Beowulf (Hall translation) — Chapters VII - IX

{Hrothgar remembers Beowulf as a youth, and also remembers his father.

} Hrothgar answered, helm of the Scyldings: "I remember this man as the merest of striplings.

His father long dead now was Ecgtheow titled, Him Hrethel the Geatman granted at home his 5 One only daughter; his battle-brave son Is come but now, sought a trustworthy friend.

Seafaring sailors asserted it then, {Beowulf is reported to have the strength of thirty men.

} Who valuable gift-gems of the Geatmen[1] carried As peace-offering thither, that he thirty men's grapple 10 Has in his hand, the hero-in-battle.

{God hath sent him to our rescue.

} The holy Creator usward sent him, To West-Dane warriors, I ween, for to render 'Gainst Grendel's grimness gracious assistance: I shall give to the good one gift-gems for courage.

15 Hasten to bid them hither to speed them,[2] To see assembled this circle of kinsmen;

Tell them expressly they're welcome in sooth to The men of the Danes."

To the door of the building [15] {Wulfgar invites the strangers in.

} Wulfgar went then, this word-message shouted: 20 "My victorious liegelord bade me to tell you, The East-Danes' atheling, that your origin knows he, And o'er wave-billows wafted ye welcome are hither, Valiant of spirit.

Ye straightway may enter Clad in corslets, cased in your helmets, 25 To see King Hrothgar.

Here let your battle-boards, Wood-spears and war-shafts, await your conferring."

The mighty one rose then, with many a liegeman, An excellent thane-group; some there did await them, And as bid of the brave one the battle-gear guarded.

30 Together they hied them, while the hero did guide them, 'Neath Heorot's roof; the high-minded went then Sturdy 'neath helmet till he stood in the building.

Beowulf spake (his burnie did glisten, His armor seamed over by the art of the craftsman): {Beowulf salutes Hrothgar, and then proceeds to boast of his youthful achievements.

} 35 "Hail thou, Hrothgar!

I am Higelac's kinsman And vassal forsooth; many a wonder I dared as a stripling.

The doings of Grendel, In far-off fatherland I fully did know of: Sea-farers tell us, this hall-building standeth, 40 Excellent edifice, empty and useless To all the earlmen after evenlight's glimmer 'Neath heaven's bright hues hath hidden its glory.

This my earls then urged me, the most excellent of them, Carles very clever, to come and assist thee, 45 Folk-leader Hrothgar; fully they knew of {His fight with the nickers.

} The strength of my body.

Themselves they beheld me When I came from the contest, when covered with gore Foes I escaped from, where five[3] I had bound, [16] The giant-race wasted, in the waters destroying 50 The nickers by night, bore numberless sorrows, The Weders avenged (woes had they suffered) Enemies ravaged; alone now with Grendel {He intends to fight Grendel unaided.

} I shall manage the matter, with the monster of evil, The giant, decide it.

Thee I would therefore 55 Beg of thy bounty, Bright-Danish chieftain, Lord of the Scyldings, this single petition: Not to refuse me, defender of warriors, Friend-lord of folks, so far have I sought thee, That _I_ may unaided, my earlmen assisting me, 60 This brave-mooded war-band, purify Heorot.

I have heard on inquiry, the horrible creature {Since the monster uses no weapons,} From veriest rashness recks not for weapons;

I this do scorn then, so be Higelac gracious, My liegelord belovèd, lenient of spirit, 65 To bear a blade or a broad-fashioned target, A shield to the onset; only with hand-grip {I, too, shall disdain to use any.

} The foe I must grapple, fight for my life then, Foeman with foeman; he fain must rely on The doom of the Lord whom death layeth hold of.

{Should he crush me, he will eat my companions as he has eaten thy thanes.

} 70 I ween he will wish, if he win in the struggle, To eat in the war-hall earls of the Geat-folk, Boldly to swallow[4] them, as of yore he did often The best of the Hrethmen!

Thou needest not trouble A head-watch to give me;[5] he will have me dripping [17] {In case of my defeat, thou wilt not have the trouble of burying me.

} 75 And dreary with gore, if death overtake me,[6] Will bear me off bleeding, biting and mouthing me, The hermit will eat me, heedless of pity, Marking the moor-fens; no more wilt thou need then {Should I fall, send my armor to my lord, King Higelac.

} Find me my food.

[7] If I fall in the battle, 80 Send to Higelac the armor that serveth To shield my bosom, the best of equipments, Richest of ring-mails; 'tis the relic of Hrethla, {Weird is supreme} The work of Wayland.

Goes Weird as she must go!"

[1] Some render 'gif-sceattas' by 'tribute.'

--'Géata' B. and Th.

emended to 'Géatum.'

If this be accepted, change '_of_ the Geatmen' to '_to_ the Geatmen.'

[2] If t. B.'

s emendation of vv.

386, 387 be accepted, the two lines, 'Hasten ...

kinsmen' will read: _Hasten thou, bid the throng of kinsmen go into the hall together_.

[3] For 420 (_b_) and 421 (_a_), B. suggests: Þær ic (on) fífelgeban ýðde eotena cyn = _where I in the ocean destroyed the eoten-race_.

--t. B.

accepts B.' s "brilliant" 'fífelgeban,' omits 'on,' emends 'cyn' to 'hám,' arranging: Þær ic fífelgeban ýðde, eotena hám = _where I desolated the ocean, the home of the eotens_.

--This would be better but for changing 'cyn' to 'hám.' --I suggest: Þær ic fífelgeband (cf.

nhd.

Bande) ýðde, eotena cyn = _where I conquered the monster band, the race of the eotens_.

This makes no change except to read '_fífel_' for '_fífe_.'

[4] 'Unforhte' (444) is much disputed.

--H.

-So.

wavers between adj.

and adv.

Gr.

and B. take it as an adv.

modifying _etan: Will eat the Geats fearlessly_.

--Kl.

considers this reading absurd, and proposes 'anforhte' = timid.

--Understanding 'unforhte' as an adj.

has this advantage, viz.

that it gives a parallel to 'Geátena leóde': but to take it as an adv.

is more natural.

Furthermore, to call the Geats 'brave' might, at this point, seem like an implied thrust at the Danes, so long helpless; while to call his own men 'timid' would be befouling his own nest.

[5] For 'head-watch,' cf.

H.

-So.

notes and cf.

v.

2910. --Th.

translates: _Thou wilt not need my head to hide_ (i. e. , thou wilt have no occasion to bury me, as Grendel will devour me whole).

--Simrock imagines a kind of dead-watch.

--Dr. H.

Wood suggests: _Thou wilt not have to bury so much as my head_ (for Grendel will be a thorough undertaker),--grim humor.

[6] S.

proposes a colon after 'nimeð' (l. 447).

This would make no essential change in the translation.

[7] Owing to the vagueness of 'feorme' (451), this passage is variously translated.

In our translation, H. -So.'

s glossary has been quite closely followed.

This agrees substantially with B.' s translation (P. and B. XII.

87).

R.

translates: _Thou needst not take care longer as to the consumption of my dead body.

_ 'Líc' is also a crux here, as it may mean living body or dead body.

VIII. HROTHGAR AND BEOWULF.

--_Continued_.

{Hrothgar responds.

} Hrothgar discoursed, helm of the Scyldings: "To defend our folk and to furnish assistance,[1] Thou soughtest us hither, good friend Beowulf.

{Reminiscences of Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow.

} The fiercest of feuds thy father engaged in, 5 Heatholaf killed he in hand-to-hand conflict 'Mid Wilfingish warriors; then the Wederish people For fear of a feud were forced to disown him.

Thence flying he fled to the folk of the South-Danes, [18] The race of the Scyldings, o'er the roll of the waters;

10 I had lately begun then to govern the Danemen, The hoard-seat of heroes held in my youth, Rich in its jewels: dead was Heregar, My kinsman and elder had earth-joys forsaken, Healfdene his bairn.

He was better than I am!

15 That feud thereafter for a fee I compounded;

O'er the weltering waters to the Wilfings I sent Ornaments old; oaths did he swear me.

{Hrothgar recounts to Beowulf the horrors of Grendel's persecutions.

} It pains me in spirit to any to tell it, What grief in Heorot Grendel hath caused me, 20 What horror unlooked-for, by hatred unceasing.

Waned is my war-band, wasted my hall-troop;

Weird hath offcast them to the clutches of Grendel.

God can easily hinder the scather From deeds so direful.

Oft drunken with beer {My thanes have made many boasts, but have not executed them.

} 25 O'er the ale-vessel promised warriors in armor They would willingly wait on the wassailing-benches A grapple with Grendel, with grimmest of edges.

Then this mead-hall at morning with murder was reeking, The building was bloody at breaking of daylight, 30 The bench-deals all flooded, dripping and bloodied, The folk-hall was gory: I had fewer retainers, Dear-beloved warriors, whom death had laid hold of.

{Sit down to the feast, and give us comfort.

} Sit at the feast now, thy intents unto heroes,[2] Thy victor-fame show, as thy spirit doth urge thee!"

{A bench is made ready for Beowulf and his party.

} 35 For the men of the Geats then together assembled, In the beer-hall blithesome a bench was made ready;

There warlike in spirit they went to be seated, Proud and exultant.

A liegeman did service, [19] Who a beaker embellished bore with decorum, {The gleeman sings} 40 And gleaming-drink poured.

The gleeman sang whilom {The heroes all rejoice together.

} Hearty in Heorot; there was heroes' rejoicing, A numerous war-band of Weders and Danemen.

[1] B.

and S. reject the reading given in H. -So.

, and suggested by Grtvg.

B.

suggests for 457-458: wáere-ryhtum Þú, wine mín Béowulf, and for ár-stafum úsic sóhtest.

This means: _From the obligations of clientage, my friend Beowulf, and for assistance thou hast sought us_.

--This gives coherence to Hrothgar's opening remarks in VIII.

, and also introduces a new motive for Beowulf's coming to Hrothgar's aid.

[2] _Sit now at the feast, and disclose thy purposes to the victorious heroes, as thy spirit urges_.

--Kl.

reaches the above translation by erasing the comma after 'meoto' and reading 'sige-hrèðsecgum.'

--There are other and bolder emendations and suggestions.

Of these the boldest is to regard 'meoto' as a verb (imperative), and read 'on sæl': _Think upon gayety, etc_.

--All the renderings are unsatisfactory, the one given in our translation involving a zeugma.

IX. UNFERTH TAUNTS BEOWULF.

{Unferth, a thane of Hrothgar, is jealous of Beowulf, and undertakes to twit him.

} Unferth spoke up, Ecglaf his son, Who sat at the feet of the lord of the Scyldings, Opened the jousting (the journey[1] of Beowulf, Sea-farer doughty, gave sorrow to Unferth 5 And greatest chagrin, too, for granted he never That any man else on earth should attain to, Gain under heaven, more glory than he): {Did you take part in a swimming-match with Breca?

} "Art thou that Beowulf with Breca did struggle, On the wide sea-currents at swimming contended, 10 Where to humor your pride the ocean ye tried, {'Twas mere folly that actuated you both to risk your lives on the ocean.

} From vainest vaunting adventured your bodies In care of the waters?

And no one was able Nor lief nor loth one, in the least to dissuade you Your difficult voyage; then ye ventured a-swimming, 15 Where your arms outstretching the streams ye did cover, The mere-ways measured, mixing and stirring them, Glided the ocean; angry the waves were, With the weltering of winter.

In the water's possession, Ye toiled for a seven-night; he at swimming outdid thee, 20 In strength excelled thee.

Then early at morning On the Heathoremes' shore the holm-currents tossed him, Sought he thenceward the home of his fathers, Beloved of his liegemen, the land of the Brondings, The peace-castle pleasant, where a people he wielded, [20] 25 Had borough and jewels.

The pledge that he made thee {Breca outdid you entirely.

} The son of Beanstan hath soothly accomplished.

Then I ween thou wilt find thee less fortunate issue, {Much more will Grendel outdo you, if you vie with him in prowess.

} Though ever triumphant in onset of battle, A grim grappling, if Grendel thou darest 30 For the space of a night near-by to wait for!"

{Beowulf retaliates.

} Beowulf answered, offspring of Ecgtheow: "My good friend Unferth, sure freely and wildly, {O friend Unferth, you are fuddled with beer, and cannot talk coherently.

} Thou fuddled with beer of Breca hast spoken, Hast told of his journey!

A fact I allege it, 35 That greater strength in the waters I had then, Ills in the ocean, than any man else had.

We made agreement as the merest of striplings Promised each other (both of us then were {We simply kept an engagement made in early life.

} Younkers in years) that we yet would adventure 40 Out on the ocean; it all we accomplished.

While swimming the sea-floods, sword-blade unscabbarded Boldly we brandished, our bodies expected To shield from the sharks.

He sure was unable {He _could_ not excel me, and I _would_ not excel him.

} To swim on the waters further than I could, 45 More swift on the waves, nor _would_ I from him go.

Then we two companions stayed in the ocean {After five days the currents separated us.

} Five nights together, till the currents did part us, The weltering waters, weathers the bleakest, And nethermost night, and the north-wind whistled 50 Fierce in our faces; fell were the billows.

The mere fishes' mood was mightily ruffled: And there against foemen my firm-knotted corslet, Hand-jointed, hardy, help did afford me;

My battle-sark braided, brilliantly gilded, {A horrible sea-beast attacked me, but I slew him.

} 55 Lay on my bosom.

To the bottom then dragged me, A hateful fiend-scather, seized me and held me, Grim in his grapple: 'twas granted me, nathless, To pierce the monster with the point of my weapon, My obedient blade; battle offcarried 60 The mighty mere-creature by means of my hand-blow.

[1] It has been plausibly suggested that 'síð' (in 501 and in 353) means 'arrival.'

If so, translate the bracket: _(the arrival of Beowulf, the brave seafarer, was a source of great chagrin to Unferth, etc. )_.

[21] X. BEOWULF SILENCES UNFERTH.

--GLEE IS HIGH.

"So ill-meaning enemies often did cause me Sorrow the sorest.

I served them, in quittance,