Dragons -- Poetry; Epic poetry, English (Old); Monsters -- Poetry
The wasting wound-stroke with worse exchange,
25 When the king of the thane-troop thither did turn him:
The wise-mooded son of Wonred was powerless
To give a return-blow to the age-hoary man,
But his head-shielding helmet first hewed he to pieces,
That flecked with gore perforce he did totter,
30 Fell to the earth; not fey was he yet then,
But up did he spring though an edge-wound had reached him.
{Eofor smites Ongentheow fiercely.}
Then Higelac's vassal, valiant and dauntless,
When his brother lay dead, made his broad-bladed weapon,
Giant-sword ancient, defence of the giants,
35 Bound o'er the shield-wall; the folk-prince succumbed then,
{Ongentheow is slain.}
Shepherd of people, was pierced to the vitals.
There were many attendants who bound up his kinsman,
Carried him quickly when occasion was granted
That the place of the slain they were suffered to manage.
40 This pending, one hero plundered the other,
His armor of iron from Ongentheow ravished,
His hard-sword hilted and helmet together;
{Eofor takes the old king's war-gear to Higelac.}
The old one's equipments he carried to Higelac.
He the jewels received, and rewards 'mid the troopers
45 Graciously promised, and so did accomplish:
The king of the Weders requited the war-rush,
Hrethel's descendant, when home he repaired him,
{Higelac rewards the brothers.}
To Eofor and Wulf with wide-lavished treasures,
To each of them granted a hundred of thousands
[101] 50 In land and rings wrought out of wire:
{His gifts were beyond cavil.}
None upon mid-earth needed to twit him[3]
With the gifts he gave them, when glory they conquered;
{To Eofor he also gives his only daughter in marriage.}
And to Eofor then gave he his one only daughter,
The honor of home, as an earnest of favor.
55 That's the feud and hatred--as ween I 'twill happen--
The anger of earthmen, that earls of the Swedemen
Will visit on us, when they hear that our leader
Lifeless is lying, he who longtime protected
His hoard and kingdom 'gainst hating assailers,
60 Who on the fall of the heroes defended of yore
The deed-mighty Scyldings,[4] did for the troopers
What best did avail them, and further moreover
{It is time for us to pay the last marks of respect to our lord.}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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