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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.

XXVI.

MORE CONVERSE OF HROTHGAR AND BEOWULF: THE GEATS MAKE THEM READY FOR DEPARTURE.

• UNTIL that within him a deal of o’erthinking
• Waxeth and groweth while sleepeth the warder,
• The soul’s herdsman; that slumber too fast is forsooth,
• Fast bounden by troubles, the banesman all nigh,
• E’en he that from arrow-bow evilly shooteth.
• Then he in his heart under helm is besmitten
• With a bitter shaft; not a whit then may he ward him
• From the wry wonder-biddings of the ghost the all-wicked.
• Too little he deems that which long he hath holden,
• Wrath-greedy he covets; nor e’en for boast-sake gives
• The rings fair beplated; and the forth-coming doom
• Forgetteth, forheedeth, for that God gave him erewhile,
• The Wielder of glory, a deal of the worship.
• At the ending-stave then it after befalleth
• That the shell of his body sinks fleeting away,
• And falleth all fey; and another one fetcheth,
• E’en one that undolefully dealeth the treasure,
• The earl’s gains of aforetime, and fear never heedeth.
• From the bale-envy ward thee, lief Beowulf, therefore,
• Thou best of all men, and choose thee the better,
• The redes everlasting; to o’erthinking turn not,
• O mighty of champions! for now thy might breatheth
• For a short while of time; but eft-soon it shall be
• That sickness or edges from thy strength thee shall sunder,
• Or the hold of the fire, or the welling of floods,
• Or the grip of the sword-blade, or flight of the spear,
• Or eld the all-evil: or the beaming of eyen
• Shall fail and shall dim: then shall it be forthright
• That thee, lordly man, the death over-masters.
• E’en so I the Ring-Danes for an hundred of seasons
• Did wield under the welkin and lock’d them by war
• From many a kindred the Middle-Garth over
• With ash-spears and edges, in such wise that not ever
• Under the sky’s run of my foemen I reckon’d.
• What! to me in my land came a shifting of that,
• Came grief after game, sithence Grendel befell,
• My foeman of old, mine ingoer soothly.
• I from that onfall bore ever unceasing
• Mickle mood-care; herefor be thanks to the Maker.
• To the Lord everlasting, that in life I abided,
• Yea, that I on that head all sword-gory there,
• Now the old strife is over, with eyen should stare.
• Go fare thou to settle, the feast-joyance dree thou,
• O war-worshipp’d! unto us twain yet there will be
• Mickle treasure in common when come is the morning.
• Glad of mood then the Geat was, and speedy he gat him
• To go see the settle, as the sage one commanded.
• Then was after as erst, that they of the might-fame,
• The floor-sitters, fairly the feasting bedight them
• All newly. The helm of the night loured over
• Dark over the host-men. Uprose all the doughty,
• For he, the hoar-blended, would wend to his bed,
• That old man of the Scyldings. The Geat without measure,
• The mighty shield-warrior, now willed him rest.
• And soon now the hall-thane him of way-faring weary,
• From far away come, forth show’d him the road,
• E’en he who for courtesy cared for all things
• Of the needs of the thane, e’en such as on that day
• The farers o’er ocean would fainly have had.
• Rested then the wide-hearted; high up the house tower’d
• Wide-gaping all gold-dight; within slept the guest;
• Until the black raven, the blithe-hearted, boded
• The heavens’ joy: then was come thither ahastening
• The bright sun o’er the plains, and hasten’d the scathers,
• The athelings once more aback to their people
• All fain to be faring; and far away thence
• Would the comer high-hearted go visit his keel.
• Bade then the hard one Hrunting to bear,
• The Ecglaf’s son bade to take him his sword,
• The iron well-lov’d; gave him thanks for the lending,
• Quoth he that the war-friend for worthy he told,
• Full of craft in the war; nor with word blam’d he aught
• The edge of the sword. Hah! the high-hearted warrior.
• So whenas all way-forward, yare in their war-gear,
• Were the warriors, the dear one then went to the Danes,
• To the high seat went the Atheling, whereas was the other;
• The battle-bold warrior gave greeting to Hrothgar.