XXXIV.
Sē ðæs lēod-hryres lēan gemunde
uferan dōgrum; Ēadgilse wearð
fēa-sceaftum frēond, folce gestēpte[1]
ofer sǣ sīde sunu Ōhteres,
2395wigum ond wǣpnum; hē gewræc syððan
cealdum cear-sīðum, cyning ealdre binēat.
Swā hē nīða gehwane genesen hæfde,
slīðra geslyhta, sunu Ecgðīowes,
ellen-weorca, oð ðone ānne dæg,
2400þe hē wið þām wyrme gewegan sceolde.
Gewāt þā twelfa[2] sum, torne gebolgen,
dryhten Gēata dracan scēawian;
hæfde þā gefrūnen, hwanan sīo fǣhð ārās,
bealo-nīð biorna; him tō bearme *cwōmFol. 183b.
2405māþðum-fæt mǣre þurh ðæs meldan hond.
Sē wæs on ðām ðrēate þreottēoþa secg,
sē ðæs orleges ōr onstealde;
hæft hyge-gīomor sceolde hēan ðonon
wong wīsian. Hē ofer willan gīong,
2410tō ðæs ðe hē eorð-sele ānne wisse,
hlǣw under hrūsan holm-wylme nēh,
ȳð-gewinne, sē wæs innan full
wrætta ond wīra. Weard unhīore,
gearo gūð-freca, gold-māðmas hēold,
2415eald under eorðan; næs þæt ȳðe cēap
tō gegangenne gumena ǣnigum.
Gesæt ðā on næsse nīð-heard cyning,
þenden hǣlo ābēad heorð-genēatum,
gold-wine Gēata. Him wæs gēomor sefa,
2420wǣfre ond wæl-fūs, wyrd ungemete nēah,
sē[3] ðone gomelan grētan sceolde,
sēcean sāwle hord, sundur gedǣlan
līf wið līce; nō þon lange wæs
feorh æþelinges flǣsce bewunden.
2425Bīowulf maþelade, bearn Ecgðēowes:
“Fela ic on giogoðe gūð-rǣsa genæs,
orleg-hwīla; ic þæt eall gemon.
*Ic wæs syfan-wintre, þā mec sinca baldor,Fol. 184a.
frēa-wine folca, æt mīnum fæder genam;
2430hēold mec ond hæfde Hrēðel cyning,
geaf mē sinc ond symbel, sibbe gemunde;
næs ic him tō līfe lāðra ōwihte
beorn in burgum þonne his bearna hwylc,
Herebeald ond Hǣðcyn, oððe Hygelāc mīn.
2435Wæs þām yldestan ungedēfelīce
mǣges dǣdum morþor-bed strēd,
syððan hyne Hǣðcyn of horn-bogan,
his frēa-wine, flāne geswencte,
miste mercelses ond his mǣg ofscēt,
2440brōðor ōðerne, blōdigan gāre.
Þæt wæs feoh-lēas gefeoht, fyrenum gesyngad,
hreðre hyge-mēðe; sceolde hwæðre swā þēah
æðeling unwrecen ealdres linnan.
Swā bið gēomorlīc gomelum ceorle
2445tō gebīdanne, þæt his byre rīde
giong on galgan; þonne hē gyd wrece,
sārigne sang, þonne his sunu hangað
hrefne tō hrōðre, ond hē him helpan[4] ne mæg,
eald ond in-frōd, ǣnige gefremman.
2450Symble bið gemyndgad morna gehwylce
*eaforan ellor-sīð; ōðres ne gȳmeðFol. 184b.
tō gebīdanne burgum in innan
yrfe-weardas,[5] þonne se ān hafað
þurh dēaðes nȳd dǣda gefondad.
2455Gesyhð sorh-cearig on his suna būre
wīn-sele wēstne, wind-gereste,
rēote berofene; rīdend swefað,
hæleð in hoðman; nis þǣr hearpan swēg,
gomen in geardum, swylce ðǣr īu wǣron.
- ↑ 2393. Heyne ‘fēond, folce gestepte,’ with a different interpretation of the whole passage: sunu (2394) nom., cyning (2396) = Eadgils. With the MS. reading, retained in the text, sunu is accus., and cyning = Onela. By supporting the exiled Eadgils against Onela, Beowulf obtains his revenge on the Swedes. See Bugge, “Beit.” xii. 11 ff., and Eadgils in Index of Persons and Places.
- ↑ 2401. MS. ‘.xii.a’
- ↑ 2421. Wülcker ‘sēo.’ Wyrd is fem. elsewhere in the poem; but cf. ll. 1344, 2685.
- ↑ 2448. Kemble ‘helpe.’ There is no other certain instance of the weak form than this. Possibly the scribe was thinking of the infinitive.
- ↑ 2453. For gen. sing, in -as see Sievers § 237, N. 1. Cf. ll. 63, 2921.