Page:Beowulf (Wyatt).djvu/105

1905Þā wæs be mæste  mere-hrægla sum,
segl sāle fæst;  sund-wudu þunede;
nō þǣr wēg-flotan  wind ofer ȳðum
sīðes getwǣfde;  sǣ-genga fōr,
flēat fāmig-heals  forð ofer ȳðe,
1910bunden-stefna  ofer brim-strēamas,
þæt hīe Gēata clifu  ongitan meahton,
cūþe næssas;  cēol ūp geþrang
lyft-geswenced,  on lande stōd.
Hraþe wæs æt *holme  hȳð-weard gearu,^[1]Fol. 172a.
1915sē þe ǣr lange tīd  lēofra manna
fūs æt faroð  feor wlātode;
sǣlde tō sande  sīd-fæþme scip
oncer-bendum^[2] fæst,  þȳ lǣs hym ȳþa ðrym
wudu wynsuman  forwrecan meahte.
1920Hēt þā ūp beran  æþelinga gestrēon,
frætwe ond fǣt-gold;  næs him feor þanon
tō gesēcanne  sinces bryttan,
Higelāc Hrēþling,  þǣr æt hām wunað^[3]
selfa mid gesīðum  sǣ-wealle nēah.
1925Bold wæs betlīc,  brego rōf^[4] cyning,
hēa healle,  Hygd swīðe geong,
wīs, wel þungen,  þēah ðe wintra lȳt
under burh-locan  gebiden hæbbe
Hæreþes dohtor;  næs hīo hnāh swā þēah,
1930ne tō gnēað gifa  Gēata lēodum,
maāþm-gestrēona.  Mōd Ðrȳðo wæg,

1. 1914. MS. ‘geara.’
2. 1918. MS. ‘oncear bendum.’
3. 1923. Wülcker ‘wunade.’ Sievers regards this and the next line as oratio recta. But cf. the present tenses in ll. 1314, 1928.
4. 1925. Grundtvig ‘brego-rōf’ (so Heyne).