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Beowulf XXVI
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.
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
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,
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,
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
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
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,
for hoard-guard of heroes, if hold thou wilt
thy kinsman's kingdom! Thy keen mind pleases me
the longer the better,
Beowulf loved!
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Thou hast brought it about that both our peoples,
sons of the
Geat and
Spear-
Dane folk,
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's-
bath,
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
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,
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.
his
breast's
wild billows he banned in vain;
safe in his soul a secret longing,
locked in his mind, for that loved man
burned in his
blood. Then
Beowulf strode,
glad of his gold-gifts, the grass-plot o'er,
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
-- it spareth no mortal -- his splendid might.
(1) That is, he might or might not see
Beowulf again. Old as he was, the latter chance was likely; but he clung to the former, hoping to see his young friend again "and exchange
brave words in the
hall."