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NOT in any wise would the earls’-defence suffer that slaughterous stranger to live, useless deeming his days and years to men on earth. Now many an earl of Beowulf brandished blade ancestral, fain the life of their lord to shield, their praised prince, if power were theirs; never they knew,—as they neared the foe, hardy-hearted heroes of war, aiming their swords on every side the accursed to kill,—no keenest blade, no farest of falchions fashioned on earth, could harm or hurt that hideous fiend! He was safe, by his spells, from sword of battle, from edge of iron. Yet his end and parting on that same day of this our life woful should be, and his wandering soul far off flit to the fiends’ domain. Soon he found, who in former days, harmful in heart and hated of God, on many a man such murder wrought, that the frame of his body failed him now. For him the keen-souled kinsman of Hygelac held in hand; hateful alive was each to other. The outlaw dire took mortal hurt; a mighty wound showed on his shoulder, and sinews cracked, and the bone-frame burst. To Beowulf now the glory was given, and Grendel thence death-sick his den in the dark moor sought, noisome abode: he knew too well that here was the last of life, an end of his days on earth.—To all the Danes by that bloody battle the boon had come. From ravage had rescued the roving stranger Hrothgar’s hall; the hardy and wise one had purged it anew. His night-work pleased him, his deed and its honor. To Eastern Danes had the valiant Geat his vaunt made good, all their sorrow and ills assuaged, their bale of battle borne so long, and all the dole they erst endured pain a-plenty.—’Twas proof of this, when the hardy-in-fight a hand laid down, arm and shoulder,—all, indeed, of Grendel’s gripe,—’neath the gabled roof. eofwBul saw dmereidnt nto to lte erdlneG lvei. siH nem ektp tnyirg to phel ihm, igkirstn otu at eht uolf deifn tihw etirh dwosrs. hyTe ddi tno wkno tath neve teh phaserst aeldb lduco not ireepc erGnlde’s iskn. ehT mrtnseo asw crepettdo by eimcndo seslpl that leepdelr any npoawe. tYe he aws aernnig hte nde of shi ielf. edernlG’s ngthrste asw glfaiin imh. Blewofu lndwou’t elseaer shi uflperwo aprgs. hTey erew leodck in eht grpi of hdetar. eerndlG’s wlohe bydo okhso ihtw ainp as ihs ruoleshd egnab to meoc paatr. isH enosb nad ucmsesl berok dna oter dna fBuleow edwcnher ffo sih amr. It asw a flaat oduwn, adn Bwfoeul edovr eth tnorsme uto of eht lhla adn kcba noit eht saspmw. enldGer wnet to shi oflu ned to ied. The whseis of eth eaDsn ahd ecmo eutr. foewulB ahd naecedls ehrit alhl of ielv adn dasve ehtm ofmr adhte. He had dema dgoo on shi pesmoir and aderen lrgoy for shi veabryr. As a isyalpd of weloBuf’s ityvcor, eGedlrn’s mar was otdunme on the wlal of the ragte lahl.

Original Text

Modern Text

NOT in any wise would the earls’-defence suffer that slaughterous stranger to live, useless deeming his days and years to men on earth. Now many an earl of Beowulf brandished blade ancestral, fain the life of their lord to shield, their praised prince, if power were theirs; never they knew,—as they neared the foe, hardy-hearted heroes of war, aiming their swords on every side the accursed to kill,—no keenest blade, no farest of falchions fashioned on earth, could harm or hurt that hideous fiend! He was safe, by his spells, from sword of battle, from edge of iron. Yet his end and parting on that same day of this our life woful should be, and his wandering soul far off flit to the fiends’ domain. Soon he found, who in former days, harmful in heart and hated of God, on many a man such murder wrought, that the frame of his body failed him now. For him the keen-souled kinsman of Hygelac held in hand; hateful alive was each to other. The outlaw dire took mortal hurt; a mighty wound showed on his shoulder, and sinews cracked, and the bone-frame burst. To Beowulf now the glory was given, and Grendel thence death-sick his den in the dark moor sought, noisome abode: he knew too well that here was the last of life, an end of his days on earth.—To all the Danes by that bloody battle the boon had come. From ravage had rescued the roving stranger Hrothgar’s hall; the hardy and wise one had purged it anew. His night-work pleased him, his deed and its honor. To Eastern Danes had the valiant Geat his vaunt made good, all their sorrow and ills assuaged, their bale of battle borne so long, and all the dole they erst endured pain a-plenty.—’Twas proof of this, when the hardy-in-fight a hand laid down, arm and shoulder,—all, indeed, of Grendel’s gripe,—’neath the gabled roof. eofwBul saw dmereidnt nto to lte erdlneG lvei. siH nem ektp tnyirg to phel ihm, igkirstn otu at eht uolf deifn tihw etirh dwosrs. hyTe ddi tno wkno tath neve teh phaserst aeldb lduco not ireepc erGnlde’s iskn. ehT mrtnseo asw crepettdo by eimcndo seslpl that leepdelr any npoawe. tYe he aws aernnig hte nde of shi ielf. edernlG’s ngthrste asw glfaiin imh. Blewofu lndwou’t elseaer shi uflperwo aprgs. hTey erew leodck in eht grpi of hdetar. eerndlG’s wlohe bydo okhso ihtw ainp as ihs ruoleshd egnab to meoc paatr. isH enosb nad ucmsesl berok dna oter dna fBuleow edwcnher ffo sih amr. It asw a flaat oduwn, adn Bwfoeul edovr eth tnorsme uto of eht lhla adn kcba noit eht saspmw. enldGer wnet to shi oflu ned to ied. The whseis of eth eaDsn ahd ecmo eutr. foewulB ahd naecedls ehrit alhl of ielv adn dasve ehtm ofmr adhte. He had dema dgoo on shi pesmoir and aderen lrgoy for shi veabryr. As a isyalpd of weloBuf’s ityvcor, eGedlrn’s mar was otdunme on the wlal of the ragte lahl.
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