Anon — The Tale of Beowulf, Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats — XXX. BEOWULF FOREBODES ILL FROM THE WEDDING OF FREAWARU: HE TELLS OF GRENDEL AND HIS DAM.

XXX. BEOWULF FOREBODES ILL FROM THE WEDDING OF FREAWARU: HE TELLS OF GRENDEL AND HIS DAM.

Ill-liking this may be to the lord of the Heathobards,

And to each of the thanes of that same people.

When he with fair bride on the floor of hall wendeth,

That the Dane's noble bairn his doughty should wait on,

As on him glisten there the heirlooms of the aged,

Hard and with rings bedight, Heathobards' treasure,

Whileas the weapons yet they might wield;

Till astray did they lead there at the lind-play

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Their own fellows belov'd and their very own lives.

For then saith at the beer, he who seeth the ring,

An ancient ash-warrior who mindeth of all

The spear-death of men; grim is he of mind;

Sad of mood he beginneth to tell the young champion.

Through the thought of his heart his mind there to try,

The war-bale to waken, and sayeth this word:

Mayest thou, friend mine, wot of the war-sword,

That which thy father bore in the fight

Under the war-mask e'en on the last time,

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That the dear iron, whereas the Danes slew him,

Wielded the death-field, since Withergyld lay,

After fall of the heroes, the keen-hearted Scyldings?

Now here of those banesmen the son, whoseso he be,

All merry in fretwork forth on floor fareth;

Of the murder he boasteth, and that jewel he beareth,

E'en that which of right thou shouldest arede.

Thus he mindeth and maketh word every of times,

With sore words he telleth, until the time cometh

That the thane of the fair bride for the deeds of his father

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After bite of the bill sleepeth all blood-stain'd,

All forfeit of life; but thenceforth the other

Escapeth alive; the land well he kenneth;

Then will be broken on both sides forsooth

The oath-swearing of earls, whenas unto Ingeld

Well up the death-hatreds, and the wife-loves of him

Because of the care-wellings cooler become.

Therefore the Heathobards' faith I account not,

Their deal of the folk-peace, unguileful to Danes,

Their fast-bounden friendship. Henceforth must I speak on

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Again about Grendel, that thou get well to know it,

O treasure-out-dealer, how sithence betided

The hand-race of heroes: sithence heaven's gem

All over the grounds glided, came the wroth guest,

The dire night-angry one us to go look on,

Whereas we all sound were warding the hall.

There then for Handshoe was battle abiding,

Life-bale to the fey; he first lay alow,

The war-champion girded; unto him became Grendel,

To the great thane of kindreds, a banesman of mouth,

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Of the man well-beloved the body he swallow'd;

Nor the sooner therefor out empty-handed

The bloody-tooth'd banesman, of bales all bemindful,

Out from that gold-hall yet would he get him;

But he, mighty of main, made trial of me,

And gripp'd ready-handed. His glove hung aloft,

Wondrous and wide, in wily bands fast,

With cunning wiles was it begeared forsooth,

With crafts of the devils and fells of the dragons;

He me withinwards there, me the unsinning,

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The doer of big deeds would do me to be

As one of the many; but naught so it might be,

Sithence in mine anger upright I stood.

'Tis over-long telling how I to the folkscather

For each one of evils out paid the hand-gild.

There I, O my lord king, them thy leal people

Worthy'd with works: but away he gat loosed

Out thence for a little while, brooked yet life-joys;

But his right hand held ward of his track howsoever,

High upon Hart-hall, and thence away humble

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He sad of his mood to the mere-ground fell downward.

Me for that slaughter-race the friend of the Scyldings

With gold that beplated was mickle deal paid,

With a many of treasures, sithence came the morning,

And we to the feast-tide had sat us adown;

Song was and glee there; the elder of Scyldings,

Asking of many things, told of things o'erpast;

Whiles hath the battle-deer there the harp's joy,

The wood of mirth greeted; whiles the lay said he

Soothfast and sorrowful; whiles a spell seldom told

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Told he by right, the king roomy-hearted;

Whiles began afterward he by eld bounden,

The aged hoar warrior, of his youth to bewail him,

Its might of the battle; his breast well'd within him,

When he, wont in winters, of many now minded.

So we there withinward the livelong day's wearing

Took pleasure amongst us, till came upon men

Another of nights; then eftsoons again

Was yare for the harm-wreak the mother of Grendel:

All sorry she wended, for her son death had taken,

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The war-hate of the Weders: that monster of women

Awreaked her bairn, and quelled a warrior

In manner all mighty. Then was there from Aeschere,

The wise man of old, life waning away;

Nor him might they even when come was the morning,

That death-weary wight, the folk of the Danes

Burn up with the brand, nor lade on the bale

The man well-belov'd, for his body she bare off

In her fathom the fiendly all under the fell-stream.

That was unto Hrothgar of sorrows the heaviest

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Of them which the folk-chieftain long had befallen.

Then me did the lord king, and e'en by thy life,

Mood-heavy beseech me that I in the holm-throng

Should do after earlship, my life to adventure,

And frame me main-greatness, and meed he behight me.

Then I of the welling flood, which is well kenned,

The grim and the grisly ground-herder did find.

There to us for a while was the blending of hands;

The holm welled with gore, and the head I becarved

In that hall of the ground from the Mother of Grendel

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With the all-eked edges; unsoftly out thence

My life forth I ferry'd, for not yet was I fey.

But the earls' burg to me was giving thereafter

Much sort of the treasures, e'en Healfdene's son.