# Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 36

XXXVI.
Wīglaf wæs hāten, Weoxstānes sunu, lēoflic lind-wiga, lēod Scylfinga, mǣg Ælfheres; geseah his mon-diyhten 2605under here-grīman hāt þrōwian; gemunde ðā ðā āre, þe hē him ǣr forgeaf, wīc-stede weligne Wǣgmundinga, folc-rihta gehwylc, swā his fæder āhte; ne mihte ðā forhabban, hond rond gefēng, 2610geolwe linde, gomel swyrd getēah. Þæt wæs mid eldum Ēanmundes lāf, *suna Ōhtere[s], þām æt sæcce wearð,Fol. 188a. wræcca[n] wine-lēasum, Weohstān bana mēces ecgum, ond his māgum ætbær 2615brūn-fāgne helm, hringde byrnan, eald sweord etonisc, þæt him Onela forgeaf, his gædelinges gūð-gewǣdu, fyrd-searo fūslīc; nō ymbe ðā fǣhðe spræc, þēah ðe hē his brōðr bearn ābredwade. 2620Hē frǣtwe gehēold fela missera, bill ond byrnan, oð ðæt his byre mihte eorl-scipe efnan swā his ǣr-fǣder; geaf him ðā mid Gēatum gūð-gewǣda ǣghwæs unrīm, þā hē of ealdre gewāt 2625frōd on forð-weg. Þā wæs forma sīð geongan cempan, þæt hē gūðe rǣs mid his frēo-dryhtne fremman sceolde; ne gemealt him se mōd-sefa, ne his mǣges lāf ​gewāc æt wīge; þæt se wyrm onfand, 2630syððan hīe tōgædre gegān hæfdon. Wīglāf maðelode word-rihta fela, sægde gesīðum (him wæs sefa gēomor): “Ic ðæt *mǣl geman, þǣr wē medu þēgun,Fol. 188b. þonne wē gehēton ussum hlāforde 2635in bīor-sele, ðe ūs ðās bēagas geaf, þæt wē him ðā gūð-getāwa gyldan woldon, gif him þyslicu þearf gelumpe, helmas ond heard sweord. Ðē hē ūsic on herge gecēas tō ðyssum sīð-fate sylfes willum, 2640onmunde ūsic mǣrða, ond mē þās māðmas geaf, þē hē ūsic gār-wīgend gōde tealde, hwate helm-berend, þēah ðe hlāford ūs þis ellen-weorc āna āðōhte tō gefremmanne, folces hyrde, 2645forðam hē manna mǣst mǣrða gefremede, dǣda dollīcra. Nū is se dæg cumen, þæt ūre man-dryhten mægenes behōfað gōdra gūð-rinca; wutun gongan tō, helpan hild-fruman, þenden hyt sȳ, 2650glēd-egesa grim. God wāt on mec, þæt mē is micle lēofre, þæt mīnne līc-haman mid mīnne gold-gyfan glēd fæðmie. Ne þynceð mē gerysne, þæt wē rondas beren ​eft tō earde, nemne wē ǣror mægen 2655fāne gefyllan, *feorh ealgianFol. 197a. Wedra ðēodnes. Ic wāt geare, þæt nǣron eald gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle Gēata duguðe gnorn þrōwian, gesīgan æt sæcce; ūrum sceal sweord ond helm, 2660byrne ond byrdu-scrūd, bām gemǣne.” Wōd þā þurh þone wæl-rēc, wīg-heafolan bær frēan on fultum, fēa worda cwæð: “Lēofa Bīowulf, lǣst eall tela, swā ðū on geoguð-fēore geara gecwǣde, 2665þæt ðū ne ālǣte be ðē lifigendum dōm gedrēosan; scealt nū dǣdum rōf, æðeling ān-hȳdig, ealle mægene feorh ealgian; ic ðē ful-lǣstu.” Æfter ðām wordum wyrm yrre cwōm, 2670atol inwit-gæst, ōðre sīðe fȳr-wylmum fāh fīonda nīos[i]an, lāðra manna. Līg-ȳðum forborn bord wið rond; byrne ne meahte geongum gār-wigan gēoce gefremman; 2675ac se maga geonga under his mǣges scyld ​elne geēode, þā his āgen w[æs] glēdum forgrunden. Þā gēn gūð-cyning m[ǣrða] gemunde, mægen-strengo slōh hilde-bille, þæt hyt on heafolan stōd 2680nīþe genȳded; Nægling forbærst, geswāc æt sæcce sweord Bīowulfes, *gomol ond grǣg-mǣl. Him þæt gifeðe ne wæs,Fol. 197.b þæt him īrenna ecge mihton helpan æt hilde; wæs sīo hond tō strong, 2685sē ðe mēca gehwane, mīne gefrǣge, swenge ofersōhte, þonne hē tō sæcce bær wǣpen wund[r]um heard; næs him wihte ðē sēl. Þā wæs þēod-sceaða þriddan sīðe, frēcne fȳr-draca, fǣhða gemymdig, 2690rǣsde on ðone rōfan, þā him rūm āgeald, hāt ond heaðo-grim, heals ealne ymbefēng biteran bānum; hē geblōdegod wearð sāwul-drīore; swāt ȳðum wēoll.
* ↑ 2612. MS. ‘ohtere.’
* ↑ 2613. MS. defective at corner.
* ↑ MS. ‘weohstanes.’
* ↑ 2628. MS. ‘mægenes’; Ettmüller ‘mǣges.’
* ↑ 2629. MS. ‘þa’; Thorpe ‘þæt.’
* ↑ 2645. MS. “forðā’; Zupitza ‘forðan.’ So also l. 2741.
* ↑ 2652. MS. and Zupitza ‘fæðmię’; hence Wülcker ‘fæðmiæ’ (cf. l. 2126, and Sievers § 361). In “ręced” (l. 1981) Zupitza is not sure that the mark under the e is not a mere flourish. It is used to convert e into æ in “bęl” (l. 2126), but it also occurs under the æ of “sæcce” (l. 1989).
* ↑ 2655. The numbers of the folios are given as they stand in the MS. Fol. 131 follows fol. 146. “The old number of this leaf is 197; but now it stands between 188 and 189, and the old number has been changed to 189 in pencil.”—Z.
* ↑ 2659. MS. ‘$^{ð·sceal·}$ urū:$^{ð̦}$’; Zupitza ‘urum sceal,’ and in a foot-note: “sceal within dots and with a ð before it added in the left margin, whereas a ð over a colon with a comma under it marks the place in the line where it is to be inserted.” From a misunderstanding of this device have arisen the frequent misreadings of this line.
* ↑ 2671. MS. defective at edge, here and in ll. 2676, 2678.
* ↑ 2678. Kemble’s emendation.
* ↑ 2687. MS. ‘wundū’; Wülcker ‘wundum.’ Thorpe ‘wundrum’—a convincing emendation; cf. wundrum wrætlīce “Phoenix” 63, wundrum hēah “Wanderer” 98.