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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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80 His end of days, the fleeting, and his life on earthAnd the Dragon with him, though long he held the Hoard. Yet there he scorned, did Beowulf, the Geats’ Ring-Lord, To follow the Far-Flier with troops of spear and sword. He dreaded not the contest, despised the Dragon’s war, His vigor and his valor; because so oft before, He’d passed so many perils, clashes in the van, Hazarded so many straits, since as victor-man, He’d cleansed the hall of Hrothgar, and at the grapple erst Battling crushed the Grendel-kin-that breed accurst. Nor least of fights was that fight where Hygelac was slain, When the King of Geatmen, upon the Frisian plain, The Lord-Friend of clansmen, amid the battle-raid, The offspring of Hrethel, beaten down by blade, Perished by the sword-drink. Beowulf made shift, ‘Scaping by a power his own, his goodly swimming-gift. He had upon his arms then, though alone was he, Thirty coats of armor, as he plunged to sea. O never the Hetwaras boasted of that field Who onward and before them bore the linden-shield, For few escaped the War-Wolf to see again their home. Then the son of Ecgtheow o’erswam the tracts of foam, A hapless man and lonely, unto his folk again. There Hygd to him did offer the riches and the reign, The rings and the King’s seat. Her bairn she did not trow Fit to fend the Fatherland from a foreign foe, Now Hygelac had fallen. Yet not for this could they, The stricken, move the Aetheling in purpose any way To be the Lord of Heardred and hold the kingdom’s sway. However, he upheld him among the folk with lore, With kindnesses of honor, until, a lad no more, Heardred wielded Weder-Geats. Him o’er sea there sought The outlaws, sons of Ohthere. These had set at naught The Helmet of the Scylfings, the best of all sea-kings Who ever there in Sweden dealt the treasure- rings Onela, the high prince. Heardred’s end was that! For sheltering the rebels a mortal wound he gat By swinges of the sword-blade. And Bairn of Ongentheow Departed for to seek his home, at Heardred’s overthrow, Leaving unto Beowulf the seat of ring-giving And lordship over Geatmen-that was a goodly King! |
