# Beowulf (Wyatt)/Beowulf 39

[XXXIX.]
Ðā wæs gegongen guman unfrōdum earfoðlīce, þæt hē on eorðan geseah þone lēofestan līfes æt ende blēate gebǣran. Bona swylce læg, 2825egeslīc eorð-draca ealdre berēafod, bealwe gebǣded. Bēah-hordum leng wyrm wōh-bogen wealdan ne mōste, ac hine īrenna ecga fornāmon, hearde, heaðo-scearde homera lāfe, 2830þæt se wīd-floga wundum stille hrēas on hrūsan hord-ærne nēah; nalles *æfter lyfte lācende hwearfFol. 191b. middel-nihtum, māðm-ǣhta wlonc ansȳn ȳwde, ac hē eorðan gefēoll 2885for ðæs hild-fruman hond-geweorce. Hūru þæt on lande lȳt manna ðāh mægen-āgendra, mīne gefrǣge, þēah ðe hē dǣda gehwæs dyrstig wǣre, þæt hē wið attor-sceaðan oreðe gerǣsde, 2840oððe hring-sele hondum styrede, gif hē wæccende weard onfunde būon on beorge. Bīowulfe wearð dryht-māðma dǣl dēaðe forgolden; hæfde ǣghwæðer ende gefēred ​2845lǣnan līfes. Næs ðā lang tō ðon, þæt ðā hild-latan holt ofgēfan, tydre trēow-logan tȳne ætsomne, ðā ne dorston ǣr dareðum lācan on hyra man-dryhtnes miclan þearfe; 2850ac hȳ scamiende scyldas bǣran, gūð-gewǣdu, þǣr se gomela læg; wlitan on Wī[g]lāf. Hē gewērgad sæt, fēðe-cempa, frēan eaxlum nēah, wehte hyne wætre; him wiht ne spēow. 2855Ne meahte hē on eorðan, ðēah hē ūðe wel, on ðām frum-gāre feorh gehealdan, ne ðæs Wealdendes [willan] wiht oncirran. Wolde dōm *Godes dǣdum rǣdanFol. 192a. gumena gehwylcum, swā hē nē gēn dēð. 2860Þā wæs æt ðām geongum grim ondswaru
ēð-begēte, þām ðe ǣr his elne forlēas. Wīglāf maðelode, Weohstānes sunu, sec[g] sārig-ferð seah on unlēofe: “Þæt lā! mæg secgan, sē ðe wyle sōð specan, 2865þæt se mon-dryhten, sē ēow ðā māðmas geaf, ēored-geatwe, þe gē þǣr on standað, þonne hē on ealu-bence oft gesealde heal-sittendum helm ond byrnan, þēoden his þegnum, swylce hē þrȳðlīcost 2870ōwēr feor oððe nēah findan meahte, ​þæt hē gēnunga gūð-gewǣdu wrāðe forwurpe, ðā hyne wīg beget. Nealles folc-cyning fyrd-gesteallum gylpan þorfte; hwæðre him God ūðe, 2875sigora Waldend, þæt hē hyne sylfne gewræc āna mid ecge, þā him wæs ehies þearf. Ic him līf-wraðe lȳtle meahte ætgifan æt gūðe, ond ongan swā þēah ofer mīn gemet mǣges helpan. 2880Symle wæs þȳ sǣmra, þonne ic sweorde drep ferhð-genīðlan; fȳr unswīðor wēoll of gewitte. Wergendra tō lȳt þrong ymbe þēoden, þā, hyne sīo *þrāg becwom.Fol. 192b. Nū sceal sinc-þego ond swyrd-gifu, 2885eall ēdel-wyn, ēowrum cynne, lufen ālicgean; lond-rihtes mōt þǣre mǣg-burge monna ǣghwylc īdel hweorfan, syððan æðelingas feorran gefricgean flēam ēowerne, 2890dōm-lēasan dǣd. Dēað bið sēlla eorla gehwylcum þonne edwīt-līf.”}}
* ↑ 2821. MS. ‘gumū unfrodū,’ doubtless another instance of “anticipation”; in l. 158 the MS. has ‘banū folmū,’
* ↑ 2828. MS. ‘him’; so Heyne and Wülcker. In all other instances forniman governs the accus.
* ↑ 2844. MS. ‘æghwæðre’; Kemble ‘æghwæðer.’ Grein ‘ǣghwæðre (acc. pl.) ende (nom.).’ But cf. l. 3063; besides, ǣghwæðer is found nowhere else in the pl.
* ↑ 2852. MS. ‘wilaf.’
* ↑ 2854. MS. ‘speop.’
* ↑ 2857. Thorpe reads ‘willan’ for ‘wiht’ (so Wülcker). Heyne’s emendation in text. It is easier to believe that the scribe omitted a word, than that he wrote wiht for willan.
* ↑ 2863. MS. ‘sec’
* ↑ 2869. MS. ‘þrydlicost.’
* ↑ 2881. MS. ‘fyrun (“u altered from a”) swiðor.’ Grein ‘fȳr ran swīðor.’ This makes Beowulf, instead of the dragon, the subject of wæs (2880), and spoils the passage. For “unswīðor,” cf. l. 2578.
* ↑ 2882. MS. ‘fergendra.’
* ↑ 2884 MS. ‘hu.’