| |
| BEOWULF spake, bairn of Ecgtheow:— | |
| “Lo, we seafarers say our will, | |
| far-come men, that we fain would seek | |
| Hygelac now. We here have found | |
| hosts to our heart: thou hast harbored us well. | 5 |
| If ever on earth I am able to win me | |
| more of thy love, O lord of men, | |
| aught anew, than I now have done, | |
| for work of war I am willing still! | |
| If it come to me ever across the seas | 10 |
| that neighbor foemen annoy and fright thee,— | |
| as they that hate thee erewhile have used,— | |
| thousands then of thanes I shall bring, | |
| heroes to help thee. Of Hygelac I know, | |
| ward of his folk, that, though few his years, | 15 |
| the lord of the Geats will give me aid | |
| by word and by work, that well I may serve thee, | |
| wielding the war-wood to win thy triumph | |
| and lending thee might when thou lackest men. | |
| If thy Hrethric should come to court of Geats, | 20 |
| a sovran’s son, he will surely there | |
| find his friends. A far-off land | |
| each man should visit who vaunts him brave.” | |
| Him then answering, Hrothgar spake:— | |
| “These words of thine the wisest God | 25 |
| sent to thy soul! No sager counsel | |
| from so young in years e’er yet have I heard. | |
| Thou art strong of main and in mind art wary, | |
| art wise in words! I ween indeed | |
| if ever it hap that Hrethel’s heir | 30 |
| by spear be seized, by sword-grim battle, | |
| by illness or iron, thine elder and lord, | |
| people’s leader,—and life be thine,— | |
| no seemlier man will the Sea-Geats find | |
| at all to choose for their chief and king, | 35 |
| for hoard-guard of heroes, if hold thou wilt | |
| thy kinsman’s kingdom! Thy keen mind pleases me | |
| the longer the better, Beowulf loved! | |
| Thou hast brought it about that both our peoples, | |
| sons of the Geat and Spear-Dane folk, | 40 |
| shall have mutual peace, and from murderous strife, | |
| such as once they waged, from war refrain. | |
| Long as I rule this realm so wide, | |
| let our hoards be common, let heroes with gold | |
| each other greet o’er the gannet’-bath, | 45 |
| and the ringed-prow bear o’er rolling waves | |
| tokens of love. I trow my landfolk | |
| towards friend and foe are firmly joined, | |
| and honor they keep in the olden way.” | |
| To him in the hall, then, Healfdene’s son | 50 |
| gave treasures twelve, and the trust-of-earls | |
| bade him fare with the gifts to his folk beloved, | |
| hale to his home, and in haste return. | |
| Then kissed the king of kin renowned, | |
| Scyldings’ chieftain, that choicest thane, | 55 |
| and fell on his neck. Fast flowed the tears | |
| of the hoary-headed. Heavy with winters, | |
| he had chances twain, but he clung to this, 1— | |
| that each should look on the other again, | |
| and hear him in hall. Was this hero so dear to him, | 60 |
| his breast’s wild billows he banned in vain; | |
| safe in his soul a secret longing, | |
| locked in his mind, for that lovéd man | |
| burned in his blood. Then Beowulf strode, | |
| glad of his gold-gifts, the grass-plot o’er, | 65 |
| warrior blithe. The wave-roamer bode | |
| riding at anchor, its owner awaiting. | |
| As they hastened onward, Hrothgar’s gift | |
| they lauded at length.—’Twas a lord unpeered, | |
| every way blameless, till age had broken | 70 |
| —it spareth no mortal—his splendid might. | |
