115 Gewāt þā nēosian, syððan niht becōm, hēan hūses, hū hit Hring-Dene æfter bēor-þege gebūn hæfdon. Fand þā þǣr inne æðelinga gedriht swefan æfter symble; sorge ne cūðon, 120 won-sceaft wera. Wiht unhǣlo grim and grǣdig gearo sōna wæs, rēoc and rēðe, and on ræste genam þrītig þegna: þanon eft gewāt hūðe hrēmig tō hām faran, 125 mid þǣre wæl-fylle wīca nēosan. Þā wæs on ūhtan mid ǣr-dæge Grendles gūð-cræft gumum undyrne: þā wæs æfter wiste wōp up āhafen, micel morgen-swēg. Mǣre þēoden, 130 æðeling ǣr-gōd, unblīðe sæt, þolode þrȳð-swȳð, þegn-sorge drēah, syððan hīe þæs lāðan lāst scēawedon, wergan gāstes; wæs þæt gewin tō strang, lāð and longsum. Næs hit lengra fyrst, 135 ac ymb āne niht eft gefremede morð-beala māre and nō mearn fore fǣhðe and fyrene; wæs tō fæst on þām. Þā wæs ēað-fynde, þē him elles hwǣr gerūmlīcor ræste sōhte, 140 bed æfter būrum, þā him gebēacnod wæs, gesægd sōðlīce sweotolan tācne heal-þegnes hete; hēold hine syððan fyr and fæstor, sē þǣm fēonde ætwand. Swā rīxode and wið rihte wan 145 āna wið eallum, oð þæt īdel stōd hūsa sēlest. Wæs sēo hwīl micel: twelf wintra tīd torn geþolode wine Scyldinga, wēana gehwelcne, sīdra sorga; forþām syððan wearð 150 ylda bearnum undyrne cūð, gyddum geōmore, þætte Grendel wan, hwīle wið Hrōðgār;-- hete-nīðas wæg, fyrene and fǣhðe fela missēra, singāle sæce, sibbe ne wolde 155 wið manna hwone mægenes Deniga feorh-bealo feorran, fēo þingian, nē þǣr nǣnig witena wēnan þorfte beorhtre bōte tō banan folmum; atol ǣglǣca ēhtende wæs, 160 deorc dēað-scūa duguðe and geogoðe seomade and syrede. Sin-nihte hēold mistige mōras; men ne cunnon, hwyder hel-rūnan hwyrftum scrīðað. Swā fela fyrena fēond man-cynnes, 165 atol ān-gengea, oft gefremede heardra hȳnða; Heorot eardode, sinc-fāge sel sweartum nihtum (nō hē þone gif-stōl grētan mōste, māððum for metode, nē his myne wisse); 170 þæt wæs wrǣc micel wine Scyldinga, mōdes brecða. Monig-oft gesæt rīce tō rūne; rǣd eahtedon, hwæt swīð-ferhðum sēlest wǣre wið fǣr-gryrum tō gefremmanne. 175 Hwīlum hīe gehēton æt hærg-trafum wīg-weorðunga, wordum bǣdon, þæt him gāst-bona gēoce gefremede wið þēod-þrēaum. Swylc wæs þēaw hyra, hǣðenra hyht; helle gemundon 180 in mōd-sefan, metod hīe ne cūðon, dǣda dēmend, ne wiston hīe drihten god, nē hīe hūru heofena helm herian ne cūðon, wuldres waldend. Wā bið þǣm þe sceal