Chapter V: The Errand

Him se yldesta andswarode,
werodes wīsa, word-hord onlēac:
260 "Wē synt gum-cynnes Gēata lēode
"and Higelāces heorð-genēatas.
"Wæs mīn fæder folcum gecȳðed,
"æðele ord-fruma Ecgþēow hāten;
"gebād wintra worn, ǣr hē on weg hwurfe,
265 "gamol of geardum; hine gearwe geman
"witena wēl-hwylc wīde geond eorðan.-
"Wē þurh holdne hige hlāford þinne,
"sunu Healfdenes, sēcean cwōmon,
"lēod-gebyrgean: wes þū ūs lārena gōd!
270 "Habbað wē tō þǣm mǣran micel ǣrende
"Deniga frēan; ne sceal þǣr dyrne sum
"wesan, þæs ic wēne. Þū wāst, gif hit is,
"swā wē sōðlice secgan hȳrdon,
"þæt mid Scyldingum sceaða ic nāt hwylc,
275 "dēogol dǣd-hata, deorcum nihtum
"ēaweð þurh egsan uncūðne nīð,
"hȳnðu and hrā-fyl. Ic þæs Hrōðgār mæg
"þurh rūmne sefan rǣd gelǣran,
"hū hē frōd and gōd fēond oferswȳðeð,
280 "gyf him ed-wendan ǣfre scolde
"bealuwa bisigu, bōt eft cuman
"and þā cear-wylmas cōlran wurðað;
"oððe ā syððan earfoð-þrāge,
"þrēa-nȳd þolað, þenden þǣr wunað
285 "on hēah-stede hūsa sēlest."
Weard maðelode, þǣr on wicge sæt
ombeht unforht: "Ǣghwæðres sceal
"scearp scyld-wiga gescād witan,
"worda and worca, sē þe wēl þenceð.
290 "Ic þæt gehȳre, þæt þis is hold weorod
"frēan Scyldinga. Gewītað forð beran
"wǣpen and gewǣdu, ic ēow wīsige:
"swylce ic magu-þegnas mīne hāte
"wið fēonda gehwone flotan ēowerne,
295 "nīw-tyrwedne nacan on sande
"ārum healdan, oð þæt eft byreð
"ofer lagu-strēamas lēofne mannan
"wudu wunden-hals tō Weder-mearce.
"Gūð-fremmendra swylcum gifeðe bið,
300 "þæt þone hilde-rǣs hāl gedīgeð."
Gewiton him þā fēran (flota stille bād,
seomode on sāle sīd-fæðmed scyp,
on ancre fæst); eofor-līc scionon
ofer hlēor-beran gehroden golde
305 fāh and fȳr-heard, ferh wearde hēold.
Gūðmōde grummon, guman ōnetton,
sigon ætsomne, oð þæt hȳ sæl timbred
geatolīc and gold-fāh ongytan mihton;
þæt wæs fore-mǣrost fold-būendum
310 receda under roderum, on þǣm se rīca bād;
līxte se lēoma ofer landa fela.
Him þā hilde-dēor hof mōdigra
torht getǣhte, þæt hīe him tō mihton
gegnum gangan; gūð-beorna sum
315 wicg gewende, word æfter cwæð:
"Mǣl is mē tō fēran; fæder alwalda
"mid ār-stafum ēowic gehealde
"sīða gesunde! ic tō sǣ wille,
"wið wrāð werod wearde healdan."