IV

BEOWULF GOES TO HROTHGAR'S ASSISTANCE.

{Hrothgar sees no way of escape from the persecutions of Grendel.}

      So Healfdene's kinsman constantly mused on
      His long-lasting sorrow; the battle-thane clever
      Was not anywise able evils to 'scape from:
      Too crushing the sorrow that came to the people,
    5 Loathsome and lasting the life-grinding torture,

{Beowulf, the Geat, hero of the poem, hears of Hrothgar's sorrow, and resolves to go to his assistance.}

      Greatest of night-woes. So Higelac's liegeman,
      Good amid Geatmen, of Grendel's achievements
      Heard in his home:[1] of heroes then living
      He was stoutest and strongest, sturdy and noble.
   10 He bade them prepare him a bark that was trusty;
      He said he the war-king would seek o'er the ocean,
      The folk-leader noble, since he needed retainers.
      For the perilous project prudent companions
      Chided him little, though loving him dearly;
   15 They egged the brave atheling, augured him glory.

{With fourteen carefully chosen companions, he sets out for Dane-land.}

      The excellent knight from the folk of the Geatmen
      Had liegemen selected, likest to prove them
      Trustworthy warriors; with fourteen companions
      The vessel he looked for; a liegeman then showed them,
   20 A sea-crafty man, the bounds of the country.
      Fast the days fleeted; the float was a-water,
      The craft by the cliff. Clomb to the prow then
      Well-equipped warriors: the wave-currents twisted
      The sea on the sand; soldiers then carried
   25 On the breast of the vessel bright-shining jewels,
      Handsome war-armor; heroes outshoved then,
      Warmen the wood-ship, on its wished-for adventure.

[9]

{The vessel sails like a bird}

      The foamy-necked floater fanned by the breeze,
      Likest a bird, glided the waters,

{In twenty four hours they reach the shores of Hrothgar's dominions}

   30 Till twenty and four hours thereafter
      The twist-stemmed vessel had traveled such distance
      That the sailing-men saw the sloping embankments,
      The sea cliffs gleaming, precipitous mountains,
      Nesses enormous: they were nearing the limits
   35 At the end of the ocean.[2] Up thence quickly
      The men of the Weders clomb to the mainland,
      Fastened their vessel (battle weeds rattled,
      War burnies clattered), the Wielder they thanked
      That the ways o'er the waters had waxen so gentle.

{They are hailed by the Danish coast guard}

   40 Then well from the cliff edge the guard of the Scyldings
      Who the sea-cliffs should see to, saw o'er the gangway
      Brave ones bearing beauteous targets,
      Armor all ready, anxiously thought he,
      Musing and wondering what men were approaching.
   45 High on his horse then Hrothgar's retainer
      Turned him to coastward, mightily brandished
      His lance in his hands, questioned with boldness.

{His challenge}

      "Who are ye men here, mail-covered warriors
      Clad in your corslets, come thus a-driving
   50 A high riding ship o'er the shoals of the waters,
      [3]And hither 'neath helmets have hied o'er the ocean?

[10] I have been strand-guard, standing as warden, Lest enemies ever anywise ravage Danish dominions with army of war-ships. 55 More boldly never have warriors ventured Hither to come; of kinsmen's approval, Word-leave of warriors, I ween that ye surely

{He is struck by Beowulf's appearance.}

      Nothing have known. Never a greater one
      Of earls o'er the earth have _I_ had a sight of
   60 Than is one of your number, a hero in armor;
      No low-ranking fellow[4] adorned with his weapons,
      But launching them little, unless looks are deceiving,
      And striking appearance. Ere ye pass on your journey
      As treacherous spies to the land of the Scyldings
   65 And farther fare, I fully must know now
      What race ye belong to. Ye far-away dwellers,
      Sea-faring sailors, my simple opinion
      Hear ye and hearken: haste is most fitting
      Plainly to tell me what place ye are come from."

[1] 'From hám' (194) is much disputed. One rendering is: _Beowulf,
being away from home, heard of Hrothgar's troubles, etc_. Another,
that adopted by S. and endorsed in the H.-So. notes, is: _B. heard
from his neighborhood (neighbors),_ i.e. _in his home, etc_. A third
is: _B., being at home, heard this as occurring away from home_. The
H.-So. glossary and notes conflict.

[2] 'Eoletes' (224) is marked with a (?) by H.-So.; our rendering
simply follows his conjecture.--Other conjectures as to 'eolet' are:
(1) _voyage_, (2) _toil_, _labor_, (3) _hasty journey_.

[3] The lacuna of the MS at this point has been supplied by various
conjectures. The reading adopted by H.-So. has been rendered in the
above translation. W., like H.-So., makes 'ic' the beginning of a new
sentence, but, for 'helmas bæron,' he reads 'hringed stefnan.' This
has the advantage of giving a parallel to 'brontne ceol' instead of a
kenning for 'go.'--B puts the (?) after 'holmas', and begins a new
sentence at the middle of the line. Translate: _What warriors are ye,
clad in armor, who have thus come bringing the foaming vessel over the
water way, hither over the seas? For some time on the wall I have been
coast guard, etc_. S. endorses most of what B. says, but leaves out
'on the wall' in the last sentence. If W.'s 'hringed stefnan' be
accepted, change line 51 above to, _A ring-stemmed vessel hither
o'ersea_.

[4] 'Seld-guma' (249) is variously rendered: (1) _housecarle_; (2)
_home-stayer_; (3) _common man_. Dr. H. Wood suggests _a man-at-arms
in another's house_.