| |
| MANY at morning, as men have told me, | |
| warriors gathered the gift-hall round, | |
| folk-leaders faring from far and near, | |
| o’er wide-stretched ways, the wonder to view, | |
| trace of the traitor. Not troublous seemed | 5 |
| the enemy’s end to any man | |
| who saw by the gait of the graceless foe | |
| how the weary-hearted, away from thence, | |
| baffled in battle and banned, his steps | |
| death-marked dragged to the devils’ mere. | 10 |
| Bloody the billows were boiling there, | |
| turbid the tide of tumbling waves | |
| horribly seething, with sword-blood hot, | |
| by that doomed one dyed, who in den of the moor | |
| laid forlorn his life adown, | 15 |
| his heathen soul,—and hell received it. | |
| Home then rode the hoary clansmen | |
| from that merry journey, and many a youth, | |
| on horses white, the hardy warriors, | |
| back from the mere. Then Beowulf’s glory | 20 |
| eager they echoed, and all averred | |
| that from sea to sea, or south or north, | |
| there was no other in earth’s domain, | |
| under vault of heaven, more valiant found, | |
| of warriors none more worthy to rule! | 25 |
| (On their lord beloved they laid no slight, | |
| gracious Hrothgar: a good king he!) | |
| From time to time, the tried-in-battle | |
| their gray steeds set to gallop amain, | |
| and ran a race when the road seemed fair. | 30 |
| From time to time, a thane of the king, | |
| who had made many vaunts, and was mindful of verses, | |
| stored with sagas and songs of old, | |
| bound word to word in well-knit rime, | |
| welded his lay; this warrior soon | 35 |
| of Beowulf’s quest right cleverly sang, | |
| and artfully added an excellent tale, | |
| in well-ranged words, of the warlike deeds | |
| he had heard in saga of Sigemund. | |
| Strange the story: he said it all,— | 40 |
| the Wælsing’s wanderings wide, his struggles, | |
| which never were told to tribes of men, | |
| the feuds and the frauds, save to Fitela only, | |
| when of these doings he deigned to speak, | |
| uncle to nephew; as ever the twain | 45 |
| stood side by side in stress of war, | |
| and multitude of the monster kind | |
| they had felled with their swords. Of Sigemund grew, | |
| when he passed from life, no little praise; | |
| for the doughty-in-combat a dragon killed | 50 |
| that herded the hoard: 1 under hoary rock | |
| the atheling dared the deed alone, | |
| fearful quest, nor was Fitela there. | |
| Yet so it befell, his falchion pierced | |
| that wondrous worm;—on the wall it struck, | 55 |
| best blade; the dragon died in its blood. | |
| Thus had the dread-one by daring achieved | |
| over the ring-hoard to rule at will, | |
| himself to pleasure; a sea-boat he loaded, | |
| and bore on its bosom the beaming gold, | 60 |
| son of Wæls; the worm was consumed. | |
| He had of all heroes the highest renown | |
| among races of men, this refuge-of-warriors, | |
| for deeds of daring that decked his name | |
| since the hand and heart of Heremod | 65 |
| grew slack in battle. He, swiftly banished | |
| to mingle with monsters at mercy of foes, | |
| to death was betrayed; for torrents of sorrow | |
| had lamed him too long; a load of care | |
| to earls and athelings all he proved. | 70 |
| Oft indeed, in earlier days, | |
| for the warrior’s wayfaring wise men mourned, | |
| who had hoped of him help from harm and bale, | |
| and had thought their sovran’s son would thrive, | |
| follow his father, his folk protect, | 75 |
| the hoard and the stronghold, heroes’ land, | |
| home of Scyldings.—But here, thanes said, | |
| the kinsman of Hygelac kinder seemed | |
| to all: the other 2 was urged to crime! | |
| And afresh to the race, 3 the fallow roads | 80 |
| by swift steeds measured! The morning sun | |
| was climbing higher. Clansmen hastened | |
| to the high-built hall, those hardy-minded, | |
| the wonder to witness. Warden of treasure, | |
| crowned with glory, the king himself, | 85 |
| with stately band from the bride-bower strode; | |
| and with him the queen and her crowd of maidens | |
| measured the path to the mead-house fair. | |
