Beowulf on Everything:
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Beowulf XXV
"UNDER
harness his heart then is hit indeed
by
sharpest shafts; and no shelter avails
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from foul behest of the hellish fiend. (1)
Him seems too little what long he possessed.
Greedy and grim, no golden rings
he gives for his pride; the promised future
forgets he and spurns, with all God has sent him,
Wonder-Wielder, of wealth and fame.
Yet in the end it ever comes
that the frame of the
body fragile yields,
fated falls; and there follows another
who joyously the jewels divides,
the royal riches, nor recks of his forebear.
Ban, then, such
baleful thoughts,
Beowulf dearest,
best of men, and the better part choose,
profit eternal; and
temper thy
pride,
warrior famous! The flower of thy might
lasts now a while: but erelong it shall be
that
sickness or sword thy strength shall minish,
or fang of fire, or flooding billow,
or bite of blade, or brandished spear,
or odious age; or the eyes' clear beam
wax dull and darken:
Death even thee
in haste shall o'erwhelm, thou hero of war!
So the
Ring-
Danes these half-years a hundred I ruled,
wielded 'neath welkin, and warded them bravely
from mighty-ones many o'er middle-earth,
from spear and sword, till it seemed for me
no foe could be found under fold of the sky.
Lo, sudden the shift! To me
seated secure
came grief for joy when
Grendel began
to harry my home, the hellish foe;
for those ruthless raids, unresting I suffered
heart-sorrow heavy. Heaven be thanked,
Lord Eternal, for life extended
that I on this head all hewn and
bloody,
after long evil, with eyes may gaze!
-- Go to the
bench now! Be glad at
banquet,
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warrior worthy! A
wealth of
treasure
at dawn of day, be dealt between us!"
Glad was the
Geats' lord, going betimes
to seek his seat, as the
Sage commanded.
Afresh, as before, for the famed-in-battle,
for the band of the hall, was a banquet dight
nobly anew. The
Night-
Helm darkened
dusk o'er the drinkers.
The doughty ones rose:
for the hoary-headed would hasten to rest,
aged
Scylding; and eager the
Geat,
shield-fighter sturdy, for sleeping yearned.
Him wander-weary, warrior-guest
from far, a hall-thane heralded forth,
who by custom courtly cared for all
needs of a thane as in those old days
warrior-wanderers wont to have.
So
slumbered the
stout-
heart. Stately the hall
rose gabled and gilt where the guest slept on
till a raven black the
rapture-of-heaven (2)
blithe-
heart boded. Bright came flying
shine after shadow. The
swordsmen hastened,
athelings all were eager homeward
forth to fare; and far from thence
the great-hearted guest would guide his keel.
Bade then the hardy-one Hrunting be brought
to the son of
Ecglaf, the
sword bade him take,
excellent iron, and uttered his thanks for it,
quoth that he counted it keen in battle,
"war-friend" winsome: with words he slandered not
edge of the blade: 'twas a
big-
hearted man!
Now eager for parting and armed at point
warriors waited, while went to his host
that
Darling of Danes. The
doughty atheling
to high-seat hastened and Hrothgar greeted.
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(1) That is, he is now undefended by conscience from the
temptations (shafts) of the
devil.
(2) Kenning for the
sun. -- This is a strange role for the
raven. He is the warrior's bird of battle,
exults in
slaughter and
carnage; his joy here is a
compliment to the sunrise.