Beowulf (Hall translation) — Chapters XIII - XV
{Beowulf has no idea of letting Grendel live.
} For no cause whatever would the earlmen's defender Leave in life-joys the loathsome newcomer, He deemed his existence utterly useless To men under heaven.
Many a noble 5 Of Beowulf brandished his battle-sword old, Would guard the life of his lord and protector, The far-famous chieftain, if able to do so;
While waging the warfare, this wist they but little, Brave battle-thanes, while his body intending {No weapon would harm Grendel; he bore a charmed life.
} 10 To slit into slivers, and seeking his spirit: That the relentless foeman nor finest of weapons Of all on the earth, nor any of war-bills [29] Was willing to injure; but weapons of victory Swords and suchlike he had sworn to dispense with.
15 His death at that time must prove to be wretched, And the far-away spirit widely should journey Into enemies' power.
This plainly he saw then Who with mirth[1] of mood malice no little Had wrought in the past on the race of the earthmen 20 (To God he was hostile), that his body would fail him, But Higelac's hardy henchman and kinsman Held him by the hand; hateful to other {Grendel is sorely wounded.
} Was each one if living.
A body-wound suffered The direful demon, damage incurable {His body bursts.
} 25 Was seen on his shoulder, his sinews were shivered, His body did burst.
To Beowulf was given Glory in battle; Grendel from thenceward Must flee and hide him in the fen-cliffs and marshes, Sick unto death, his dwelling must look for 30 Unwinsome and woful; he wist the more fully {The monster flees away to hide in the moors.
} The end of his earthly existence was nearing, His life-days' limits.
At last for the Danemen, When the slaughter was over, their wish was accomplished.
The comer-from-far-land had cleansed then of evil, 35 Wise and valiant, the war-hall of Hrothgar, Saved it from violence.
He joyed in the night-work, In repute for prowess; the prince of the Geatmen For the East-Danish people his boast had accomplished, Bettered their burdensome bale-sorrows fully, 40 The craft-begot evil they erstwhile had suffered And were forced to endure from crushing oppression, Their manifold misery.
'Twas a manifest token, {Beowulf suspends Grendel's hand and arm in Heorot.
} When the hero-in-battle the hand suspended, The arm and the shoulder (there was all of the claw 45 Of Grendel together) 'neath great-stretching hall-roof.
[1] It has been proposed to translate 'myrðe' by _with sorrow_; but there seems no authority for such a rendering.
To the present translator, the phrase 'módes myrðe' seems a mere padding for _gladly_; i. e. , _he who gladly harassed mankind_.
[30] XIV. REJOICING OF THE DANES.
{At early dawn, warriors from far and near come together to hear of the night's adventures.
} In the mist of the morning many a warrior Stood round the gift-hall, as the story is told me: Folk-princes fared then from far and from near Through long-stretching journeys to look at the wonder, 5 The footprints of the foeman.
Few of the warriors {Few warriors lamented Grendel's destruction.
} Who gazed on the foot-tracks of the inglorious creature His parting from life pained very deeply, How, weary in spirit, off from those regions In combats conquered he carried his traces, 10 Fated and flying, to the flood of the nickers.
{Grendel's blood dyes the waters.
} There in bloody billows bubbled the currents, The angry eddy was everywhere mingled And seething with gore, welling with sword-blood;[1] He death-doomed had hid him, when reaved of his joyance 15 He laid down his life in the lair he had fled to, His heathenish spirit, where hell did receive him.
Thence the friends from of old backward turned them, And many a younker from merry adventure, Striding their stallions, stout from the seaward, 20 Heroes on horses.
There were heard very often {Beowulf is the hero of the hour.
} Beowulf's praises; many often asserted That neither south nor north, in the circuit of waters, {He is regarded as a probable successor to Hrothgar.
} O'er outstretching earth-plain, none other was better 'Mid bearers of war-shields, more worthy to govern, 25 'Neath the arch of the ether.
Not any, however, 'Gainst the friend-lord muttered, mocking-words uttered {But no word is uttered to derogate from the old king} Of Hrothgar the gracious (a good king he).
Oft the famed ones permitted their fallow-skinned horses [31] To run in rivalry, racing and chasing, 30 Where the fieldways appeared to them fair and inviting, Known for their excellence; oft a thane of the folk-lord,[2] {The gleeman sings the deeds of heroes.
} [3]A man of celebrity, mindful of rhythms, Who ancient traditions treasured in memory, New word-groups found properly bound: 35 The bard after 'gan then Beowulf's venture {He sings in alliterative measures of Beowulf's prowess.
} Wisely to tell of, and words that were clever To utter skilfully, earnestly speaking, Everything told he that he heard as to Sigmund's {Also of Sigemund, who has slain a great fire-dragon.
} Mighty achievements, many things hidden, 40 The strife of the Wælsing, the wide-going ventures The children of men knew of but little, The feud and the fury, but Fitela with him, When suchlike matters he minded to speak of, Uncle to nephew, as in every contention 45 Each to other was ever devoted: A numerous host of the race of the scathers They had slain with the sword-edge.
To Sigmund accrued then No little of glory, when his life-days were over, Since he sturdy in struggle had destroyed the great dragon, 50 The hoard-treasure's keeper; 'neath the hoar-grayish stone he, The son of the atheling, unaided adventured The perilous project; not present was Fitela, Yet the fortune befell him of forcing his weapon Through the marvellous dragon, that it stood in the wall, 55 Well-honored weapon; the worm was slaughtered.
The great one had gained then by his glorious achievement To reap from the ring-hoard richest enjoyment, [32] As best it did please him: his vessel he loaded, Shining ornaments on the ship's bosom carried, 60 Kinsman of Wæls: the drake in heat melted.
{Sigemund was widely famed.
} He was farthest famed of fugitive pilgrims, Mid wide-scattered world-folk, for works of great prowess, War-troopers' shelter: hence waxed he in honor.
[4] {Heremod, an unfortunate Danish king, is introduced by way of contrast.
} Afterward Heremod's hero-strength failed him, 65 His vigor and valor.
'Mid venomous haters To the hands of foemen he was foully delivered, Offdriven early.
Agony-billows {Unlike Sigemund and Beowulf, Heremod was a burden to his people.
} Oppressed him too long, to his people he became then, To all the athelings, an ever-great burden;
70 And the daring one's journey in days of yore Many wise men were wont to deplore, Such as hoped he would bring them help in their sorrow, That the son of their ruler should rise into power, Holding the headship held by his fathers, 75 Should govern the people, the gold-hoard and borough, The kingdom of heroes, the realm of the Scyldings.
{Beowulf is an honor to his race.
} He to all men became then far more beloved, Higelac's kinsman, to kindreds and races, To his friends much dearer; him malice assaulted.
-- {The story is resumed.
} 80 Oft running and racing on roadsters they measured The dun-colored highways.
Then the light of the morning Was hurried and hastened.
Went henchmen in numbers To the beautiful building, bold ones in spirit, To look at the wonder; the liegelord himself then 85 From his wife-bower wending, warden of treasures, Glorious trod with troopers unnumbered, Famed for his virtues, and with him the queen-wife Measured the mead-ways, with maidens attending.
[1] S.
emends, suggesting 'déop' for 'déog,' and removing semicolon after 'wéol.'
The two half-lines 'welling ...
hid him' would then read: _The bloody deep welled with sword-gore_.
B.
accepts 'déop' for 'déog,' but reads 'déað-fæges': _The deep boiled with the sword-gore of the death-doomed one_.
[2] Another and quite different rendering of this passage is as follows: _Oft a liegeman of the king, a fame-covered man mindful of songs, who very many ancient traditions remembered (he found other word-groups accurately bound together) began afterward to tell of Beowulf's adventure, skilfully to narrate it, etc_.
[3] Might 'guma gilp-hladen' mean 'a man laden with boasts of the deeds of others'?
[4] t. B.
accepts B.' s 'hé þæs áron þáh' as given by H. -So.
, but puts a comma after 'þáh,' and takes 'siððan' as introducing a dependent clause: _He throve in honor since Heremod's strength ...
had decreased_.
[33] XV. HROTHGAR'S GRATITUDE.
Hrothgar discoursed (to the hall-building went he, He stood by the pillar,[1] saw the steep-rising hall-roof Gleaming with gold-gems, and Grendel his hand there): {Hrothgar gives thanks for the overthrow of the monster.
} "For the sight we behold now, thanks to the Wielder 5 Early be offered!
Much evil I bided, Snaring from Grendel:[2] God can e'er 'complish Wonder on wonder, Wielder of Glory!
{I had given up all hope, when this brave liegeman came to our aid.
} But lately I reckoned ne'er under heaven Comfort to gain me for any of sorrows, 10 While the handsomest of houses horrid with bloodstain Gory uptowered; grief had offfrightened[3] Each of the wise ones who weened not that ever The folk-troop's defences 'gainst foes they should strengthen, 'Gainst sprites and monsters.
Through the might of the Wielder 15 A doughty retainer hath a deed now accomplished Which erstwhile we all with our excellent wisdom {If his mother yet liveth, well may she thank God for this son.
} Failed to perform.
May affirm very truly What woman soever in all of the nations Gave birth to the child, if yet she surviveth, 20 That the long-ruling Lord was lavish to herward In the birth of the bairn.
Now, Beowulf dear, {Hereafter, Beowulf, thou shalt be my son.
} Most excellent hero, I'll love thee in spirit As bairn of my body; bear well henceforward The relationship new.
No lack shall befall thee 25 Of earth-joys any I ever can give thee.
Full often for lesser service I've given [34] Hero less hardy hoard-treasure precious, {Thou hast won immortal distinction.
} To a weaker in war-strife.
By works of distinction Thou hast gained for thyself now that thy glory shall flourish 30 Forever and ever.
The All-Ruler quite thee With good from His hand as He hitherto did thee!"
{Beowulf replies: I was most happy to render thee this service.
} Beowulf answered, Ecgtheow's offspring: "That labor of glory most gladly achieved we, The combat accomplished, unquailing we ventured 35 The enemy's grapple; I would grant it much rather Thou wert able to look at the creature in person, Faint unto falling, the foe in his trappings!
On murder-bed quickly I minded to bind him, With firm-holding fetters, that forced by my grapple 40 Low he should lie in life-and-death struggle 'Less his body escape; I was wholly unable, {I could not keep the monster from escaping, as God did not will that I should.
} Since God did not will it, to keep him from going, Not held him that firmly, hated opposer;
Too swift was the foeman.
Yet safety regarding 45 He suffered his hand behind him to linger, His arm and shoulder, to act as watcher;
{He left his hand and arm behind.
} No shadow of solace the woe-begone creature Found him there nathless: the hated destroyer Liveth no longer, lashed for his evils, 50 But sorrow hath seized him, in snare-meshes hath him Close in its clutches, keepeth him writhing In baleful bonds: there banished for evil The man shall wait for the mighty tribunal, {God will give him his deserts.
} How the God of glory shall give him his earnings."
55 Then the soldier kept silent, son of old Ecglaf, {Unferth has nothing more to say, for Beowulf's actions speak louder than words.
} From boasting and bragging of battle-achievements, Since the princes beheld there the hand that depended 'Neath the lofty hall-timbers by the might of the nobleman, Each one before him, the enemy's fingers;
60 Each finger-nail strong steel most resembled, The heathen one's hand-spur, the hero-in-battle's Claw most uncanny; quoth they agreeing, [35] {No sword will harm the monster.
} That not any excellent edges of brave ones Was willing to touch him, the terrible creature's 65 Battle-hand bloody to bear away from him.
[1] B.
and t. B.
read 'staþole,' and translate _stood on the floor_.
[2] For 'snaring from Grendel,' 'sorrows at Grendel's hands' has been suggested.
This gives a parallel to 'láðes.'
'Grynna' may well be gen. pl.
of 'gyrn,' by a scribal slip.
[3] The H. -So punctuation has been followed; but B. has been followed in understanding 'gehwylcne' as object of 'wíd-scofen (hæfde).'
Gr.
construes 'wéa' as nom abs.
XVI. HROTHGAR LAVISHES GIFTS UPON HIS DELIVERER.
