Wīglāf wæs hāten Wēoxstānes sunu,
lēoflīc lind-wiga, lēod Scylfinga,
2605 mǣg Ælfheres: geseah his mon-dryhten
under here-grīman hāt þrowian.
Gemunde þā þā āre, þē hē him ǣr forgeaf
wīc-stede weligne Wǣgmundinga,
folc-rihta gehwylc, swā his fæder āhte;
2610 ne mihte þā forhabban, hond rond gefēng,
geolwe linde, gomel swyrd getēah,
þæt wæs mid eldum Ēanmundes lāf,
suna Ōhteres, þām æt sæcce wearð
wracu wine-lēasum Wēohstānes bana
2615 mēces ecgum, and his māgum ætbær
brūn-fāgne helm, hringde byrnan,
eald sweord eotonisc, þæt him Onela forgeaf,
his gædelinges gūð-gewǣdu,
fyrd-searo fūslīc: nō ymbe þā fǣhðe spræc,
2620 þēah þe hē his brōðor bearn ābredwade.
Hē frætwe gehēold fela missēra,
bill and byrnan, oð þæt his byre mihte
eorl-scipe efnan, swā his ǣr-fæder;
geaf him þā mid Gēatum gūð-gewǣda
2625 ǣghwæs unrīm; þā hē of ealdre gewāt,
frōd on forð-weg. Þā wæs forma sīð
geongan cempan, þæt hē gūðe rǣs
mid his frēo-dryhtne fremman sceolde;
ne gemealt him se mōd-sefa, nē his mǣges lāf
2630 gewāc æt wīge: þæt se wyrm onfand,
syððan hīe tōgædre gegān hæfdon.
Wīglāf maðelode word-rihta fela,
sægde gesīðum, him wæs sefa geōmor:
"Ic þæt mǣl geman, þǣr wē medu þēgun,
2635 "þonne wē gehēton ūssum hlāforde
"in bīor-sele, þē ūs þās bēagas geaf,
"þæt wē him þā gūð-geatwa gyldan woldon,
"gif him þyslīcu þearf gelumpe,
"helmas and heard sweord: þē hē ūsic on herge gecēas
2640 "tō þyssum sīð-fate sylfes willum,
"onmunde ūsic mǣrða and mē þās māðmas geaf,
"þē hē ūsic gār-wīgend gōde tealde,
"hwate helm-berend, þēah þe hlāford ūs
"þis ellen-weorc āna āþōhte
2645 "tō gefremmanne, folces hyrde,
"forþām hē manna mǣst mǣrða gefremede,
"dǣda dollīcra. Nū is sē dæg cumen,
"þæt ūre man-dryhten mægenes behōfað
"gōdra gūð-rinca: wutun gangan tō,
2650 "helpan hild-fruman, þenden hyt sȳ,
"glēd-egesa grim! God wāt on mec,
"þæt mē is micle lēofre, þæt mīnne līc-haman
"mid mīnne gold-gyfan glēd fæðmie.
"Ne þynceð mē gerysne, þæt wē rondas beren
2655 "eft tō earde, nemne wē ǣror mǣgen
"fāne gefyllan, feorh ealgian
"Wedra þīodnes. Ic wāt geare,
"þæt nǣron eald-gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle
"Gēata duguðe gnorn þrowian,
2660 "gesīgan æt sæcce: sceal ūrum þæt sweord and helm,
"byrne and byrdu-scrūd bām gemǣne."
Wōd þā þurh þone wæl-rēc, wīg-heafolan bær
frēan on fultum, fēa worda cwæð:
"Lēofa Bīowulf, lǣst eall tela,
2665 "swā þū on geoguð-fēore geāra gecwǣde,
"þæt þū ne ālǣte be þē lifigendum
"dōm gedrēosan: scealt nū dǣdum rōf,
"æðeling ān-hȳdig, ealle mægene
"feorh ealgian; ic þē fullǣstu!"
2670 Æfter þām wordum wyrm yrre cwōm,
atol inwit-gæst ōðre sīðe,
fȳr-wylmum fāh fīonda nīosan,
lāðra manna; līg-ȳðum forborn
bord wið ronde: byrne ne meahte
2675 geongum gār-wigan gēoce gefremman:
ac se maga geonga under his mǣges scyld
elne geēode, þā his āgen wæs
glēdum forgrunden. Þā gēn gūð-cyning
mǣrða gemunde, mægen-strengo,
2680 slōh hilde-bille, þæt hyt on heafolan stōd
nīðe genȳded: Nægling forbærst,
geswāc æt sæcce sweord Bīowulfes
gomol and grǣg-mǣl. Him þæt gifeðe ne wæs,
þæt him īrenna ecge mihton
2685 helpan æt hilde; wæs sīo hond tō strong,
sē þe mēca gehwane mīne gefrǣge
swenge ofersōhte, þonne hē tō sæcce bær
wǣpen wundrum heard, næs him wihte þē sēl.
Þā wæs þēod-sceaða þriddan sīðe,
2690 frēcne fȳr-draca fǣhða gemyndig,
rǣsde on þone rōfan, þā him rūm āgeald,
hāt and heaðo-grim, heals ealne ymbefēng
biteran bānum; hē geblōdegod wearð
sāwul-drīore; swāt ȳðum wēoll.