# Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 11

XI.
710Ðā cōm of mōreunder mist-hleoþum Grendel gongan,Godes yrre bær; mynte se mān-scaðamanna cynnes sumne besyrwanin sele þām hēan. Wōd under wolcnum,tō þæs þe hē wīn-reced, 715gold-sele gumena,gearwost wisse, fǣttum fāhne;ne wæs þæt forma sīð, þæt hē Hrōþgāreshām gesōhte. Nǣfre hē on aldor-dagumǣr *ne siþðanFol. 146b. heardran hæle,heal-ðegnas fand. ​720Cōm þā tō recederinc siðian drēamum bedǣled;duru sōna onarn, fȳr-bendum fæst,syþðan hē hire folmum [hr]ān; onbrǣd þā bealo-hȳdig,ðā [hē ge]bolgen wæs, recedes mūþan.Raþe æfter þon 725on fāgne flōrfēond treddode, ēode yrre-mōd;him of ēagum stōd ligge gelīcostlēoht unfæger. Geseah hē in recederinca manige, swefan sibbe-gedrihtsamod ætgædere, 730mago-rinca hēap.Þā his mōd āhlōg; mynte þæt hē gedǣlde,ǣ þon dæg cwōme, atol āglǣca,ānra gehwylces līf wið līce,þā him ālumpen wæs wist-fylle wēn.Ne wæs þæt wyrd þā gēn, 735þæt hē mā mōstemanna cynnes ðicgean ofer þā niht.Þrȳð-swȳð behēold mǣg Higelāces,hū se mān-scaða under fǣr-gripumgefaran wolde. Ne þæt se āglǣcayldan þōhte, 740ac he ge*fēng hraðeforman sīðeFol. 131a. slǣpendne rinc,slāt unwearnum, bāt bān-locan,blōd ēdrum dranc, syn-snǣdum swealh;sōna hæfde unlyfigendeseal gefeormod, ​745fēt ond folma.Forð nēar ætstōp, nam þā mid handahige-þihtigne rinc on ræste;rǣhte ongēan fēond mid folme;hē onfēng hraþe inwit-þancumond wið earm gesæt. 750Sōna þæt onfundefyrena hyrde, þæt hē ne mēttemiddan-geardes, eorþan sceatta,on elran men mund-gripe māran;hē on mōde wearð forht, on ferhðe;nō þȳ ǣr fram meahte. 755Hyge wæs him hin-fūs,wolde on heolster flēon, sēcan dēofla gedræg;ne wæs his drohtoð þǣr, swylce hē on ealder-dagumǣr gemētte. Gemunde þā se gōdamǣg Higelāces ǣfen-sprǣce,up-lang āstōd 760ond him fæste wiðfēng;fingras burston; eoten wæs ūt-weard;eorl furþur stōp. Mynte se mǣra,*hwǣr hē meahte swā,Fol. 131b. wīdre gewindanond on weg þanon flēon on fen-hopu;wiste his fingra geweald 765on grames grāpum.Þæt (hē) wæs gēocor sīð, þæt se hearm-scaþatō Heorute ātēah. Dryht-sele dynede;Denum eallum wearð, ceaster-būendum,cēnra gehwylcum, eorlum ealu-scerwen.Yrre wǣron begen 770rēþe rēn-weardas.Reced hlynsode; ​þā wæs wundor micel,þæt se wīn-sele wiðhæfde heaþo-dēorum,þæt hē on hrūsan ne fēol, fæger fold-bold;ac hē þæs fæste wæs innan ond ūtanīren-bendum 775searo-þoncum besmiþod.Þær fram sylle ābēag medu-benc monig,mīne gefrǣge, golde geregnad,þǣr þā graman wunnon; þæs ne wēndon ǣrwitan Scyldinga, þæt hit ā mid gemetemanna ǣnig, 780betlīc ond bān-fāg,tōbrecan meahte, listum tōlūcan,nymþe līges fæþm swulge on swaþule.Swēg *ūp āstāgFol. 147a. nīwe geneahhe;Norð-Denum stōd atelīc egesa,ānra gehwylcum, 785 þāra þe of weallewōp gehȳrdon, gryre-lēoð galangodes ondsacan, sige-lēasne sang,sār wānigean helle hæfton.Hēold hine fæste, sē þe manna wæsmægene strengest 790on þǣem dægeþysses līfes.
* ↑ 722. MS. defective at edge. Zupitza’s transliteration of the facsimile of the MS. has ‘[gehr]an.’ There is room for two letters before hrān, but there is no evidence for ge-. On the contrary, whilst hrīnan usually governs the dat., gehrīnan more commonly takes the accus. (pace Grein).
* ↑ 723. MS. faded at edge. Kemble, Grein-Wülcker, and Heyne ‘[hē] ābolgen.’ Zupitza says: “Now bolgen is still distinct, and before it I think I see traces of two letters of which the first seems to have been g; but what preceded this is entirely faded.”
* ↑ 752. Many editors normalise to ‘scēata.’ See Sievers § 230.
* ↑ 762. MS. defective at corner. Ettmüller, Wülcker, Heyne ‘þǣr.’ Zupitza’s transliteration ‘hwær,’ as if there were no doubt as to the reading, but his foot-note runs: “hwær (hw with another ink, and crossed out in pencil) B, …ær A; now only the lower part of r left.”
* ↑ 765. MS. ‘þæ he wæs.’ Grein suggested the accepted emendation—the omission of hē.
* ↑ 780. MS. ‘hetlic’; Grundtvig ‘betlīc’ Cf. l. 1925.
* ↑ 788. Zupitza and others ‘helle-hæfton,’ but nothing is gained by making them a compound. For -an of the weak declension, -on is not uncommon.
* ↑ Almost all editors insert ‘tō’ before ‘fæste.’