# Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 34

XXXIV.
Sē ðæs lēod-hryres lēan gemunde uferan dōgrum; Ēadgilse wearð fēa-sceaftum frēond, folce gestēpte ofer sǣ sīde sunu Ōhteres, 2395wigum ond wǣpnum; hē gewræc syððan cealdum cear-sīðum, cyning ealdre binēat. Swā hē nīða gehwane genesen hæfde, slīðra geslyhta, sunu Ecgðīowes, ellen-weorca, oð ðone ānne dæg, 2400þe hē wið þām wyrme gewegan sceolde. Gewāt þā twelfa sum, torne gebolgen, dryhten Gēata dracan scēawian; hæfde þā gefrūnen, hwanan sīo fǣhð ārās, bealo-nīð biorna; him tō bearme *cwōmFol. 183b. 2405māþðum-fæt mǣre þurh ðæs meldan hond. Sē wæs on ðām ðrēate þreottēoþa secg, sē ðæs orleges ōr onstealde; hæft hyge-gīomor sceolde hēan ðonon wong wīsian. Hē ofer willan gīong, 2410tō ðæs ðe hē eorð-sele ānne wisse, hlǣw under hrūsan holm-wylme nēh, ȳð-gewinne, sē wæs innan full wrætta ond wīra. Weard unhīore, ​gearo gūð-freca, gold-māðmas hēold, 2415eald under eorðan; næs þæt ȳðe cēap tō gegangenne gumena ǣnigum. Gesæt ðā on næsse nīð-heard cyning, þenden hǣlo ābēad heorð-genēatum, gold-wine Gēata. Him wæs gēomor sefa, 2420wǣfre ond wæl-fūs, wyrd ungemete nēah, sē ðone gomelan grētan sceolde, sēcean sāwle hord, sundur gedǣlan līf wið līce; nō þon lange wæs feorh æþelinges flǣsce bewunden. 2425Bīowulf maþelade, bearn Ecgðēowes: “Fela ic on giogoðe gūð-rǣsa genæs, orleg-hwīla; ic þæt eall gemon. *Ic wæs syfan-wintre, þā mec sinca baldor,Fol. 184a. frēa-wine folca, æt mīnum fæder genam; 2430hēold mec ond hæfde Hrēðel cyning, geaf mē sinc ond symbel, sibbe gemunde; næs ic him tō līfe lāðra ōwihte beorn in burgum þonne his bearna hwylc, Herebeald ond Hǣðcyn, oððe Hygelāc mīn. 2435Wæs þām yldestan ungedēfelīce mǣges dǣdum morþor-bed strēd, syððan hyne Hǣðcyn of horn-bogan, his frēa-wine, flāne geswencte, miste mercelses ond his mǣg ofscēt, 2440brōðor ōðerne, blōdigan gāre. Þæt wæs feoh-lēas gefeoht, fyrenum gesyngad, hreðre hyge-mēðe; sceolde hwæðre swā þēah æðeling unwrecen ealdres linnan. ​Swā bið gēomorlīc gomelum ceorle 2445tō gebīdanne, þæt his byre rīde giong on galgan; þonne hē gyd wrece, sārigne sang, þonne his sunu hangað hrefne tō hrōðre, ond hē him helpan ne mæg, eald ond in-frōd, ǣnige gefremman. 2450Symble bið gemyndgad morna gehwylce *eaforan ellor-sīð; ōðres ne gȳmeðFol. 184b. tō gebīdanne burgum in innan yrfe-weardas, þonne se ān hafað þurh dēaðes nȳd dǣda gefondad. 2455Gesyhð sorh-cearig on his suna būre wīn-sele wēstne, wind-gereste, rēote berofene; rīdend swefað, hæleð in hoðman; nis þǣr hearpan swēg, gomen in geardum, swylce ðǣr īu wǣron.
* ↑ 2393. Heyne ‘fēond, folce gestepte,’ with a different interpretation of the whole passage: sunu (2394) nom., cyning (2396) = Eadgils. With the MS. reading, retained in the text, sunu is accus., and cyning = Onela. By supporting the exiled Eadgils against Onela, Beowulf obtains his revenge on the Swedes. See Bugge, “Beit.” xii. 11 ff., and Eadgils in Index of Persons and Places.
* ↑ 2401. MS. ‘.xii.$^a$’
* ↑ 2421. Wülcker ‘sēo.’ Wyrd is fem. elsewhere in the poem; but cf. ll. 1344, 2685.
* ↑ 2448. Kemble ‘helpe.’ There is no other certain instance of the weak form than this. Possibly the scribe was thinking of the infinitive.
* ↑ 2453. For gen. sing, in -as see Sievers § 237, N. 1. Cf. ll. 63, 2921.