[lines 194-224a in section III and 8th line from the bottom of folio 134r to 4th line from the bottom of folio 134v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{Beowulf hears about Grendel and decides to travel from his home in Geatland (southern Sweden) to Heorot (in northeast Denmark) to see if he can help out.
}
Till heard from his home / Higelac's thegn,
So good mid the Geats, / of Grendel's deeds;
He was of man-kind's / meiny the strongest
In the days / of this our life,
Well-born and waxing. / He bade him a wave-glider
Good be got ready; / quoth he, the great King
Over the swan-road / he would seek,
That mighty Lord, / since men he lacked.
For that way-faring / his wise fellows
Blamed him but little, / though loved of them he was;
His high-mind they whetted, / watched holy omens.
He had, good man, / from the Geatish people
Champions chosen, / of those that keenest
Might be found: / with fourteen else
The sound-wood he sought; / a sailor shewed them,
A lake-crafty man / the land-marks.
On time went; / on the waves was their ship,
A boat under bergs. / The boys all ready
Stepped on the stem; the stream was washing
The sound on the sand; / those seamen bare
Into the breast of the bark / bright adornments,
Wondrous war-armour; / well out they shoved her,
The foamy-necked floater, / to a fowl best likened,
Til about the same time / on the second day
Her winding stem / had waded so far
That the sailors / land could see,
Shore-cliffs shining, / mountains sheer,
Spreading sea-nesses; / then was the sound crossed
[lines 791-819a in section XII and 8th line from the top of folio 147r to 13th line from the top of folio 147v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment Beowulf and Grendel are fighting and Grendel is howling and screaming and wishing to escape but Beowulf has grabbed Grendel's arm and is using his incredible hand-strength to hold on to him.
}
Would not the earls'-buckler / for any thing
Let that quelling quester / quick escape him;
Nor his time on the earth / to any tribe
Deemed he useful. / Drew then each
Of Beowulf's earls / his ancient heirloom,
And would his lordes / life defend,
The marvellous Prince, / if so they might.
For this they wist not, / when they waged against him,
The hardy-minded / men of battle,
And on every half / they sought to hew him,
To search out his soul; / that the ceaseless scather
Not one upon earth / of the choicest irons,
Of war-bills none / would there come near,
For winning weapons / he had bewitched,
And every sword-edge. / Must the end of his time
In the days / of this our life
Be sorrow-full, / and the foreign phantom
Into the fiends' realm / far must travel.
Then this he found, / who freely erstwhile
In mirthful mood / against man-kind
Had fashioned felonies, / he, foes with God,
That his live body / might last no longer,
For him the haughty / mate of Higelac
Had by the arm; / so each to the other
While he lived was baneful. / Grief of body he bore,
[lines 1537-1569 in sections XXII and XXIII and 5th line from the bottom of folio 163v, through folio 164r to 4th line from the top of folio 164v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD] Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here. Note: there is a discussion of the word eaxle in line 1537a on my page on Shoulder Grabbing vs. Hair Pulling
{At this moment Beowulf has just failed to hurt Grendel's mother with the sword Hrunting and he tries to wrestle her as he had done with Grendel.
}
Caught then by the shoulder / (for the fight he cared not)
The War-Geats' Master / Grendel's mother;
Flung he then, battle-hardy, / so furious was he,
The foe of his life, / till she lay on the floor.
She quickly again / requited his handiwork
With her grim grip, / and against him reached.
Stooped over then wearily / the strongest of warriors,
The foot-men's champion, / until that he fell.
Sate she then on the hall-guest / and her saxe she drew,
Broad and brown-edged; / her bairn she'ld avenge,
Her only offspring. / Over his arm there lay
A woven breast-net; / that warded his life,
Withstood the entry / of point and of edge.
Then had sped / the son of Ecgtheow.
Beneath the wide ground, / the Geatish champion,
If his battle-byrny / had not brought him help,
A hard war-net; / did not Holy God
Rule the winning of wars. / The Wisest Lord,
The Justice of Heaven / judged it aright
Easily; / so up he stood.
He saw then among the armour / a sword rich in victories,
An old Eotenish blade, / doughty of edge,
To warriors worshipful; / 'twas the choicest of weapons,
But it was mightier / than any man other
Into the play of battle / might have borne,
Good and glorious, / giants' work.
He seized then the belted hilt; / that Wolf of the Shieldings,
Rough and war-rude, / the ringed blade drew;
Hopeless of living, / with heat he struck
So that hard it gripped / her on the neck,
Her bone-rings brake; / the bill went through all
Her fated flesh-cover; / on the floor she crashed.
The sword was sweating; / the soldier rejoiced in his work.
[lines 1584b-1590 in section XXIII and 7th line from the bottom of folio 164v to first half of the last line of folio 164v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment Beowulf has just discovered Grendel's lifeless body lying in the cave.
}
[lines 2672b-2708a in sections XXXVI and XXXVII and 8th line from the bottom of folio 189A197r, through folio 189A197v to 3rd line from the top of folio 189r on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment, Wiglaf has just run into the flames to be by Beowulf's side and the dragon has charged at them both, incinerating Wiglaf's shield.
}
--- In lapping-fire was burned
Board with boss; / his byrny might not
To the young spearman / yield any succor;
But the young man / under his master's shield
Went eagerly on, / when his own was
Wasted by fire. / Then again the War-King
Was mindful of his fame, / by main strength he smote
With his hostile blade, / so that on the head it beat,
Forced by his fury; / in flinders Nailing
Swooned in the battle, / Beowulf's sword,
Hoary and grey. / 'Twas not granted to him
That any edge / of iron might
Help in the struggle; / was that hand too strong,
Which every sword, / as I have heard say,
Overbore with its stroke, / when to the strife he bare
A wondrous-hard weapon; / nor was he a whit the better.
The the tribe's scather / a third time,
The fearsome fire-dragon / his feud remembered,
Rushed on that gallant one, / when room he gave him,
Hot, battle-grim, / all his neck he grasped
In bitter tooth-bones; / he bloodied was
With his soul's gore; / that sweat in streams gushed.
Then I heard that in the need / of the Nation's King
That earl of unceasing / excellence shewed,
Craft and keenness, / as his kind was;
Nor heeded he that head / (but the hand was burned
Of that masterful man, / when his mate he helped),
For he that dread guest / downwards a little struck,
A soldier in armour, / so that the sword dived in,
Brightly fashioned, / and the fire began
To slacken straightway. / Then himself the King again
Conquered his wits, / the killing-knife drew,
Bitter and battle-sharp, / which on his byrny he wore;
The Weders' Helm wrote into / the Worm's middle.
Their foe they felled, / their valour finished him,
