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Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem

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Title: Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem

Translator: J. Lesslie Hall

 
Release date: July 19, 2005 [eBook #16328]
 Most recently updated: September 19, 2025

Language: English

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16328

Credits: David Starner, Dainis Millers and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEOWULF: AN ANGLO-SAXON EPIC POEM ***

BEOWULF
AN ANGLO-SAXON EPIC POEM

_TRANSLATED FROM THE HEYNE-SOCIN TEXT_

BY

JNO: LESSLIE HALL, Ph. D. (J.H.U.)

Professor of English and History in The College of William and Mary

D.C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS
BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1892, by

JNO: LESSLIE HALL,

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

TO

My Wife

[v]

CONTENTS.

 PAGE

 Preface vii

 Bibliography of Translations xi

 Glossary of Proper Names xiii

 List of Words and Phrases not in General Use xviii

 The Life and Death of Scyld (I.) 1

 Scyld's Successors
 } (II.) 3
 Hrothgar's Great Mead-Hall

 Grendel, the Murderer (III.) 5

 Beowulf Goes to Hrothgar's Assistance (IV.) 8

 The Geats Reach Heorot (V.) 10

 Beowulf Introduces Himself at the Palace (VI.) 12

 Hrothgar and Beowulf (VII.) 14

 Hrothgar and Beowulf (continued) (VIII.) 17

 Unferth Taunts Beowulf (IX.) 19

 Beowulf Silences Unferth
 } (X.) 21
 Glee is High

 All Sleep save One (XI.) 24

 Grendel and Beowulf (XII.) 26

 Grendel is Vanquished (XIII.) 28

 Rejoicing of the Danes (XIV.) 30

 Hrothgar's Gratitude (XV.) 33

 Hrothgar Lavishes Gifts upon his Deliverer (XVI.) 35

 Banquet (continued)
 } (XVII.) 37
 The Scop's Song of Finn and Hnæf

 The Finn Episode (continued)
 } (XVIII.) 39
 The Banquet Continues

 Beowulf Receives Further Honor (XIX.) 41

 The Mother of Grendel (XX.) 44

 Hrothgar's Account of the Monsters (XXI.) 46

 Beowulf Seeks Grendel's Mother (XXII.) 48

 Beowulf's Fight with Grendel's Mother (XXIII.) 51

 Beowulf is Double-Conqueror (XXIV.) 53

[vi] Beowulf Brings his Trophies
 } (XXV.) 57
 Hrothgar's Gratitude

 Hrothgar Moralizes
 } (XXVI.) 60
 Rest after Labor

 Sorrow at Parting (XXVII.) 62

 The Homeward Journey
 } (XXVIII.) 64
 The Two Queens

 Beowulf and Higelac (XXIX.) 67

 Beowulf Narrates his Adventures to Higelac (XXX.) 69

 Gift-Giving is Mutual (XXXI.) 73

 The Hoard and the Dragon (XXXII.) 75

 Brave Though Aged
 } (XXXIII.) 78
 Reminiscences

 Beowulf Seeks the Dragon
 } (XXXIV.) 81
 Beowulf's Reminiscences

 Reminiscences (continued)
 } (XXXV.) 83
 Beowulf's Last Battle

 Wiglaf the Trusty
 } (XXXVI.) 88
 Beowulf is Deserted by Friends and by Sword

 The Fatal Struggle
 } (XXXVII.) 91
 Beowulf's Last Moments

 Wiglaf Plunders the Dragon's Den
 } (XXXVIII.) 93
 Beowulf's Death

 The Dead Foes
 } (XXXIX.) 95
 Wiglaf's Bitter Taunts

 The Messenger of Death (XL.) 97

 The Messenger's Retrospect (XLI.) 99

 Wiglaf's Sad Story
 } (XLII.) 103
 The Hoard Carried Off

 The Burning of Beowulf (XLIII.) 106

 Addenda 109

[vii]

PREFACE.

The present work is a modest effort to reproduce approximately, in modern
measures, the venerable epic, Beowulf. _Approximately_, I repeat; for a
very close reproduction of Anglo-Saxon verse would, to a large extent, be
prose to a modern ear.

The Heyne-Socin text and glossary have been closely followed. Occasionally
a deviation has been made, but always for what seemed good and sufficient
reason. The translator does not aim to be an editor. Once in a while,
however, he has added a conjecture of his own to the emendations quoted
from the criticisms of other students of the poem.

This work is addressed to two classes of readers. From both of these alike
the translator begs sympathy and co-operation. The Anglo-Saxon scholar he
hopes to please by adhering faithfully to the original. The student of
English literature he aims to interest by giving him, in modern garb, the
most ancient epic of our race. This is a bold and venturesome undertaking;
and yet there must be some students of the Teutonic past willing to follow
even a daring guide, if they may read in modern phrases of the sorrows of
Hrothgar, of the prowess of Beowulf, and of the feelings that stirred the
hearts of our forefathers in their primeval homes.

In order to please the larger class of readers, a regular cadence has been
used, a measure which, while retaining the essential characteristics of
the original, permits the reader to see ahead of him in reading.

Perhaps every Anglo-Saxon scholar has his own theory as to how Beowulf
should be translated. Some have given us prose versions of what we believe
to be a great poem. Is it any reflection on our honored Kemble and Arnold
to say that their translations fail to show a layman that Beowulf is
justly called our first _epic_? Of those translators who have used verse,
several have written from what would seem a mistaken point of view. Is it
proper, for instance, that the grave and solemn speeches of Beowulf and
Hrothgar be put in ballad measures, tripping lightly and airily along? Or,
again, is it fitting that the rough martial music of Anglo-Saxon verse be
interpreted to us in the smooth measures of modern blank verse? Do we hear
what has been beautifully called "the clanging tread of a warrior in
mail"?

[viii]

Of all English translations of Beowulf, that of Professor Garnett alone
gives any adequate idea of the chief characteristics of this great
Teutonic epic.

The measure used in the present translation is believed to be as near a
reproduction of the original as modern English affords. The cadences
closely resemble those used by Browning in some of his most striking
poems. The four stresses of the Anglo-Saxon verse are retained, and as
much thesis and anacrusis is allowed as is consistent with a regular
cadence. Alliteration has been used to a large extent; but it was thought
that modern ears would hardly tolerate it on every line. End-rhyme has
been used occasionally; internal rhyme, sporadically. Both have some
warrant in Anglo-Saxon poetry. (For end-rhyme, see 1_53, 1_54; for
internal rhyme, 2_21, 6_40.)

What Gummere[1] calls the "rime-giver" has been studiously kept; _viz._,
the first accented syllable in the second half-verse always carries the
alliteration; and the last accented syllable alliterates only
sporadically. Alternate alliteration is occasionally used as in the
original. (See 7_61, 8_5.)

No two accented syllables have been brought together, except occasionally
after a cæsur

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