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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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71 beaker gave, Freawaru name. [Betrothed is Freawaru, the young, the golden dame, To the glad son of Froda. For Hrothgar did devise, He, the Kingdom’s Shepherd, a rede he counted wise: Even through her, this Lady, to set old feuds at rest, And end a deal of slaughter. But seldom ‘t is at best, After a prince’s death- fall, that spears are laid aside, More than for a little while-however fair the bride. And Ingeld may not like it, nor any of his thanes, When there shall pace adown his hall a courtier of the Danes, Leading in this Lady past many a Heathobard, And shining with the heirloom, the fretted sword and hardThe Heathobards’ treasure, what time they wielded stroke, Until they lost at linden-play their lives and fellow- folk. And then shall some old spearsman, who marks the precious thing, Grimly o’er the ale-cup speak remembering The tribesmen pierced and fallen, and ‘gin in grief of breast To stir some stripling’s bosom, his fighting soul to test, To wake in him the war-hate. And this the word he saith: ‘Canst thou not, my comrade, ken the sword of death, Which to the fray thy father bore upon his final quest Under his casque-of-battle,- this blade of iron dear, Where the Danemen slew him, and Scyldings bold-with-spear Held the field of slaughter, victors over all, When Withergild lay lifeless after our heroes’ fall! Lo, now some upstart youngling from out these men-of-bane, Proud of these his trappings, paces down the hall, Vaunteth of that murder, and doth that jewel bear The which by right, my comrade, thou alone shouldst wear.’ So urgeth he and eggeth again and yet again With words sore and bitter; till good time succeeds When the Lady’s serving Thane for his father’s deeds, After the bite of battle- bill, sleepeth and bleeds, With his life a forfeit. The venger teeth thence; And living he escapeth, for well the land he kens. The sworn oaths of jarlmen are broken on each side; And welleth feud in Ingeld, and all his love of bride, In surgings of his sorrows, waxeth cooler now. Therefore I count the Heathobards’ peace pact and vow Guileful to Danishmen, their friendship not fast. But once again of Grendel I must speak at last, That thou, O Treasure-Giver, may know the end aright Of the hand-fray of the heroes. When heaven’s Jewel bright Had glided from the fields of earth, came that angry Sprite, The grisly Evening-Goblin, for to seek us out, Where we the hall were warding, Geatmen stout. And then was unto Handscio the warfare come amain, Bale to him, the fey man. ‘T was he that first was slain, He, the girded Fighter. |
