Beowulf

thumb|right| Lo! We have heard of the glory of the kings of the people of the Spear-Danes in days of yore – how those princes did valorous deeds! This article is about the medieval poem, for the 2007 film, see Beowulf. Beowulf is the only surviving complete epic poem written in Old English. It may date from the 8th century, though this is highly contentious. Unless otherwise noted, the translation used here is that of John R Clark Hall, as amended by C L Wrenn (1950). Quotes thumb|right|Thence all evil broods were born, ogres and devils and evil spirits — the giants also, who long time fought with God, for which he gave them their reward. HǷÆT! ǷĒ Gār-Dena      in geār-dagumþēod-cyninga      þrym gefrūnon,hū þā æðelingas      ellen fremedon. Lo! We have heard of the glory of the kings of the people of the Spear-Danes in days of yore – how those princes did valorous deeds! Opening lines (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn, 1954)                               lof-dǣdum scealin mǣgða gehwǣre     man geþēon. Behaviour that's admiredis the path to power among people everywhere. Lines 24–25 (tr. Seamus Heaney, 1999) Ā-lēdon þā      lēofne þēoden,bēaga bryttan      on bearm scipes,mærne be mæste.      Þær wæs mādma fela,of feor-wegum      frætwa gelæded:ne hyrde ic cymlīcor      cēol gegyrwanhilde-wæpnum      and heaðo-wædum,billum and byrnum;      him on bearme lægmādma mænigo,      þā him mid scoldonon flōdes æht      feor gewītan.Nalas hī hine læssan      lācum tēodan,þēod-gestrēonum,      þonne þā dydon,þē hine æt frumsceafte      forð onsendonænne ofer yðe      umbor wesende:þā gyt hīe him āsetton      segen gyldennehēah ofer hēafod,      lēton holm beran,gēafon on gār-secg:      him wæs geōmor sefa,murnende mōd.      Men ne cunnonsecgan tō soðe      sele-rædende,hæleð under heofenum,      hwā þæm hlæste onfēng. They laid then the beloved chieftain, giver of rings, on the ship's bosom, glorious by the mast. There were brought many treasures, ornaments from far-off lands. Never have I heard that a vessel was more fairly fitted-out with war-weapons and battle-raiment, swords and coats of mail. On his bosom lay a host of treasures, which were to travel far with him into the power of the flood. They furnished him with no lesser gifts, and royal treasures, than those had done who, in the beginning, sent him forth over the sea alone, child as he was. They set besides a golden standard high above his head, and let the sea bear him, — gave him to the ocean. Their soul was sad, their spirit sorrowful. Counsellors in hall, mighty men beneath the heavens cannot say truly who received that load. Line 34 (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn), Scyld Scefing's body is committed to the sea. In Caines cynne      þone cwealm gewræc,ēce drihten,      þæs þe hē Ābel slōg;ne gefeah hē þære fæhðe,      ac hē hine feor forwræc,metod for þy māne      man-cynne fram.Þanon untydras      ealle onwōcon,eotenas and ylfe      and orcnēas,swylce gīgantas,      þā wið gode wunnonlange þrāge;      hē him þæs lēan forgeald. On Cain's kindred did the everlasting Lord avenge the murder, for that he had slain Abel; he had no joy of that feud, but the Creator drove him far from mankind for that misdeed. Thence all evil broods were born, ogres and devils and evil spirits — the giants also, who long time fought with God, for which he gave them their reward. Line 107 (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn) Gǣð ā Wyrd swā hīo scel! Fate goes ever as it must! Line 455 (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn) Ðá cóm of móre      under misthleoþumGrendel gongan·      godes yrre bær·mynte se mánscaða      manna cynnessumne besyrwan      in sele þám héan· Down off the moorlands' misting fells cameGrendel stalking; God's brand was on him.The spoiler meant to snatch awayfrom the high hall some of human race. Line 710 (tr. Michael J. Alexander, 1973) thumb|right|Each of us must expect an end of living in this world; let him who may win glory before death: for that is best at last for the departed warrior.                         Sēlre bið æghwæm,þæt hē his frēond wrece,      þonne hē fela murne;ūre æghwylc sceal      ende gebīdanworolde līfes;      wyrce sē þe mōtedōmes ær dēaðe!      þæt bið driht-gumanunlifgendum      æfter sēlest. Better is it for each one of us that he should avenge his friend, than greatly mourn. Each of us must expect an end of living in this world; let him who may win glory before death: for that is best at last for the departed warrior. Line 1385 (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn) thumb|right|Incline not to arrogance, famous warrior! Now shall the fullness of thy strength last for a while.                         Oferhyda ne gym,mære cempa!      Nū is þīnes mægnes blædāne hwīle;      eft sōna bið,þæt þec ādl oððe ecg      eafoðes getwæfeð,oððe fyres feng      oððe flōdes wylm,oððe gripe mēces      oððe gāres fliht,oððe atol yldo,      oððe ēagena bearhtmforsiteð and forsworceð;      semninga bið,þæt þec, dryht-guma,      dēað oferswyðeð. Incline not to arrogance, famous warrior! Now shall the fullness of thy strength last for a while. But soon after it shall be, that malady or sword shall cut thee off from power, or the embrace of fire or welling of a flood, or onset with the knife, or arrow's flight, or hideous old age. Or brightness of eyes shall diminish and grow dim, and at length it shall be that death shall overpower thee, noble chieftain! Line 1761 (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn) thumb|right|Baleful death has banished hence many of the human race. Heald þū nū, hrūse,      nū hæleð ne mōston,eorla æhte.      Hwæt! hit ær on þēgōde begeāton;      gūð-dēað fornam,feorh-bealo frēcne      fyra gehwylcne,lēoda mīnra, þāra þe þis līf ofgeaf,gesāwon sele-drēam.      Nāh hwā sweord wegeoððe fetige      fæted wæge,drync-fæt dēore:      duguð ellor scōc.Sceal se hearda helm      hyrsted goldefætum befeallen:      feormiend swefað,þā þe beado-grīman      bywan sceoldon,gē swylce sēo here-pād,      sīo æt hilde gebādofer borda gebræc      bite īrena,brosnað æfter beorne.      Ne mæg byrnan hringæfter wīg-fruman      wīde fēranhæleðum be healfe;      næs hearpan wyn,gomen glēo-bēames,      nē gōd hafocgeond sæl swingeð,      nē se swifta mearhburh-stede bēateð.      Bealo-cwealm hafaðfela feorh-cynna      feorr onsended! Now do thou, O Earth, hold fast what heroes might not, — the possessions of nobles. Lo! Brave men won it at first from thee; death in war, horrid carnage, took away every one of my tribe who yielded up this life; they saw [the last of] festive joy. I have no one to bear the sword, or to burnish the plated flagon, the precious drinking-cup; the noble warriors have departed to another place. Now will the hard helmet, bedight with gold, be deprived of its adornments; they sleep who should burnish the battle-masks. The armour too, which stood the stroke of swords in battle, mid the crash of shields, perishes as does the fighter; nor may the ringed mail fare far and wide with the warrior, side by side with mighty men. There is no joy of harp, no pastime with the gladdening lute; no good hawk sweeps through the hall, nor does the swift steed paw the courtyard. Baleful death has banished hence many of the human race. Line 2248 (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn) Sƿā bið geōmorlīc      gomelum ceorletō gebīdanne,      þæt his byre rīdegiong on galgan,      þonne hē gyd ƿrece,sārigne sang,      þonne his sunu hangaðhrefne tō hrōðre      and hē him helpe ne mæg,eald and in‐frōd,      ǣnige gefremman.Symble bið gemyndgad      morna gehƿylceeaforan ellor‐sīð;      ōðres ne gȳmeðtō gebīdanne      burgum on innanyrfe‐ƿeardes ...Geƿīteð þonne on sealman,      sorh‐lēoð gæleðān æfter ānum:      þūhte him eall tō rūm,ƿongas and ƿīc‐stede. It was like the misery endured by an old manwho has lived to see his son's bodyswing on the gallows. He begins to keenand weep for his boy, watching the ravengloat where he hangs; he can be of no help.The wisdom of age is worthless to him.Morning after morning, he wakes to rememberthat his child is gone; he has no interestIn living on until another heirIs born in the hall ...Alone with his longing, he lies down on his bedand sings a lament; everything seems too large,the steadings and the fields. Lines 2444–2453, 2460–2462 (tr. Seamus Heaney) Ic þāra frætwa      frēan ealles þancwuldur-cyninge      wordum secge,ēcum dryhtne,      þē ic hēr on starie,þæs þe ic mōste      mīnum lēodumær swylt-dæge      swylc gestrynan.Nū ic on māðma hord      mīne bebohtefrōde feorh-lege,      fremmað gē nūlēoda þearfe;      ne mæg ic hēr leng wesan.Hātað heaðo-mære      hlæw gewyrcean,beorhtne æfter bæle      æt brimes nosan;se scel tō gemyndum      mīnum lēodumhēah hlīfian      on Hrones næsse,þæt hit sæ-līðend      syððan hātanBīowulfes biorh,      þā þe brentingasofer flōda genipu      feorran drīfað." I utter in words my thanks to the Ruler of all, the King of Glory, the everlasting Lord, for the treasures which I here gaze upon, in that I have been allowed to win such things for my people before my day of death! Now that I have given my old life in barter for the hoard of treasure, do ye henceforth supply the people's needs, — I may stay here no longer.Bid the war-veterans raise a splendid barrow after the funeral fire, on a projection by the sea, which shall tower high on Hronesness as a memorial for my people, so that seafarers who urge their tall ships from afar over the spray of ocean shall thereafter call it Beowulf's barrow. Line 2795 (tr. J. R. Clark Hall and C. L. Wrenn) Quotes about Beowulf Beowulf is in fact so interesting as poetry, in places poetry so powerful, that this quite overshadows the historical content, and is largely independent even of the most important facts...that research has discovered. J. R. R. Tolkien, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics (1936), p. 5 At the beginning, and during its process, and most of all at the end, we look down as if from a visionary height upon the house of man in the valley of the world. A light starts...and there is a sound of music; but the outer darkness and its hostile offspring lie ever in wait for the torches to fail and the voices to cease. J. R. R. Tolkien, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics (1936) — The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays'' (Allen & Unwin, 1983), p. 33 External links Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf Quotes analyzed; study guide with themes, literary devices, character analyses, teaching guide Category:Epic poetry Category:Old English literature Category:Anonymous works