Page:Beowulf (Wyatt).djvu/35

235þegn Hrōðgāres,⁠þrymmum cwehte
mægen-wudu mundum,⁠meþel-wordum frægn:
“Hwæt syndon gē⁠searo-hæbbendra
byrnum werede,⁠þe þus brontne cēol
ofer lagu-strǣte⁠lǣdan cwōmon,
240hider ofer holmas⁠[hringed-stefnan]?^[1]
Ic wæs ende-sǣta,⁠ǣg-wearde hēold,
þē on land Dena⁠lāðra nǣnig
mid scip-herge⁠sceðþan ne meahte.
Nō hēr cūðlīcor⁠cuman ongunnon
245lind-hæbbende;⁠ne gē lēafnes-word
gūð-fremmendra⁠gearwe ne wisson,
māga gemēdu.⁠Nǣfre ic māran geseah
eorla ofer eorþan,⁠ðonne is ēower sum,
secg on searwum;⁠nis þæt seld-guma
250wǣpnum geweorðad,⁠næfne^[2] him his wlite lēoge,
ǣnlīc an-sȳn.⁠Nū ic ēower sceal
frum-cyn witan,⁠ǣr gē fyr *heonan,Fol. 135b.
lēas[e]^[3] scēaweras,⁠on land Dena
furþur fēran.⁠Nū gē feor-būend,
255mere-līðende,⁠mīn[n]e^[4] gehȳrað
ān-fealdne geþōht;⁠ofost is sēlest
tō gecȳðanne,⁠hwanan ēowre cyme syndon.”

1. 240—1. MS. ‘hider ofer holmas le wæs’ &c., without gap. Thorkelin and Wülcker read Ic for le, but Zupitza says: “le no doubt, not Ic.” Various suggestions have been made for the missing half-line. That in the text is Wülcker’s. Heyne adopts Ettmüller’s ‘helmas bǣron,’ but this is hardly felicitous after holmas. Bugge’s emendation is ingenious:

   hider ofer holmas?⁠[Hwīle ic on weal]le
   wæs ende-sǣta.

2. 250. MS. ‘næfre’; Kemble ‘næfne.’
3. 253. MS. ‘leas’; Ettmüller ‘lēase.’
4. 255. MS. ‘mine’; Kemble ‘mīnne.’