[XXIX.]
oð ðæt hīe forlǣddan[1] tō ðām lind-plegan
2040swǣse gesīðas ond hyra sylfra feorh.
Þonne cwið aæt bēore, sē ðe bēah *gesyhð,Fol. 175a.
eald æsc-wiga, sē ðe eall gem[an],[2]
gār-cwealm gumena (him bið grim sefa),
onginneð gēomor-mōd geong[um] cempan
2045þurh hreðra gehygd higes cunnian,
wīg-bealu weccean, ond þæt word ācwyð:
‘Meaht ðū, mīn wine, mēce gecnāwan,
þone þīn fæder tō gefeohte bær
under here-grīman hindeman sīðe,
2050dȳre īren, þǣr hyne Dene slōgon,
wēoldon wæl-stōwe, syððan Wiðergyld læg,[3]
æfter hæleþa hryre, hwate Scyldungas?
Nū hēr þāra banena byre nāt-hwylces
frætwum hrēmig on flet gǣð,
2055morðres gylpe[ð], ond þone māðþum byreð,
þone þe ðū mid rihte rǣdan sceoldest.’
Manað swā ond myndgað mǣla gehwylce
sārum wordum, oð ðæt sǣl cymeð,
þæt se fǣmnan þegn fore fæder dǣdum
2060æfter billes bite blōd-fāg swefeð,
ealdres scyldig; him se ōðer þonan
losað *[li]figende,[4] con him land geare.Fol. 175b.
Þonne bīoð brocene[5] on bā healfe
āð-sweord[6] eorla, [syð]ðan Ingelde
2065weallað wæl-nīðas, ond him wīf-lufan
æfter cear-wælmum cōlran weorðað.
Þȳ ic Heaðobear[d]na[7] hyldo ne telge,
dryht-sibbe dǣl, Denum unfǣcne,
frēond-scipe fæstne. Ic sceal forð sprecan
2070gēn ymbe Grendel, þæt ðū geare cunne,
sinces brytta, tō hwan syððan wearð
hond-rǣs hæleða. Syððan heofones gim
glād ofer grundas, gæst yrre cwōm,
eatol ǣfen-grom, ūser nēosan,
2075ðǣr wē gesunde sæl weardodon.
þǣr wæs Hondscīo hild[8] onsǣge,
feorh-bealu fǣgum; hē fyrmest læg,
gyrded cempa; him Grendel wearð,
mǣrum magu-þegne,[9] tō mūð-bonan,
2080lēofes mannes līc eall forswealg.
Nō ðȳ ǣr ūt ðā gēn īdel-hende
bona blōdig-tōð, bealewa gemyndig,
of ðām gold-sele gongan wolde;
ac hē mægnes rōf mīn costode,
2085*grāpode gearo-folm.[10] Glōf hangodeFol. 176a.
sīd ond syllīc, searo-bendum fæst;
sīo wæs orðoncum eall gegyrwed
dēofles cræftum ond dracan fellum.
Hē mec þǣr on innan unsynnigne,
2090dīor dǣd-fruma, gedōn wolde
manigra sumne; hyt ne mihte swā,
syððan ic on yrre upp-riht āstōd.
Tō lang ys tō reccenne, hū i[c ð]ām[11] lēod-sceaðan
yfla gehwylces hond-lean forgeald;
2095þǣr ic, þēoden mīn, þīne lēode
weorðode weorcum. Hē onweg losade,
lȳtle hwīle līf-wynna br[ēa]c;
hwæþre him sīo swīðre swaðe weardade
hand on Hiorte, ond hē hēan ðonan,
2100mōdes gēomor, mere-grund gefēoll.
Mē þone wæl-rǣs wine Scildunga
fǣttan golde fela lēanode,
manegum māðmum, syððan mergen cōm,
ond wē tō symble geseten hæfdon.
2105Þǣr wæs gidd ond glēo. Gome*la Scilding,Fol. 176b.
fela fricgende, feorran rehte;
hwīlum hilde-dēor hearpan wynne,
gomen-wudu[12] grētte, hwīlum gyd āwræc
sōð ond sārlīc; hwīlum syllīc spell
2110rehte æfter rihte rūm-heort cyning;
hwīlum eft ongan eldo gebunden,
gomel gūð-wiga gioguðe cwīðau
hilde-strengo; hreðer inne wēoll,
þonne hē wintrum frōd worn gemunde.
2115Swā wē þǣr inne ondlangne dæg
nīode nāman, oð ðæt niht becwōm
ōðer tō yldum. Þā wæs eft hraðe
gearo gyrn-wræce Grendeles mōdor,
sīðode sorh-full; sunu dēað fornam,
2120wīg-hete Wedra. Wīf unhȳre
hyre bearn gewræc, beorn ācwealde
ellenlīce; þǣr wæs Æschere,
frōdan fyrn-witan, feorh ūð-genge.
Nōðer hȳ hine ne mōston, syððan mergen cwōm,
2125dēað-wērigne Denia lēode,
bronde forbærnan, ne on bǣl[13] hladan
lēofne mannan; *hīo þæt līc ætbærFol. 177a.
fēondes fæð[mum un]der[14] firgen-strēam.
Þæt wæs Hrōðgāre hrēowa tornost,
2130þāra þe lēod-fruman lange begēate.
Þā se ðēoden mec ðīne līfe
healsode hrēoh-mōd, þæt ic on holma geþring
eorl-scipe efnde, ealdre genēðde,
mǣrðo fremede; hē mē mēde gehēt.
2135Ic ðā ðǣs wælmes, þe is wīde cūð,
grimne,[15] gryrelīcne grund-hyrde fond.
Þǣr unc hwīle wæs hand-gemǣne;[16]
holm heolfre wēoll, ond ic hēafde becearf
in ðām [grund-]sele[17] Grendeles mōdor
2140ēacnum ecgum; unsōfte þonan
feorh oðferede; næs ic fǣge þā gyt;
ac mē eorla hlēo eft gesealde
māðma menigeo, maga Healfdenes.
- ↑ 2039. The MS. has a large capital O at the beginning of this line, such as one finds elsewhere only at the beginning of a new fit. (Cf. l. 1740.) But the number xxix is wanting, and the next break is at l. 2144, where the number is xxxi. Wülcker makes the 29th fit begin with l. 2014, and the 30th with l. 2067. Heyne makes one break instead of two, and that after l. 2031.
- ↑ 2042. MS. defective at corner and edge, here and in ll. 2044, 2055.
- ↑ 2051. MS. ‘wiðer gyld.’ Heyne 5 ‘(syððan wiðer-gyld læg),’ when vengeance failed. But cf. Wīdsīð 124.
- ↑ 2062. MS. defective at corner and edge here and in two following lines. A ‘figende’; Thorkelin ‘wīgende’ (so most editors); Heyne ‘lifigende’ (so Zupitza).
- ↑ 2063. AB ‘orocene’ (B with a stop before it); Kemble ‘[ā]brocene’ (so Zupitza); other editors as text.
- ↑ 2064. Zupitza ‘að-sweorð.’ His foot-note runs: “There is a stroke through d in sweord, but without the usual head, nor is it quite distinct.”
- ↑ 2067. MS. ‘heaðo bearna.’
- ↑ 2076. MS. ‘hilde.’ In support of Rieger’s emendation cf. l. 2483.
- ↑ 2079. MS. ‘mærū magū (i.e. magum) þegne.’ But see ll. 293, 408, etc. The mistake is due to “repetition.” In l. 158 we have the opposite error of “anticipation.”
- ↑ 2085. MS. ‘geareo.’
- ↑ 2093. MS. defective at edge here and in line 2097. A ‘huiedam.’
- ↑ 2108. MS. ‘gomel.’
- ↑ 2126. MS. ‘bęl (=bæl).
- ↑ 2128. Grein’s emendation. Zupitza ‘fæðrunga [un]der,’ and in a foot-note: “fædr....with unga written over the dots with another ink B; now nothing preserved but fæð and part of a letter which may have been r, m, or n; the word has been torn asunder.”
- ↑ 2136. MS. ‘grimme.’
- ↑ 2137. Wūlcker and Heyne ‘hand gemǣne,’ but cf. Ger. handgemein.
- ↑ 2139. No gap in MS. Grundtvig’s emendation.