Now, though most of Hrothgar’s men rejoiced to see Beowulf, and
honoured him for his generous thought in coming to their help,
there was one who looked on him with dislike and envy, and was
jealous of the favour shown him by the king. This was Hunferth,
who was sitting on the daïs at Hrothgar’s feet. And when he heard
what this visitor intended to do, he grew angry and moody, because
he could not bear that any other man on earth should obtain
greater honour than he himself. So he began to rake up old tales
that he had heard of Beowulf, and tried to turn them to his hurt,
saying scornfully:
‘Art thou that Beowulf who once strove on the wide sea in a
swimming-match with Breca, when ye two in boasting dared to breast
the wave, and for vainglory risked your lives in the deep water?
There was no man, friend nor foe, who could dissuade you from that
sorrowful journey; but ye swam in the surf, stretching out your
arms over the waves, and stirring up the surge with your hands. So
did ye glide across the ocean, while the waves weltered in wintry
storms, and for seven nights ye laboured in the tumult of the
seas. But in the end the victory was with Breca, for his might was
the greater. Then on the morning of the eighth day the tide bore
him to the shore of Norway, whence he visited his beloved home,
the fair city of safety, where he ruled over many people, over
towns and treasure. Truly he did perform all his boast against
thee.’
_Criticism of the Paraphrase._
In the opinion of the present writer, no better paraphrase of _Beowulf_
exists.
It is perhaps unfortunate that the word ‘translated’ is used on the
title-page, for this is misleading. The proper form is that used on the
cover of the book, ‘Beowulf, told by Miss Clara Thomson.’
It were sufficient praise to point out that the author has contrived to
retain practically all of the poem, without ever falsifying its spirit
by introducing a superabundance of explanatory phrases[2]. She is always
true to the story (as Miss Ragozin[3] is not, for example, in the first
section of her work); she is equally true to the spirit of the poem (as
Mr. Gibb[4] is not). The style is both vigorous and simple, not unworthy
of the story it tells.
It will be surprising if Miss Thomson’s work is not popular in England,
and the book should be known and used in this country.
[Footnote 1: Miss Thomson is better known as the biographer of
Samuel Richardson. See _Samuel Richardson, a Biographical and
Critical Study_. London, 1900.]
[Footnote 2: The author’s argument against inserting the Prolog
is sound enough; but the omission of any part of the poem in a
paraphrase so good as Miss Thomson’s is to be regretted.]
[Footnote 3: See supra, p. 138.] [[Ragozin]]
[Footnote 4: See supra, p. 128.] [[Gibb]]