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• Argument
• The Story of Beowulf
• I.: And First of the Kindred of Hrothgar.
• II.: Concerning Hrothgar, and How He Built the House Called Hart. Also Grendel Is Told Of.
• III.: How Grendel Fell Upon Hart and Wasted It.
• IV.: Now Comes Beowulf Ecgtheow’s Son to the Land of the Danes, and the Wall-warden Speaketh With Him.
• V.: Here Beowulf Makes Answer to the Land-warden, Who Showeth Him the Way to the King’s Abode.
• VI.: Beowulf and the Geats Come Into Hart.
• VII.: Beowulf Speaketh With Hrothgar, and Telleth How He Will Meet Grendel.
• VIII.: Hrothgar Answereth Beowulf and Biddeth Him Sit to the Feast.
• IX.: Unferth Contendeth In Words With Beowulf.
• X.: Beowulf Makes an End of His Tale of the Swimming. Wealhtheow, Hrothgar’s Queen, Greets Him; and Hrothgar Delivers to Him the Warding of the Hall.
• XI.: Now Is Beowulf Left In the Hall Alone With His Men.
• XII.: Grendel Cometh Into Hart: of the Strife Betwixt Him and Beowulf.
• XIII.: Beowulf Hath the Victory: Grendel Is Hurt Deadly and Leaveth Hand and Arm In the Hall.
• XIV.: The Danes Rejoice; They Go to Look On the Slot of Grendel, and Come Back to Hart, and On the Way Make Merry With Racing and the Telling of Tales.
• XV.: King Hrothgar and His Thanes Look On the Arm of Grendel. Converse Betwixt Hrothgar and Beowulf Concerning the Battle.
• XVI.: Hrothgar Giveth Gifts to Beowulf.
• XVII.: They Feast In Hart. the Gleeman Sings of Finn and Hengest.
• XVIII.: The Ending of the Tale of Finn.
• XIX.: More Gifts Are Given to Beowulf. the Brising Collar Told Of.
• XX.: Grendel’s Dam Breaks Into Hart and Bears Off Aeschere.
• XXI.: Hrothgar Laments the Slaying of Aeschere, and Tells of Grendel’s Mother and Her Den.
• XXII.: They Follow Grendel’s Dam to Her Lair.
• XXIII.: Beowulf Reacheth the Mere-bottom In a Day’s While, and Contends With Grendel’s Dam.
• XXIV.: Beowulf Slayeth Grendel’s Dam, Smiteth Off Grendel’s Head, and Cometh Back With His Thanes to Hart.
• XXV.: Converse of Hrothgar With Beowulf.
• XXVI.: More Converse of Hrothgar and Beowulf: the Geats Make Them Ready For Departure.
• XXVII.: Beowulf Bids Hrothgar Farewell: the Geats Fare to Ship.
• XXVIII.: Beowulf Comes Back to His Land. of the Tale of Thrytho.
• XXIX.: Beowulf Tells Hygelac of Hrothgar: Also of Freawaru His Daughter.
• XXX.: Beowulf Forebodes Ill From the Wedding of Freawaru: He Tells of Grendel and His Dam.
• XXXI.: Beowulf Gives Hrothgar’s Gifts to Hygelac, and By Him Is Rewarded. of the Death of Hygelac and of Heardred His Son, and How Beowulf Is King of the Geats: the Worm Is First Told Of.
• XXXII.: How the Worm Came to the Howe, and How He Was Robbed of a Cup; and How He Fell On the Folk.
• XXXIII.: The Worm Burns Beowulf’s House, and Beowulf Gets Ready to Go Against Him. Beowulf’s Early Deeds In Battle With the Hetware Told Of.
• XXXIV.: Beowulf Goes Against the Worm. He Tells of Herebeald and HÆthcyn.
• XXXV.: Beowulf Tells of Past Feuds, and Bids Farewell to His Fellows. He Falls On the Worm, and the Battle of Them Begins.
• XXXVI.: Wiglaf Son of Weohstan Goes to the Help of Beowulf: NÆgling, Beowulf’s Sword, Is Broken On the Worm.
• XXXVII.: They Two Slay the Worm. Beowulf Is Wounded Deadly: He Biddeth Wiglaf Bear Out the Treasure.
• XXXVIII.: Beowulf Beholdeth the Treasure and Passeth Away.
• XXXIX.: Wiglaf Casteth Shame On Those Fleers.
• Xl.: Wiglaf Sendeth Tiding to the Host: the Words of the Messenger.
• Xli.: More Words of the Messenger. How He Fears the Swedes When They Wot of Beowulf Dead.
• Xlii.: They Go to Look On the Field of Deed.
• Xliii.: of the Burial of Beowulf.

I.

AND FIRST OF THE KINDRED OF HROTHGAR.

• WHAT! we of the Spear-Danes of yore days, so was it
• That we learn’d of the fair fame of kings of the folks
• And the athelings a-faring in framing of valour.
• Oft then Scyld the Sheaf-son from the hosts of the scathers,
• From kindreds a many the mead-settles tore;
• It was then the earl fear’d them, sithence was he first
• Found bare and all-lacking; so solace he bided,
• Wax’d under the welkin in worship to thrive,
• Until it was so that the round-about sitters
• All over the whale-road must hearken his will
• And yield him the tribute. A good king was that.
• By whom then thereafter a son was begotten,
• A youngling in garth, whom the great God sent thither
• To foster the folk; and their crime-need he felt
• The load that lay on them while lordless they lived
• For a long while and long. He therefore, the Life-lord,
• The Wielder of glory, world’s worship he gave him:
• Brim Beowulf waxed, and wide the weal upsprang
• Of the offspring of Scyld in the parts of the Scede-lands.
• Such wise shall a youngling with wealth be a-working
• With goodly fee-gifts toward the friends of his father,
• That after in eld-days shall ever bide with him,
• Fair fellows well-willing when wendeth the war-tide,
• Their lief lord a-serving. By praise-deeds it shall be
• That in each and all kindreds a man shall have thriving.
• Then went his ways Scyld when the shapen while was,
• All hardy to wend him to the lord and his warding:
• Out then did they bear him to the side of the seaflood,
• The dear fellows of him, as he himself pray’d them
• While yet his word wielded the friend of the Scyldings,
• The dear lord of the land; a long while had he own’d it.
• With stem all be-ringed at the hythe stood the ship,
• All icy and out-fain, the Atheling’s ferry.
• There then did they lay him, the lord well beloved,
• The gold-rings’ bestower, within the ship’s barm,
• The mighty by mast. Much there was the treasure,
• From far ways forsooth had the fret-work been led:
• Never heard I of keel that was comelier dighted
• With weapons of war, and with weed of the battle,
• With bills and with byrnies. There lay in his barm
• Much wealth of the treasure that with him should be,
• And he into the flood’s might afar to depart.
• No lesser a whit were the wealth-goods they dight him
• Of the goods of the folk, than did they who aforetime,
• When was the beginning, first sent him away
• Alone o’er the billows, and he but a youngling.
• Moreover they set him up there a sign golden
• High up overhead, and let the holm bear him,
• Gave all to the Spearman. Sad mind they had in them,
• And mourning their mood was. Now never knew men,
• For sooth how to say it, rede-masters in hall,
• Or heroes ’neath heaven, to whose hands came the lading.