Hunferth spake,
Ecglaf’s son,
who at {the} feet sat
of {the} Scyldings’ lord;
unbound {a} hostile speech.
To him was {the} voyage of Beowulf,
{the} bold sea-farer,
{a} great displeasure;
because he grudged 1010
that any other man
ever more glories
of mid-earth
held under heaven
than himself:
‘Art thou the Beowulf
who with Breca strove
on {the} wide sea,
in {a} swimming strife,
where ye from pride 1020
tempted {the} fords,
and for foolish vaunt
in {the} deep water
ventured {your} lives?
Nor you any man,
nor friend nor foe,
might blame
{for your} sorrowful voyage,
when on {the} sea ye row’d,
when ye {the} ocean-stream, 1030
with {your} arms deck’d,
measur’d {the} sea-ways,
with {your} hands vibrated {them},
glided o’er {the} main;
ocean boil’d with waves,
with winter’s fury:
ye on {the} water’s domain,
{for} seven nights toil’d.
He thee in swimming overcame,
{he} had more strength, 1040
when him at morning tide,
on to Heatho-ræmes
{the} sea bore up;
whence he sought
{his} dear country,
{the} beloved of his people,
{the} Brondings’ land,
{his} fair, peaceful burgh,
where he {a} people own’d,
{a} burgh and rings. 1050
All {his} promise to thee
Beanstan’s son
truly fulfil’d.
_Criticism of the Translation._
This being a strictly literal translation, the reader is referred to the
sections on the text for a valuation and criticism. It is a question
whether there was need for another literal rendering in England at this
time. Kemble’s translation was not yet out of date, and with Thorpe’s
new glossary the student had a sufficient apparatus for the
interpretation of the poem.
Some German scholars have discovered that the short lines in which
Thorpe’s translation is couched are imitative of the Old English
measure. I am unable to agree with them. Probably any short-line
translation would _ipso facto_ assume a choppiness not dissimilar to the
Old English, and probably plenty of lines could be discovered which
correspond well enough to the ‘five types,’ but the agreement seems
purely fortuitous. It is quite unlikely that Thorpe intended any
imitation.
_Influence of Thorpe’s Edition._
The influence of this edition has been considerable. It was the
principal authority used by Grein[4] and Heyne[5] in constructing their
texts. Thus its influence was felt in all texts down to the publication
of the Zupitza _Autotypes_ (1882). Thomas Arnold[6] copied the text
almost word for word.
[Footnote 1: See supra, p. 33.] [[Kemble]]
[Footnote 2: The numbers in parentheses are those of Wyatt’s text.]
[Footnote 3: Line 3995 in Kemble; 4004 in Thorpe.]
[Footnote 4: See infra, p. 55.] [[Grein]]
[Footnote 5: See infra, p. 63.] [[Heyne]]
[Footnote 6: See infra, p. 71.] [[Arnold]]