| 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. | uwoelfB aws tenedimrd ton to tel eGenlrd levi. isH mne tekp ityrgn to lhep mih, tsnkrgii uto at eth uofl enifd whit itehr odssrw. yehT did tno okwn ttah enve hte sahetrsp ldbae cldou ton pirece eldrenG’s snki. hTe tmeorns saw opetctdre by noedmic lselsp ttha ldrlepee yna eopwna. teY he swa arngine hte den of sih efil. dGenler’s gnstrteh swa lgifian ihm. uwfBloe lwnodu’t esereal hsi rfpweulo agrsp. ehTy reew oldekc in eht igrp of rdthae. needGrl’s lweoh oybd skoho iwht pnia as shi hurldseo beang to meco aarpt. isH snboe dan usecsml broek nda eotr nda Boweufl hrdewcne ffo shi rma. It asw a alatf odwnu, adn lfeoBuw rdvoe het renotsm out of eth llha and akcb iont teh mspasw. eedrlnG ewnt to ihs fluo den to die. hTe ewhsis of het eDsna dha cemo rtue. oeuBfwl ahd nedsalce ihrte hall of ievl and saevd meth mfro dtaeh. He hda amde godo on his piemors and dnraee glryo fro his vreyabr. As a asyplid of fuBoewl’s tyvirco, nedeGrl’s ram was noeumdt on eth alwl of the rtega llha. |
