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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.

VI.

BEOWULF AND THE GEATS COME INTO HART.

• STONE-DIVERSE the street was, straight uplong the path led
• The warriors together. There shone the war-byrny
• The hard and the hand-lock’d; the ring-iron sheer
• Sang over their war-gear, when they to the hall first
• In their gear the all-fearful had gat them to ganging.
• So then the sea-weary their wide shields set down,
• Their war-rounds the mighty, against the hall’s wall.
• Then bow’d they to bench, and rang there the byrnies,
• The war-weed of warriors, and up-stood the spears,
• The war-gear of the sea-folk all gather’d together,
• The ash-holt grey-headed; that host of the iron
• With weapons was worshipful. There then a proud chief
• Of those lads of the battle speer’d after their line:
• Whence ferry ye then the shields golden-faced,
• The grey sarks therewith, and the helms all bevisor’d,
• And a heap of the war-shafts? Now am I of Hrothgar
• The man and the messenger: ne’er saw I of aliens
• So many of men more might-like of mood.
• I ween that for pride-sake, no wise for wrack-wending
• But for high might of mind, ye to Hrothgar have sought.
• Unto him then the heart-hardy answer’d and spake,
• The proud earl of the Weders the word gave aback,
• The hardy neath helm: Now of Hygelac are we
• The board-fellows; Beowulf e’en is my name,
• And word will I say unto Healfdene’s son,
• To the mighty, the folk-lord, what errand is mine,
• Yea unto thy lord, if to us he will grant it
• That him, who so good is, anon we may greet.
• Spake Wulfgar the word, a lord of the Wendels,
• And the mood of his heart of a many was kenned,
• His war and his wisdom: I therefore the Danes’ friend
• Will lightly be asking, of the lord of the Scyldings,
• The dealer of rings, since the boon thou art bidding,
• The mighty folk-lord, concerning thine errand,
• And swiftly the answer shall do thee to wit
• Which the good one to give thee aback may deem meetest.
• Then turn’d he in haste to where Hrothgar was sitting
• Right old and all hoary mid the host of his earl-folk:
• Went the valour-stark; stood he the shoulders before
• Of the Dane-lord: well could he the doughty ones’ custom.
• So Wulfgar spake forth to his lord the well-friendly:
• Hither are ferry’d now, come from afar off
• O’er the field of the ocean, a folk of the Geats;
• These men of the battle e’en Beowulf name they
• Their elder and chiefest, and to thee are they bidding
• That they, O dear lord, with thee may be dealing
• In word against word. Now win them no naysay
• Of thy speech again-given, O Hrothgar the gladman:
• For they in their war-gear, methinketh, be worthy
• Of good deeming of earls; and forsooth naught but doughty
• Is he who hath led o’er the warriors hither.