The Beowulf

Manuscript
Complete Texts and
The Fight at Finnsburg

o
Edited and Translated by

R . D. F u L K

Dumbarton oaks
M edieval L ibrary

H a r va r d Un i v e r s i t y P r e s s
cambridge, massachusetts
london, england
2010
 Hwæt, we Gar-Dena in gear-dagum, Yes, we have heard of the greatness of the Spear-Danes’ high
þeod-cyninga þrym gefrunon, kings in days long past, how those nobles practiced bravery.
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. Often Scyld, son of Scef, expelled opponents’ hosts, many 4
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum, peoples, from mead-seats, made men fear him, after he was
5 monegum mægþum meodo-setla ofteah, first discovered destitute. He lived to see remedy for that:
egsode eorlas, syððan ærest wearð grew up under the heavens, prospered in marks of distinc-
fea-sceaft funden. He þæs frofre gebad: tion, until every neighbor across the whale-road had to an-
weox under wolcnum, weorð-myndum þah, swer to him, pay tribute. That was a good king. A son was 11
oð þæt him æghwylc þara ymb-sittendra born in succession to him, a young one among manors,
10 ofer hron-rade hyran scolde, whom God sent as a comfort to his people; he had perceived
gomban gyldan. Þæt wæs god cyning. their dire need, what they had suffered, lordless, for a great
Ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned while. For that the Lord of life, wielder of glory, granted
geong in geardum, þone God sende them that worldly favor: Beow was renowned—his fame
folce to frofre; fyren-ðearfe ongeat— sprang wide—the heir of Scyld, in Scania. So ought a young 20
15 þæt hie ær drugon aldorlease man to ensure by his liberality, by ready largess, while in his
lange hwile. Him þæs Lif-Frea, father’s care, that close companions will in turn stand by
wuldres wealdend worold-are forgeaf: him in his later years, his men be true when war comes; from
Beow wæs breme —blæd wide sprang— praiseworthy deeds comes success in every nation.
Scyldes eafera Scede-landum in.
20 Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean,
fromum feoh-giftum on fæder bearme,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wil-gesiþas, þonne wig cume,
leode gelæsten; lof-dædum sceal
25 in mægþa gehwære man geþeon.

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Him ða Scyld gewat to gescæp-hwile Then at the appointed time Scyld, very elderly, set out to 26
fela-hror feran on Frean wære. pass into the keeping of the Lord. They bore him then to
Hi hyne þa ætbæron to brimes faroðe, the ocean’s shore, his close confederates, as he himself had
swæse gesiþas, swa he selfa bæd requested while he had command of words. The friend of 30
30 þenden wordum weold. Wine Scyldinga, the Scyldings, beloved leader of that race, had long owned—
leof land-fruma lange ahte— it stood there in the harbor, a ring-prowed one, icy and set
þær æt hyðe stod, hringed-stefna to depart—a prince’s vessel; then they laid their well-loved
isig ond ut-fus— æþelinges fær; lord, disburser of rings, in the ship’s bosom, the renowned
aledon þa leofne þeoden, man by the mast. A trove of treasures and trappings was
35 beaga bryttan on bearm scipes, brought there from far ways. I have never heard of a ferry
mærne be mæste. Þær wæs madma fela more finely decked with war-weapons and battle-garments,
of feor-wegum frætwa gelæded. blades and chain-mail; in his lap lay a mass of riches, which
Ne hyrde ic cymlicor ceol gegyrwan were to go far with him into the possession of the flood.
hilde-wæpnum ond heaðo-wædum, They equipped him with offerings, treasures of the commu- 43
40 billum ond byrnum; him on bearme læg nity by no means humbler than the ones they had provided
madma mænigo, þa him mid scoldon who sent him forth at the start, alone over the wave in his
on flodes æht feor gewitan. infancy. And now they raised high over his head a golden
Nalæs hi hine læssan lacum teodan, standard, let the sea take him, gave him over to the deep;
þeod-gestreonum, þonne þa dydon their spirits were brooding, their mood full of mourning.
45 þe hine æt frum-sceafte forð onsendon No one can say for a fact, counselors in halls, heroes under
ænne ofer yðe umbor-wesende. heaven, who received that cargo.
Þa gyt hie him asetton segen gyldenne 1
Then among the strongholds Beow of the Scyldings, be- 53
heah ofer heafod, leton holm beran,
loved king of that folk, was celebrated by peoples for long
geafon on garsecg; him wæs geomor sefa,
years—his father had passed elsewhere, that elder from the
50 murnende mod. Men ne cunnon
secgan to soðe, sele-rædende,
hæleð under heofenum, hwa þæm hlæste onfeng.
i
Ða wæs on burgum Beow Scyldinga,
leof leod-cyning longe þrage
55 folcum gefræge —fæder ellor hwearf,

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aldor of earde— oþ þæt him eft onwoc earth—until to him in turn high Healfdene awoke; he held
heah Healfdene; heold þenden lifde sway as long as he lived, old and battle-fierce, over the gra-
gamol ond guð-reouw glæde Scyldingas. cious Scyldings. To him four children in sum awoke in the
Ðæm feower bearn forð-gerimed world, to that leader of armies, Heorogar and Hrothgar and
60 in worold wocun, weoroda ræswan, Halga the good; I have heard that [. . . . . .] was Onela’s queen,
Heorogar ond Hroðgar ond Halga til; cherished bedfellow of the War- Scylfing.
hyrde ic þæt [.] wæs Onelan cwen, Then to Hrothgar was given war-success, distinction in 64
Heaðo- Scilfingas heals-gebedda. battle, so that his friends and kinsmen were willingly ruled
Þa wæs Hroðgare here-sped gyfen, by him, until the cadre of new recruits grew to a large force
65 wiges weorð-mynd, þæt him his wine-magas of young men. It became fixed in his mind that he would
georne hyrdon, oðð þæt seo geogoð geweox, direct men to construct a hall-structure, a mead-mansion
mago-driht micel. Him on mod bearn larger than the offspring of the ancients had ever heard of,
þæt heal-reced hatan wolde, and there inside he would hand over to young and old all
medo-ærn micel men gewyrcean such as God had granted him, aside from the state itself and
70 þonne yldo bearn æfre gefrunon, human lives. Then, I have heard, the work was imposed far 74
ond þær on innan eall gedælan and wide on many a folk throughout this middle-earth, the
geongum ond ealdum swylc him God sealde, public place furnished. By and by it came to pass for them,
buton folc-scare ond feorum gumena. not long among humankind, that it was all finished, the
Ða ic wide gefrægn weorc gebannan greatest of hall-houses; he whose word had wide authority
75 manigre mægþe geond þisne middan-geard, crafted for it the name Heorot. He did not neglect his prom-
folc-stede frætwan. Him on fyrste gelomp, ise: he distributed rings, a fortune at feast. The hall towered,
ædre mid yldum, þæt hit wearð eal gearo, tall and wide-gabled; it awaited battle-surges, dreaded flame;
heal-ærna mæst; scop him Heort naman it was sooner yet that the blade-hostility should be roused
se þe his wordes geweald wide hæfde. for father- and son-in-law after deadly violence.
80 He beot ne aleh: beagas dælde, Then the powerful demon endured the time with effort, 86
sinc æt symle. Sele hlifade
heah ond horn-geap; heaðo-wylma bad,
laðan liges— ne wæs hit lenge þa gen
þæt se ecg-hete aþum-sweoran
85 æfter wæl-niðe wæcnan scolde.
Ða se ellen-gæst earfoðlice

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þrage geþolode, se þe in þystrum bad, he who waited in the shadows, that every day he heard noisy
þæt he dogora gehwam dream gehyrde pleasures in the hall. There was the music of the harp, the
hludne in healle. Þær wæs hearpan sweg, clear song of the performer. He who could reckon the ori-
90 swutol sang scopes. Sægde se þe cuþe gins of mortals from distant times said that the Almighty
frum-sceaft fira feorran reccan, created the earth, a resplendent world, as far as contained
cwæð þæt se ælmihtiga eorðan worhte, by water—positioned, triumphant, sun and moon, lamps as
wlite-beorhtne wang, swa wæter bebugeð, illumination to landsmen, and embellished the surface of
gesette sige-hreþig sunnan ond monan, the earth with branches and leaves, likewise generated life
95 leoman to leohte land-buendum, in all the species that actively move about. Thus the troop- 99
ond gefrætwade foldan sceatas men lived agreeably, at ease, until a certain one began to per-
leomum ond leafum, lif eac gesceop petrate crimes, a hellish foe; the unyielding demon was
cynna gehwylcum þara ðe cwice hwyrfaþ. named Grendel, a well-known wanderer in the wastes, who
Swa ða driht-guman dreamum lifdon, ruled the heath, fen, and fastnesses; the ill-starred man had
100 eadiglice, oð ðæt an ongan occupied for some time the habitat of monstrosities, after
fyrene fremman feond on helle; the Creator had cursed him among the race of Cain—the
wæs se grimma gæst Grendel haten, eternal Lord was avenging the murder after he killed Abel;
mære mearc-stapa, se þe moras heold, he derived no satisfaction from that feud, but Providence
fen ond fæsten; fifel-cynnes eard banished him far away from humankind on account of that
105 won-sæli wer weardode hwile, crime. Thence awoke all deformed races, ogres and elves and 111
siþðan him scyppen forscrifen hæfde lumbering brutes, likewise giants, who struggled against
in Caines cynne— þone cwealm gewræc God for a long while; he gave them their deserts for that.
ece Drihten, þæs þe he Abel slog; ii
He set out then after night fell to examine the tall build- 115
ne gefeah he þære fæhðe, ac he hine feor forwræc,
ing, how the Ring-Danes had settled in after the drinking
110 Metod for þy mane man-cynne fram.
Þanon untydras ealle onwocon,
eotenas ond ylfe ond orc-neas,
swylce gigantas, þa wið Gode wunnon
lange þrage; he him ðæs lean forgeald.
ii
115 Gewat ða neosian, syþðan niht becom,
hean huses, hu hit Hring-Dene

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æfter beorþege gebun hæfdon. rounds. He found therein a band of nobles sleeping after the
Fand þa ðær inne æþelinga gedriht feast; they knew no cares, no human misfortune. The crea- 120
swefan æfter symble; sorge ne cuðon, ture of malignity, unyielding and rapacious, was ready at
120 won-sceaft wera. Wiht unhælo, once, fierce and savage, and seized where they lay thirty men
grim ond grædig, gearo sona wæs, of the court; from there he set out again, exulting in the
reoc ond reþe, ond on ræste genam spoils, to go home, to visit his territory with his fill of the
þritig þegna; þanon eft gewat slaughtered. Then in the early hours before dawn Grendel’s
huðe hremig to ham faran, warfare was revealed to all; then after feasting, wailing was
125 mid þære wæl-fylle wica neosan. lifted up, a loud morning-song. The renowned lord, a prince 129
Ða wæs on uhtan mid ær-dæge good since old times, sat distraught; the mighty one suf-
Grendles guð-cræft gumum undyrne; fered, endured misery over his men, after they observed the
þa wæs æfter wiste wop up ahafen, track of the despised one, the accursed demon; that afflic-
micel morgen-sweg. Mære þeoden, tion was too strong, repellent and enduring. There was little
130 æþeling ær-god, unbliðe sæt, delay, but after a single night he committed more murders,
þolode ðryð-swyð, þegn-sorge dreah, feuding and crimes, and showed no remorse; he was too in-
syðþan hie þæs laðan last sceawedon, tent on it. Then there was no dearth of those who found
wergan gastes; wæs þæt gewin to strang, themselves sleeping-quarters elsewhere, farther away, a bed
lað ond longsum. Næs hit lengra fyrst, among the private chambers, when the hall-thane’s malice
135 ac ymb ane niht eft gefremede was demonstrated to them, truly expressed by clear signs;
morð-beala mare, ond no mearn fore, whoever escaped the fiend lodged themselves farther away
fæhðe ond fyrene; wæs to fæst on þam. and more securely after that. Thus he reigned and made war 144
Þa wæs eað-fynde þe him elles hwær on justice, alone against all, until the finest of buildings
gerumlicor ræste sohte, stood idle. The period was long: for the space of twelve win-
140 bed æfter burum, ða him gebeacnod wæs,
gesægd soðlice sweotolan tacne
heal-ðegnes hete; heold hyne syðþan
fyr ond fæstor se þæm feonde ætwand.
Swa rixode ond wið rihte wan,
145 ana wið eallum, oð þæt idel stod
husa selest. Wæs seo hwil micel:
twelf wintra tid torn geþolode

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