Yrre wǣron begen
770rēþe rēn-weardas.⁠Reced hlynsode;
þā wæs wundor micel,⁠þæt se wīn-sele
wiðhæfde heaþo-dēorum,⁠þæt hē on hrūsan ne fēol,
fæger fold-bold;⁠ac hē þæs fæste wæs
innan ond ūtan⁠īren-bendum
775searo-þoncum besmiþod.⁠Þær fram sylle ābēag
medu-benc monig,⁠mīne gefrǣge,
golde geregnad,⁠þǣr þā graman wunnon;
þæs ne wēndon ǣr⁠witan Scyldinga,
þæt hit ā mid gemete⁠manna ǣnig,
780betlīc^[6] ond bān-fāg,⁠tōbrecan meahte,
listum tōlūcan,⁠nymþe līges fæþm
swulge on swaþule.⁠Swēg *ūp āstāgFol. 147a.
nīwe geneahhe;⁠Norð-Denum stōd
atelīc egesa,⁠ānra gehwylcum,
785 þāra þe of wealle⁠wōp gehȳrdon,
gryre-lēoð galan⁠godes ondsacan,
sige-lēasne sang,⁠sār wānigean
helle hæfton.^[7]⁠Hēold hine fæste,^[8]
sē þe manna wæs⁠mægene strengest
790on þǣem dæge⁠þysses līfes.

↑ 722. MS. defective at edge. Zupitza’s transliteration of the facsimile of the MS. has ‘[gehr]an.’ There is room for two letters before hrān, but there is no evidence for ge-. On the contrary, whilst hrīnan usually governs the dat., gehrīnan more commonly takes the accus. (pace Grein).
↑ 723. MS. faded at edge. Kemble, Grein-Wülcker, and Heyne ‘[hē] ābolgen.’ Zupitza says: “Now bolgen is still distinct, and before it I think I see traces of two letters of which the first seems to have been g; but what preceded this is entirely faded.”
↑ 752. Many editors normalise to ‘scēata.’ See Sievers § 230.
↑ 762. MS. defective at corner. Ettmüller, Wülcker, Heyne ‘þǣr.’ Zupitza’s transliteration ‘hwær,’ as if there were no doubt as to the reading, but his foot-note runs: “hwær (hw with another ink, and crossed out in pencil) B, …ær A; now only the lower part of r left.”
↑ 765. MS. ‘þæ he wæs.’ Grein suggested the accepted emendation—the omission of hē.
↑ 780. MS. ‘hetlic’; Grundtvig ‘betlīc’ Cf. l. 1925.
↑ 788. Zupitza and others ‘helle-hæfton,’ but nothing is gained by making them a compound. For -an of the weak declension, -on is not uncommon.
↑ Almost all editors insert ‘tō’ before ‘fæste.’

[1] 722. MS. defective at edge. Zupitza’s transliteration of the facsimile of the MS. has ‘[gehr]an.’ There is room for two letters before hrān, but there is no evidence for ge-. On the contrary, whilst hrīnan usually governs the dat., gehrīnan more commonly takes the accus. (pace Grein).

[2] 723. MS. faded at edge. Kemble, Grein-Wülcker, and Heyne ‘[hē] ābolgen.’ Zupitza says: “Now bolgen is still distinct, and before it I think I see traces of two letters of which the first seems to have been g; but what preceded this is entirely faded.”

[3] 752. Many editors normalise to ‘scēata.’ See Sievers § 230.

[4] 762. MS. defective at corner. Ettmüller, Wülcker, Heyne ‘þǣr.’ Zupitza’s transliteration ‘hwær,’ as if there were no doubt as to the reading, but his foot-note runs: “hwær (hw with another ink, and crossed out in pencil) B, …ær A; now only the lower part of r left.”

[5] 765. MS. ‘þæ he wæs.’ Grein suggested the accepted emendation—the omission of hē.

[6] 780. MS. ‘hetlic’; Grundtvig ‘betlīc’ Cf. l. 1925.

[7] 788. Zupitza and others ‘helle-hæfton,’ but nothing is gained by making them a compound. For -an of the weak declension, -on is not uncommon.

[8] Almost all editors insert ‘tō’ before ‘fæste.’

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