"Gewīteð þonne on sealman, sorh-lēoð gæleð
"ān æfter ānum: þūhte him eall tō rūm,
"wongas and wīc-stede. Swā Wedra helm
"æfter Herebealde heortan sorge
2465 "weallende wæg, wihte ne meahte
"on þām feorh-bonan fǣhðe gebētan:
"nō þȳ ǣr hē þone heaðo-rinc hatian ne meahte
"lāðum dǣdum, þēah him lēof ne wæs.
"Hē þā mid þǣre sorge, þē him sīo sār belamp,
2470 "gum-drēam ofgeaf, godes lēoht gecēas;
"eaferum lǣfde, swā dēð ēadig mon,
"lond and lēod-byrig, þā hē of līfe gewāt.
"Þā wæs synn and sacu Swēona and Gēata,
"ofer wīd wæter wrōht gemǣne,
2475 "here-nīð hearda, syððan Hrēðel swealt,
"oððe him Ongenþēowes eaferan wǣran
"frome fyrd-hwate, frēode ne woldon
"ofer heafo healdan, ac ymb Hrēosna-beorh
"eatolne inwit-scear oft gefremedon.
2480 "Þæt mǣg-wine mīne gewrǣcan,
"fǣhðe and fyrene, swā hyt gefrǣge wæs,
"þēah þe ōðer hit ealdre gebohte,
"heardan cēape: Hæðcynne wearð,
"Gēata dryhtne, gūð onsǣge.
2485 "Þā ic on morgne gefrægn mǣg ōðerne
"billes ecgum on bonan stǣlan,
"þǣr Ongenþēow Eofores nīosade:
"gūð-helm tōglād, gomela Scylfing
"hrēas heoro-blāc; hond gemunde
2490 "fǣhðo genōge, feorh-sweng ne oftēah.
"Ic him þā māðmas, þē hē mē sealde,
"geald æt gūðe, swā mē gifeðe wæs,
"lēohtan sweorde: hē mē lond forgeaf,
"eard ēðel-wyn. Næs him ǣnig þearf,
2495 "þæt hē tō Gifðum oððe tō Gār-Denum
"oððe in Swīo-rīce sēcean þurfe
"wyrsan wīg-frecan, weorðe gecȳpan;
"symle ic him on fēðan beforan wolde,
"āna on orde, and swā tō aldre sceall
2500 "sæcce fremman, þenden þis sweord þolað,
"þæt mec ǣr and sīð oft gelǣste,
"syððan ic for dugeðum Dæghrefne wearð
"tō hand-bonan, Hūga cempan:
"nalles hē þā frætwe Frēs-cyninge,
2505 "brēost-weorðunge bringan mōste,
"ac in campe gecrong cumbles hyrde,
"æðeling on elne. Ne wæs ecg bona,
"ac him hilde-grāp heortan wylmas,
"bān-hūs gebræc. Nū sceall billes ecg,
2510 "hond and heard sweord ymb hord wīgan."
Bēowulf maðelode, bēot-wordum spræc
nīehstan sīðe: "Ic genēðde fela
"gūða on geogoðe; gȳt ic wylle,
"frōd folces weard, fǣhðe sēcan,
2515 "mǣrðum fremman, gif mec se mān-sceaða
"of eorð-sele ūt gesēceð!"
Gegrētte þā gumena gehwylcne,
hwate helm-berend hindeman sīðe,
swǣse gesīðas: "Nolde ic sweord beran,
2520 "wǣpen tō wyrme, gif ic wiste hū
"wið þām āglǣcean elles meahte
"gylpe wiðgrīpan, swā ic giō wið Grendle dyde;
"ac ic þǣr heaðu-fȳres hātes wēne,
"rēðes and-hāttres: forþon ic mē on hafu
2525 "bord and byrnan. Nelle ic beorges weard
"oferflēon fōtes trem, fēond unhȳre,
"ac unc sceal weorðan æt wealle, swā unc Wyrd getēoð,
"metod manna gehwæs. Ic eom on mōde from,
"þæt ic wið þone gūð-flogan gylp ofersitte.
2530 "Gebīde gē on beorge byrnum werede,
"secgas on searwum, hwæðer sēl mǣge
"æfter wæl-rǣse wunde gedȳgan
"uncer twēga. Nis þæt ēower sīð,
"nē gemet mannes, nefne mīn ānes,
2535 "þæt hē wið āglǣcean eofoðo dǣle,
"eorl-scype efne. Ic mid elne sceall
"gold gegangan oððe gūð nimeð,
"feorh-bealu frēcne, frēan ēowerne!"
Ārās þā bī ronde rōf ōretta,
2540 heard under helm, hioro-sercean bær
under stān-cleofu, strengo getruwode
ānes mannes: ne bið swylc earges sīð.
Geseah þā be wealle, sē þe worna fela,
gum-cystum gōd, gūða gedīgde,
2545 hilde-hlemma, þonne hnitan fēðan,
(stōd on stān-bogan) strēam ūt þonan
brecan of beorge; wæs þǣre burnan wælm
heaðo-fȳrum hāt: ne meahte horde nēah
unbyrnende ǣnige hwīle
2550 dēop gedȳgan for dracan lēge.
Lēt þā of brēostum, þā hē gebolgen wæs,
Weder-Gēata lēod word ūt faran,
stearc-heort styrmde; stefn in becōm
heaðo-torht hlynnan under hārne stān.
2555 Hete wæs onhrēred, hord-weard oncnīow
mannes reorde; næs þǣr māra fyrst,
frēode tō friclan. From ǣrest cwōm
oruð āglǣcean ūt of stāne,
hāt hilde-swāt; hrūse dynede.
2560 Biorn under beorge bord-rand onswāf
wið þām gryre-gieste, Gēata dryhten:
þā wæs hring-bogan heorte gefȳsed
sæcce tō sēceanne. Sweord ǣr gebrǣ
gōd gūð-cyning gomele lāfe,
2565 ecgum unglēaw, ǣghwæðrum wæs
bealo-hycgendra brōga fram ōðrum.
Stīð-mōd gestōd wið stēapne rond
winia bealdor, þā se wyrm gebēah
snūde tōsomne: hē on searwum bād.
2570 Gewāt þā byrnende gebogen scrīðan tō,
gescīfe scyndan. Scyld wēl gebearg
līfe and līce lǣssan hwīle
mǣrum þēodne, þonne his myne sōhte,
þǣr hē þȳ fyrste forman dōgore
2575 wealdan mōste, swā him Wyrd ne gescrāf
hrēð æt hilde. Hond up ābræd
Gēata dryhten, gryre-fāhne slōh
incge lāfe, þæt sīo ecg gewāc
brūn on bāne, bāt unswīðor,
2580 þonne his þīod-cyning þearfe hæfde,
bysigum gebǣded. Þā wæs beorges weard
æfter heaðu-swenge on hrēoum mōde,
wearp wæl-fȳre, wīde sprungon
hilde-lēoman: hrēð-sigora ne gealp
2585 gold-wine Gēata, gūð-bill geswāc
nacod æt nīðe, swā hyt nō sceolde,
īren ǣr-gōd. Ne wæs þæt ēðe sīð,
þæt se mǣra maga Ecgþēowes
grund-wong þone ofgyfan wolde;
2590 sceolde wyrmes willan wīc eardian
elles hwergen, swā sceal ǣghwylc mon
ālǣtan lǣn-dagas. Næs þā long tō þon,
þæt þā āglǣcean hȳ eft gemētton.
Hyrte hyne hord-weard, hreðer ǣðme wēoll,
2595 nīwan stefne: nearo þrowode
fȳre befongen sē þe ǣr folce wēold.
Nealles him on hēape hand-gesteallan,
æðelinga bearn ymbe gestōdon
hilde-cystum, ac hȳ on holt bugon,
2600 ealdre burgan. Hiora in ānum wēoll
sefa wið sorgum: sibb ǣfre ne mæg
wiht onwendan, þām þe wēl þenceð.