eft tō earde, nemne wē ǣror mægen
2655fāne gefyllan, *feorh ealgianFol. 197a.[1]
Wedra ðēodnes. Ic wāt geare,
þæt nǣron eald gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle
Gēata duguðe gnorn þrōwian,
gesīgan æt sæcce; ūrum sceal[2] sweord ond helm,
2660byrne ond byrdu-scrūd, bām gemǣne.”
Wōd þā þurh þone wæl-rēc, wīg-heafolan bær
frēan on fultum, fēa worda cwæð:
“Lēofa Bīowulf, lǣst eall tela,
swā ðū on geoguð-fēore geara gecwǣde,
2665þæt ðū ne ālǣte be ðē lifigendum
dōm gedrēosan; scealt nū dǣdum rōf,
æðeling ān-hȳdig, ealle mægene
feorh ealgian; ic ðē ful-lǣstu.”
Æfter ðām wordum wyrm yrre cwōm,
2670atol inwit-gæst, ōðre sīðe
fȳr-wylmum fāh fīonda nīos[i]an,[3]
lāðra manna. Līg-ȳðum forborn
bord wið rond; byrne ne meahte
geongum gār-wigan gēoce gefremman;
2675ac se maga geonga under his mǣges scyld
- ↑ 2655. The numbers of the folios are given as they stand in the MS. Fol. 131 follows fol. 146. “The old number of this leaf is 197; but now it stands between 188 and 189, and the old number has been changed to 189 in pencil.”—Z.
- ↑ 2659. MS. ‘ð·sceal· urū:ð̦’; Zupitza ‘urum sceal,’ and in a foot-note:“sceal within dots and with a ð before it added in the left margin, whereas a ð over a colon with a comma under it marks the place in the line where it is to be inserted.” From a misunderstanding of this device have arisen the frequent misreadings of this line.
- ↑ 2671. MS. defective at edge, here and in ll. 2676, 2678.
