Beowulf: Lines 1 to 228

4 Often, Scyld the Son of Sheaf took away the meadbenches, terrified the lords, with bands of raiders. After he was first found destitute, he  took comfort for it, grew under the clouds, throve in honor, until each of those around him over the whale-road had to obey him, yield tribute to him.
That was a good king!
 
 
 
 
 

A son was soon brought forth to him ( Scyld Scefing, the good king,
still) young in this land, whom God sent to the people for relief;
(Beowulf) perceived the dire distress
15 that they before suffered a long while without a king;  The Lord,
Lord of Life of Heaven, had granted him (Beowulf) worldly honor,
Beowulf, son of Scyld, was renowned-- (his) glory widely spread in the
land of the Danes.
 
 

20 Thus shall the young man, (while) in his father's lap, goodness carry
out, and often give out splendid costly gifts, that dear companions in
old age, when war comes, serve the person; lofty deeds
 
 
 

25 for the tribe shall on every occasion (cause) one to prosper.
Scyld went, he who was very strong, to the fated hour in to the Lord's
keeping;
28-31 As long as words came to him, Scyld, friend of the Danes, dear
prince of the land, bade that they bear him away on the current of the
waters (just as) one's own companion.
 
 

32-> At the harbor stood a ring-prowed ship, vessel of a prince, covered
with ice and ready to set out, the dear beloved king,

35 dispenser of the circlet, laid down in the lap of the ship, whose
mast was glorious.  The ship made ready to burn, there were many
precious valuables of decorated armor brought from distant lands, I know
no guardian so nobly kept with weopons, armor,
 

40 and sword; He in the lap lay on the multitudinous precious treasure,
that with him should far in the floods (be his) possession.  They
furnished no less their little gift, people's treasure,
 

45 than did they in the beginning when he was sent forth alone as a
child.

Then they set a golden banner
high over his head, let the water carry him,
gave him unto the sea;  sad was their spirit,
mournful their hearts.  Men, neither hall-counselors,
 nor warriors under the heavens, cannot
say truthfully  who received the cargo.

        Then in the cities (fortified places) was Beow(ulf) of the Scyldings,
beloved king of the people, who was for a long time
renowned among nations  -- his father had gone elsewhere,
lord away from his land --, until later
great Healfdene was born to him;  as long as he lived,
old and fierce in battle, he upheld the glorious Scyldings.
To him then four children all told
were born into the world, to the leader of the bands,
Heorogar and Hrothgar and Halga the good,
I (have) heard that  [.... was Onela's queen,
dear bed-companion of the Swede (Heatho-Scilfing).

        Then was Hrothgar given success in war,
glory in battle, so that his retainers
gladly obeyed him, until that youth grew
into a great band of young warriors. It came to his mind
that he would command men to make a hall-building,
a great mead-hall that the children of men should hear of forever,
and there in the hall, he would give
 to the young and the old all that God had given him,
except folkshare (common-land) and the bodies of the warriors.
Then I (have) heard that work was bidden among
many nations far and wide throughout this middle-earth,
that they should adorn the dwelling-place.  In time it came to pass,
--speedily among men-- that it was finished,
the greatest of hall buildings;  the poet named it Heorot,
he who ruled far and wide with his words.
He didn't fail to perform a promise, gave out
rings and treasure at the feast.  The hall stood tall,
high and wide-gabled; it would wait the hostile flame
of hateful fires; nor was it long then (yet),
that the sword-hate (between) father-in-law and son-in-law
should arise after deadly hate.

(lights to dim, please. . . start the heroic music and pipe in the fog--more
fog--and . . . ACTION!)

(hear the wet sounds of enormous feet shmucking and smacking in the mud;
hear the rasped breathing of our character as he glides slowly through the
moore clutching what appears to be a crushed hoard of limp bodies swaying
with his haunched gait. . . )

(Ln.#120b)Creature of illness and evil, fierce and greedy, savage and
furious, was ready soon enough and seized thirty thanes from their sleep;
with proud plunder he went away again, going home with that abundant
slaughter seeking out a dwelling (pl. wica but sing. meaning).
(Ln.#126)Then, in that obscurity just before dawn, even with daybreak, the
war-craft of Grendel was known to men; then, after feast, lament and much
morning-cry was upraised. The mighty chief, noble king old-good, sat
unhappy, endured thane-sorrow, and suffered severely after they scanned the
foe's footprints, those of the cursed demon. That strife was too
strong--loathed and lengthy! Nor was it a long time, after but one night, he
again caused more murder-death and mourned not for it, hostile deed and
wicked act; he was so fixed upon them. (Ln.#138)Then that was easily found,
bed among bowers, to him that sought rest eslewhere, further off [from the
hall, that is], when the hate of hall-thanes was shown to him, truely told
with clear token; he held himself afterwards further back and safer, he who
escaped the foe. (Ln.#144)Thus he ruled, one against all, and fought against
what is right until the finest hall stool idle. The space of time was great,
the time of twelve winters the friend of Scyldings suffered trouble, all
miseries, spacious sorrows; and thus to men, to human sons, [it] became
clearly known [and] sadly by means of songs that Grendel fought--waged
enmity--a while against Hrothgar with wicked act and hostile deed for many
seasons, continual attack; (Ln.#154b)he would not with any men in the army
of the danes desist deadly-evil, with fees settle peace, nor then any
wisemen needed to hope for bright bounty at the hands of the slayer.