Chapter XLI: He Tells of the Swedes and the Geatas

"Wæs sīo swāt-swaðu Swēona and Gēata,
"wæl-rǣs wera wīde gesȳne,
"hū þā folc mid him fǣhðe tōwehton.
2950 "Gewāt him þā se gōda mid his gædelingum,
"frōd fela geōmor fæsten sēcean,
"eorl Ongenþīo ufor oncirde;
"hæfde Higelāces hilde gefrūnen,
"wlonces wīg-cræft, wiðres ne truwode,
2955 "þæt hē sǣ-mannum onsacan mihte,
"hēaðo-līðendum hord forstandan,
"bearn and brȳde; bēah eft þonan
"eald under eorð-weall. Þā wæs ǣht boden
"Swēona lēodum, segn Higelāce.
2960 "Freoðo-wong þone forð oferēodon,
"syððan Hrēðlingas tō hagan þrungon.
"Þǣr wearð Ongenþīo ecgum sweorda,
"blonden-fexa on bīd wrecen,
"þæt se þēod-cyning þafian sceolde
2965 "Eofores ānne dōm: hyne yrringa
"Wulf Wonrēding wǣpne gerǣhte,
"þæt him for swenge swāt ǣdrum sprong
"forð under fexe. Næs hē forht swā þēh,
"gomela Scilfing, ac forgeald hraðe
2970 "wyrsan wrixle wæl-hlem þone,
"syððan þēod-cyning þyder oncirde:
"ne meahte se snella sunu Wonrēdes
"ealdum ceorle ond-slyht giofan,
"ac hē him on hēafde helm ǣr gescer,
2975 "þæt hē blōde fāh būgan sceolde,
"fēoll on foldan; næs hē fǣge þā gīt,
"ac hē hyne gewyrpte, þēah þe him wund hrīne,
"Lēt se hearda Higelāces þegn
"brādne mēce, þā his brōðor læg,
2980 "eald sweord eotonisc, entiscne helm,
"brecan ofer bord-weal: þā gebēah cyning,
"folces hyrde, wæs in feorh dropen.
"Þā wǣron monige, þē his mǣg wriðon,
"ricone ārǣrdon, þā him gerȳmed wearð,
2985 "þæt hīe wæl-stōwe wealdan mōston.
"Þenden rēafode rinc ōðerne,
"nam on Ongenþīo īren-byrnan,
"heard swyrd hilted and his helm somod;
"hāres hyrste Higelāce bær.
2990 "Hē þām frætwum fēng and him fægre gehēt
"lēana fore lēodum and gelǣste swā:
"geald þone gūð-rǣs Gēata dryhten,
"Hrēðles eafora, þā hē tō hām becōm,
"Jofore and Wulfe mid ofer-māðmum,
2995 "sealde hiora gehwæðrum hund þūsenda
"landes and locenra bēaga; ne þorfte him þā lēan oðwītan
"mon on middan-gearde, syððan hīe þā mǣrða geslōgon;
"and þā Jofore forgeaf āngan dōhtor,
"hām-weorðunge, hyldo tō wedde.
3000 "Þæt ys sīo fǣhðo and se fēond-scipe,
"wæl-nīð wera, þæs þe ic wēn hafo,
"þē ūs sēceað tō Swēona lēode,
"syððan hīe gefricgeað frēan ūserne
"ealdor-lēasne, þone þe ǣr gehēold
3005 "wið hettendum hord and rīce,
"æfter hæleða hryre hwate Scylfingas,
"folc-rǣd fremede oððe furður gēn
"eorl-scipe efnde. Nū is ofost betost,
"þæt wē þēod-cyning þǣr scēawian
3010 "and þone gebringan, þē ūs bēagas geaf,
"on ād-fære. Ne scel ānes hwæt
"meltan mid þām mōdigan, ac þǣr is māðma hord.
"gold unrīme grimme gecēapod
"and nū æt sīðestan sylfes fēore
3015 "bēagas gebohte; þā sceal brond fretan,
"ǣled þeccean, nalles eorl wegan
"māððum tō gemyndum, nē mægð scȳne
"habban on healse hring-weorðunge,
"ac sceall geōmor-mōd golde berēafod
3020 "oft nalles ǣne el-land tredan,
"nū se here-wīsa hleahtor ālegde,
"gamen and glēo-drēam. Forþon sceall gār wesan
"monig morgen-ceald mundum bewunden,
"hæfen on handa, nalles hearpan swēg
3025 "wīgend weccean, ac se wonna hrefn
"fūs ofer fǣgum, fela reordian,
"earne secgan, hū him æt ǣte spēow,
"þenden hē wið wulf wæl rēafode."
Swā se secg hwata secgende wæs
3030 lāðra spella; hē ne lēag fela
wyrda nē worda. Weorod eall ārās,
ēodon unblīðe under Earna næs
wollen-tēare wundur scēawian.
Fundon þā on sande sāwul-lēasne
3035 hlim-bed healdan, þone þe him hringas geaf
ǣrran mǣlum: þā wæs ende-dæg
gōdum gegongen, þæt se gūð-cyning,
Wedra þēoden, wundor-dēaðe swealt.
Ǣr hī gesēgan syllīcran wiht,
3040 wyrm on wonge wiðer-ræhtes þǣr
lāðne licgean: wæs se lēg-draca,
grimlīc gryre-gæst, glēdum beswǣled,
sē wæs fīftiges fōt-gemearces.
lang on legere, lyft-wynne hēold
3045 nihtes hwīlum, nyðer eft gewāt
dennes nīosian; wæs þā dēaðe fæst,
hæfde eorð-scrafa ende genyttod.
Him big stōdan bunan and orcas,
discas lāgon and dȳre swyrd,
3050 ōmige þurh-etone, swā hīe wið eorðan fæðm
þūsend wintra þǣr eardodon:
þonne wæs þæt yrfe ēacen-cræftig,
iū-monna gold galdre bewunden,
þæt þām hring-sele hrīnan ne mōste
3055 gumena ǣnig, nefne god sylfa,
sigora sōð-cyning, sealde þām þe hē wolde
(hē is manna gehyld) hord openian,
efne swā hwylcum manna, swā him gemet þūhte.