Chapter 41
"Wæs sīo swāt-swaðuSwēona and Gēata,
wæl-rǣs werawīde gesȳne,
hū þā folc mid himfǣhðe tōwehton. Gewāt him þā se gōdamid his gædelingum,
frōd fela geōmorfæsten sēcean,
eorl Ongenþīoufor oncirde; hæfde Higelāceshilde gefrūnen,
wlonces wīg-cræft,wiðres ne truwode,
þæt hē sǣ-mannumonsacan mihte,
hēaðo-līðendumhord forstandan,
bearn and brȳde;bēah eft þonan
eald under eorð-weall.Þā wæs ǣht boden
Swēona lēodum,segn Higelāce. Freoðo-wong þoneforð oferēodon,
syððan Hrēðlingastō hagan þrungon. Þǣr wearð Ongenþīoecgum sweorda,
blonden-fexaon bīd wrecen,
þæt se þēod-cyningþafian sceolde
Eofores ānne dōm:hyne yrringa
Wulf Wonrēdingwǣpne gerǣhte,
þæt him for swengeswāt ǣdrum sprong
forð under fexe.Næs hē forht swā þēh,
gomela Scilfing,ac forgeald hraðe
wyrsan wrixlewæl-hlem þone,
syððan þēod-cyningþyder oncirde: ne meahte se snellasunu Wonrēdes
ealdum ceorleond-slyht giofan,
ac hē him on hēafdehelm ǣr gescer,
þæt hē blōde fāhbūgan sceolde,
fēoll on foldan;næs hē fǣge þā gīt,
ac hē hyne gewyrpte,þēah þe him wund hrīne,
Lēt se heardaHigelāces þegn
brādne mēce,þā his brōðor læg,
eald sweord eotonisc,entiscne helm,
brecan ofer bord-weal:þā gebēah cyning,
folces hyrde,wæs in feorh dropen. Þā wǣron monige,þē his mǣg wriðon,
ricone ārǣrdon,þā him gerȳmed wearð,
þæt hīe wæl-stōwewealdan mōston. Þenden rēafoderinc ōðerne,
nam on Ongenþīoīren-byrnan,
heard swyrd hiltedand his helm somod; hāres hyrsteHigelāce bær. Hē þām frætwum fēngand him fægre gehēt
lēana fore lēodumand gelǣste swā: geald þone gūð-rǣsGēata dryhten,
Hrēðles eafora,þā hē tō hām becōm,
Jofore and Wulfemid ofer-māðmum,
sealde hiora gehwæðrumhund þūsenda
landes and locenra bēaga;ne þorfte him þā lēan oðwītan
mon on middan-gearde,syððan hīe þā mǣrða geslōgon; and þā Jofore forgeafāngan dōhtor,
hām-weorðunge,hyldo tō wedde. Þæt ys sīo fǣhðoand se fēond-scipe,
wæl-nīð wera,þæs þe ic wēn hafo,
þē ūs sēceað tōSwēona lēode,
syððan hīe gefricgeaðfrēan ūserne
ealdor-lēasne,þone þe ǣr gehēold
wið hettendumhord and rīce,
æfter hæleða hryrehwate Scylfingas,
folc-rǣd fremedeoððe furður gēn
eorl-scipe efnde.Nū is ofost betost,
þæt wē þēod-cyningþǣr scēawian
and þone gebringan,þē ūs bēagas geaf,
on ād-fære.Ne scel ānes hwæt
meltan mid þām mōdigan,ac þǣr is māðma hord. gold unrīmegrimme gecēapod
and nū æt sīðestansylfes fēore
bēagas gebohte;þā sceal brond fretan,
ǣled þeccean,nalles eorl wegan
māððum tō gemyndum,nē mægð scȳne
habban on healsehring-weorðunge,
ac sceall geōmor-mōdgolde berēafod
oft nalles ǣneel-land tredan,
nū se here-wīsahleahtor ālegde,
gamen and glēo-drēam.Forþon sceall gār wesan
monig morgen-cealdmundum bewunden,
hæfen on handa,nalles hearpan swēg
wīgend weccean,ac se wonna hrefn
fūs ofer fǣgum,fela reordian,
earne secgan,hū him æt ǣte spēow,
þenden hē wið wulfwæl rēafode." Swā se secg hwatasecgende wæs
lāðra spella;hē ne lēag fela
wyrda nē worda.Weorod eall ārās,
ēodon unblīðeunder Earna næs
wollen-tēarewundur scēawian. Fundon þā on sandesāwul-lēasne
hlim-bed healdan,þone þe him hringas geaf
ǣrran mǣlum:þā wæs ende-dæg
gōdum gegongen,þæt se gūð-cyning,
Wedra þēoden,wundor-dēaðe swealt. Ǣr hī gesēgansyllīcran wiht,
wyrm on wongewiðer-ræhtes þǣr
lāðne licgean:wæs se lēg-draca,
grimlīc gryre-gæst,glēdum beswǣled,
sē wæs fīftigesfōt-gemearces. lang on legere,lyft-wynne hēold
nihtes hwīlum,nyðer eft gewāt
dennes nīosian;wæs þā dēaðe fæst,
hæfde eorð-scrafaende genyttod. Him big stōdanbunan and orcas,
discas lāgonand dȳre swyrd,
ōmige þurh-etone,swā hīe wið eorðan fæðm
þūsend wintraþǣr eardodon: þonne wæs þæt yrfeēacen-cræftig,
iū-monna goldgaldre bewunden,
þæt þām hring-selehrīnan ne mōste
gumena ǣnig,nefne god sylfa,
sigora sōð-cyning,sealde þām þe hē wolde
(hē is manna gehyld)hord openian,
efne swā hwylcum manna,swā him gemet þūhte.
wæl-rǣs werawīde gesȳne,
hū þā folc mid himfǣhðe tōwehton. Gewāt him þā se gōdamid his gædelingum,
frōd fela geōmorfæsten sēcean,
eorl Ongenþīoufor oncirde; hæfde Higelāceshilde gefrūnen,
wlonces wīg-cræft,wiðres ne truwode,
þæt hē sǣ-mannumonsacan mihte,
hēaðo-līðendumhord forstandan,
bearn and brȳde;bēah eft þonan
eald under eorð-weall.Þā wæs ǣht boden
Swēona lēodum,segn Higelāce. Freoðo-wong þoneforð oferēodon,
syððan Hrēðlingastō hagan þrungon. Þǣr wearð Ongenþīoecgum sweorda,
blonden-fexaon bīd wrecen,
þæt se þēod-cyningþafian sceolde
Eofores ānne dōm:hyne yrringa
Wulf Wonrēdingwǣpne gerǣhte,
þæt him for swengeswāt ǣdrum sprong
forð under fexe.Næs hē forht swā þēh,
gomela Scilfing,ac forgeald hraðe
wyrsan wrixlewæl-hlem þone,
syððan þēod-cyningþyder oncirde: ne meahte se snellasunu Wonrēdes
ealdum ceorleond-slyht giofan,
ac hē him on hēafdehelm ǣr gescer,
þæt hē blōde fāhbūgan sceolde,
fēoll on foldan;næs hē fǣge þā gīt,
ac hē hyne gewyrpte,þēah þe him wund hrīne,
Lēt se heardaHigelāces þegn
brādne mēce,þā his brōðor læg,
eald sweord eotonisc,entiscne helm,
brecan ofer bord-weal:þā gebēah cyning,
folces hyrde,wæs in feorh dropen. Þā wǣron monige,þē his mǣg wriðon,
ricone ārǣrdon,þā him gerȳmed wearð,
þæt hīe wæl-stōwewealdan mōston. Þenden rēafoderinc ōðerne,
nam on Ongenþīoīren-byrnan,
heard swyrd hiltedand his helm somod; hāres hyrsteHigelāce bær. Hē þām frætwum fēngand him fægre gehēt
lēana fore lēodumand gelǣste swā: geald þone gūð-rǣsGēata dryhten,
Hrēðles eafora,þā hē tō hām becōm,
Jofore and Wulfemid ofer-māðmum,
sealde hiora gehwæðrumhund þūsenda
landes and locenra bēaga;ne þorfte him þā lēan oðwītan
mon on middan-gearde,syððan hīe þā mǣrða geslōgon; and þā Jofore forgeafāngan dōhtor,
hām-weorðunge,hyldo tō wedde. Þæt ys sīo fǣhðoand se fēond-scipe,
wæl-nīð wera,þæs þe ic wēn hafo,
þē ūs sēceað tōSwēona lēode,
syððan hīe gefricgeaðfrēan ūserne
ealdor-lēasne,þone þe ǣr gehēold
wið hettendumhord and rīce,
æfter hæleða hryrehwate Scylfingas,
folc-rǣd fremedeoððe furður gēn
eorl-scipe efnde.Nū is ofost betost,
þæt wē þēod-cyningþǣr scēawian
and þone gebringan,þē ūs bēagas geaf,
on ād-fære.Ne scel ānes hwæt
meltan mid þām mōdigan,ac þǣr is māðma hord. gold unrīmegrimme gecēapod
and nū æt sīðestansylfes fēore
bēagas gebohte;þā sceal brond fretan,
ǣled þeccean,nalles eorl wegan
māððum tō gemyndum,nē mægð scȳne
habban on healsehring-weorðunge,
ac sceall geōmor-mōdgolde berēafod
oft nalles ǣneel-land tredan,
nū se here-wīsahleahtor ālegde,
gamen and glēo-drēam.Forþon sceall gār wesan
monig morgen-cealdmundum bewunden,
hæfen on handa,nalles hearpan swēg
wīgend weccean,ac se wonna hrefn
fūs ofer fǣgum,fela reordian,
earne secgan,hū him æt ǣte spēow,
þenden hē wið wulfwæl rēafode." Swā se secg hwatasecgende wæs
lāðra spella;hē ne lēag fela
wyrda nē worda.Weorod eall ārās,
ēodon unblīðeunder Earna næs
wollen-tēarewundur scēawian. Fundon þā on sandesāwul-lēasne
hlim-bed healdan,þone þe him hringas geaf
ǣrran mǣlum:þā wæs ende-dæg
gōdum gegongen,þæt se gūð-cyning,
Wedra þēoden,wundor-dēaðe swealt. Ǣr hī gesēgansyllīcran wiht,
wyrm on wongewiðer-ræhtes þǣr
lāðne licgean:wæs se lēg-draca,
grimlīc gryre-gæst,glēdum beswǣled,
sē wæs fīftigesfōt-gemearces. lang on legere,lyft-wynne hēold
nihtes hwīlum,nyðer eft gewāt
dennes nīosian;wæs þā dēaðe fæst,
hæfde eorð-scrafaende genyttod. Him big stōdanbunan and orcas,
discas lāgonand dȳre swyrd,
ōmige þurh-etone,swā hīe wið eorðan fæðm
þūsend wintraþǣr eardodon: þonne wæs þæt yrfeēacen-cræftig,
iū-monna goldgaldre bewunden,
þæt þām hring-selehrīnan ne mōste
gumena ǣnig,nefne god sylfa,
sigora sōð-cyning,sealde þām þe hē wolde
(hē is manna gehyld)hord openian,
efne swā hwylcum manna,swā him gemet þūhte.