Beowulf (Bilingual Edition)

by Seamus Heaney

  Þæt wæs feoh-lēas gefeoht, fyrenum gesyngad,

  hreðre hyge-mēðe; sceolde hwæðre swā þēah

  æðeling unwrecen ealdres linnan.

  “Swā bið geōmorlīc gomelum ceorle

  tō gebīdanne, þæt his byre rīde

  giong on galgan. Þonne hē gyd wrece,

  sārigne sang, þonne his sunu hangað

  hrefne tō hrōðre ond hē him helpe ne mæg,

  eald ond infrōd, ǣnige gefremman.

  2450

  Symble bið gemyndgad morna gehwylce

  eaforan ellor-sīð; ōðres ne gȳmeð

  tō gebīdanne burgum in innan

  yrfe-weardas, þonne se ān hafað

  þurh dēaðes nȳd dǣda gefondad.

  Gesyhð 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 iū wǣron.

  2460

  “Gewīteð þonne on sealman, sorh-lēoð gæleð,

  ān æfter ānum; þūhte him eall tō rūm,

  wongas ond wīc-stede. Swā Wedra helm

  æfter Herebealde heortan sorge

  weallinde wæg; wihte ne meahte

  on ðām feorh-bonan fǣghðe gebētan;

  nō ðȳ ǣr hē þone heaðo-rinc hatian ne meahte

  lāðum dǣdum, þēah him lēof ne wæs.

  Hē ðā mid þǣre sorhge, sīo þe him sāre belamp,

  gum-drēam ofgeaf, Godes lēoht gecēas;

  2470

  eaferum lǣfde, swā dēð ēadig mon,

  lond ond lēod-byrig, þā hē of līfe gewāt.

  “Þā wæs synn ond sacu Swēona ond Gēata;

  ofer wīd wæter wrōht gemǣne,

  here-nīð hearda, syððan Hrēðel swealt,

  oððe him Ongenðēowes eaferan wǣran

  frome, fyrd-hwate; frēode ne woldon

  ofer heafo healdan, ac ymb Hrēosna-beorh

  eatolne inwit-scear oft gefremedon.

  Þæt mǣg-wine mīne gewrǣcan,

  2480

  fǣhðe ond fyrene, swā hyt gefrǣge wæs,

  þēah ðe ōðer his ealdre gebohte,

  heardan cēape; Hæðcynne wearð,

  Gēata dryhtne, gūð onsǣge.

  Þā ic on morgne gefrægn mǣg ōðerne

  billes ecgum on bonan stǣlan,

  þǣr Ongenþēow Eofores nīosað;

  gūð-helm tōglād, gomela Scylfing

  hrēas heoro-blāc; hond gemunde

  fǣhðo genōge, feorh-sweng ne oftēah.

  2490

  “Ic him þā māðmas, þe hē mē sealde,

  geald æt gūðe, swā mē gifeðe wæs,

  lēohtan sweorde; hē mē lond forgeaf,

  eard, ēðel-wyn. Næs him ǣnig þearf,

  þæt hē tō Gifðum oððe tō Gār-Denum

  oððe in Swīo-rīce sēcean þurfe

  wyrsan wīg-frecan, weorðe gecȳpan.

  Symle ic him on fēðan beforan wolde,

  āna on orde, ond swā tō aldre sceall

  sæcce fremman, þenden þis sweord þolað,

  2500

  þæt mec ǣr ond sīð oft gelǣste,

  syððan ic for dugeðum Dæghrefne wearð

  tō hand-bonan, Hūga cempan.

  Nalles hē ðā frætwe Frēs-cyninge,

  brēost-weorðunge bringan mōste,

  ac in campe gecrong cumbles hyrde,

  æþeling on elne; ne wæs ecg bona,

  ac him hilde-grāp heortan wylmas,

  bān-hūs gebræc. Nū sceall billes ecg,

  hond ond heard sweord ymb hord wīgan.”

  2510

  Bēowulf maðelode, bēot-wordum spræc

  nīehstan sīðe: “Ic genēðde fela

  gūða on geogoðe; gȳt ic wylle,

  frōd folces weard, fǣhðe sēcan,

  mǣrðu fremman, gif mec se mān-sceaða

  of eorð-sele ūt gesēceð!”

  Gegrētte ðā gumena gehwylcne,

  hwate helm-berend hindeman sīðe,

  swǣse gesīðas: “Nolde ic sweord beran,

  wǣpen tō wyrme, gif ic wiste hū

  2520

  wið ðām āglǣcean elles meahte

  gylpe wiðgrīpan, swā ic giō wið Grendle dyde;

  ac ic ðǣr heaðu-fȳres hātes wēne,

  oreðes ond attres; forðon ic mē on hafu

  bord ond byrnan. Nelle ic beorges weard

  oferflēon fōtes trem, ac unc furður sceal

  weorðan æt wealle, swā unc wyrd getēoð

  Metod manna gehwæs. Ic eom on mōde from,

  þæt ic wið þone gūð-flogan gylp ofersitte.

  Gebīde gē on beorge, byrnum werede,

  2530

  secgas on searwum, hwæðer sēl mæge

  æfter wæl-rǣse wunde gedȳgan

  uncer twēga. Nis þæt ēower sīð,

  nē gemet mannes, nefne mīn ānes

  þæt hē wið āglǣcean eofoðo dǣle,

  eorlscype efne. Ic mid elne sceall

  gold gegangan, oððe gūð nimeð,

  feorh-bealu frēcne, frēan ēowerne!”

  Ārās ðā bī ronde rōf ōretta,

  heard under helme, hioro-sercean bær

  2540

  under stān-cleofu, strengo getruwode

  ānes mannes; ne bið swylc earges sīð!

  Geseah ðā be wealle, sē ðe worna fela,

  gum-cystum gōd, gūða gedīgde,

  hilde-hlemma, þonne hnitan fēðan,

  stondan stān-bogan, strēam ūt þonan

  brecan of beorge; wæs þǣre burnan wælm

  heaðo-fȳrum hāt; ne meahte horde nēah

  unbyrnende ǣnige hwīle

  dēop gedȳgan for dracan lēge.

  2550

  Lēt ðā of brēostum, ðā hē gebolgen wæs,

  Weder-Gēata lēod word ūt faran,

  stearc-heort styrmde; stefn in becōm

  heaðo-torht hlynnan under hārne stān.

  Hete wæs onhrēred, hord-weard oncnīow

  mannes reorde; næs ðǣr māra fyrst

  frēode tō friclan. From ǣrest cwōm

  oruð āglǣcean ūt of stāne,

  hāt hilde-swāt; hrūse dynede.

  Biorn under beorge bord-rand onswāf

  2560

  wið ðām gryre-gieste, Gēata dryhten;

  ðā wæs hring-bogan heorte gefȳsed

  sæcce tō sēceanne. Sweord ǣr gebrǣd

  gōd gūð-cyning, gomele lāfe,

  ecgum ungleaw; ǣghwæðrum wæs

  bealo-hycgendra brōga fram ōðrum.

  Stīð-mōd gestōd wið stēapne rond

  winia bealdor, ðā se wyrm gebēah

  snūde tōsomne; hē on searwum bād.

  Gewāt ðā byrnende gebogen scrīðan,

  2570

  tō gescipe scyndan. Scyld wēl gebearg

  līfe ond līce lǣssan hwīle

  mǣrum þēodne þonne his myne sōhte;

  ðǣr hē þȳ fyrste forman dōgore

  wealdan mōste, swā him wyrd ne gescrāf

  hrēð æt hilde. Hond up ābrǣd

  Gēata dryhten, gryre-fāhne slōh

  incge-lāfe, þæt sīo ecg gewāc,

  brūn on bāne, bāt unswīðor

  þonne his ðīod-cyning þearfe hæfde,

  2580

  bysigum gebǣded. Þā wæs beorges weard

  æfter heaðu-swenge on hrēoum mōde,

  wearp wæl-fȳre, wīde sprungon

  hilde-lēoman. Hrēð-sigora ne gealp

  gold-wine Gēata; gūð-bill geswāc,

  nacod æt nīðe, swā hyt nō sceolde,

  īren ǣr-gōd. Ne wæs þæt ēðe sīð,

  þæt se mǣra maga Ecgðēowes

  grund-wong þone ofgyfan wolde;

  sceolde ofer willan wīc eardian

  2590

  elles hwergen, sw�
� sceal ǣghwylc mon

  ālǣtan lǣn-dagas. Næs ðā long tō ðon,

  þæt ða āglǣcean hȳ eft gemētton.

  Hyrte hyne hord-weard —hreðer ǣðme wēoll—

  nīwan stefne; nearo ðrōwode,

  fȳre befongen, sē ðe ǣr folce wēold.

  Nealles him on hēape hand-gesteallan,

  æðelinga bearn ymbe gestōdon

  hilde-cystum, ac hȳ on holt bugon,

  ealdre burgan. Hiora in ānum wēoll

  2600

  sefa wið sorgum. Sibb ǣfre ne mæg

  wiht onwendan þām ðe wēl þenceð.

  Wīglāf wæs hāten, Wēoxstānes sunu,

  lēoflīc lind-wiga, lēod Scylfinga,

  mǣg Ælfheres; geseah his mon-dryhten

  under here-grīman hāt þrōwian.

  Gemunde ðā ðā āre þē hē him ǣr forgeaf,

  wīc-stede weligne Wǣgmundinga,

  folc-rihta gehwylc, swā his fæder āhte;

  ne mihte ðā forhabban, hond rond gefēng,

  2610

  geolwe linde; gomel swyrd getēah,

  þæt wæs mid eldum Ēanmundes lāf,

  suna Ōhteres. Þām æt sæcce wearð,

  wræccan wine-lēasum, Wēohstān bana

  mēces ecgum, ond his māgum ætbær

  brūn-fāgne helm, hringde byrnan,

  eald-sweord etonisc. Þæt him Onela forgeaf,

  his gædelinges gūð-gewǣdu,

  fyrd-searo fūslīc; nō ymbe ðā fǣhðe spræc,

  þēah ðe hē his brōðor bearn ābredwade.

  2620

  Hē frætwe gehēold fela missēra,

  bill ond byrnan, oððæt his byre mihte

  eorlscipe efnan swā his ǣr-fæder;

  geaf him ðā mid Gēatum gūð-gewǣda

  ǣghwæs unrīm, þā hē of ealdre gewāt,

  frōd on forð-weg. Þā wæs forma sīð

  geongan cempan, þæt hē gūðe rǣs

  mid his frēo-dryhtne fremman sceolde.

  Ne gemealt him se mōd-sefa, nē his mǣges lāf

  gewāc æt wīge. Þæt se wyrm onfand,

  2630

  syððan hīe tōgædre gegān hæfdon.

  Wīglāf maðelode, word-rihta fela

  sægde gesīðum —him wæs sefa geōmor.

  “Ic ðæt mǣl geman, þǣr wē medu þēgun,

  þonne wē gehēton ūssum hlāforde

  in bīor-sele, ðe ūs ðās bēagas geaf,

  þæt wē him ðā gūð-getāwa gyldan woldon,

  gif him þyslicu þearf gelumpe,

  helmas ond heard sweord. Đē hē ūsic on herge gecēas

  tō ðyssum sīð-fate sylfes willum,

  2640

  onmunde ūsic mǣrða, ond mē þās māðmas geaf,

  þē hē ūsic gār-wīgend gōde tealde,

  hwate helm-berend, þēah ðe hlāford ūs

  þis ellen-weorc āna āðōhte

  tō gefremmanne, folces hyrde,

  forðām hē manna mǣst mǣrða gefremede,

  dǣda dollīcra. Nū is sē dæg cumen

  þæt ūre man-dryhten mægenes behōfað,

  gōdra gūð-rinca; wutun gongan tō,

  helpan hild-fruman, þenden hyt sȳ,

  2650

  glēd-egesa grim! God wāt on mec,

  þǣt mē is micle lēofre, þæt mīnne līc-haman

  mid mīnne gold-gyfan glēd fæðmie.

  Ne þynceð mē gerysne, þæt wē rondas beren

  eft tō earde, nemne wē ǣror mægen

  fāne gefyllan, feorh ealgian

  Wedra ðēodnes. Ic wāt geare,

  þæt nǣron eald-gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle

  Gēata duguðe gnorn þrōwian,

  gesīgan æt sæcce; ūrum sceal sweord ond helm,

  2660

  byrne ond beadu-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 geāra gecwǣde,

  þæt 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,

  2670

  atol inwit-gæst, ōðre sīðe,

  fȳr-wylmum fāh, fīonda nīosian,