Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scyldinga: "Ic hine cūðe cniht-wesende. "Wæs his eald-fæder Ecgþēo hāten, "þǣm tō hām forgeaf Hrēðel Gēata 375 "āngan dōhtor; is his eafora nū "heard hēr cumen, sōhte holdne wine. "þonne sægdon þæt sǣ-līðende, "þā þe gif-sceattas Gēata fyredon "þyder tō þance, þæt hē þrīttiges 380 "manna mægen-cræft on his mund-grīpe "heaðo-rōf hæbbe. Hine hālig god "for ār-stafum us onsende, "tō West-Denum, þæs ic wēn hæbbe, "wið Grendles gryre: ic þǣm gōdan sceal 385 "for his mōd-þræce mādmas bēodan. "Bēo þū on ofeste, hāt hig in gān, "sēon sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere; "gesaga him ēac wordum, þæt hīe sint wil-cuman "Deniga lēodum." Þā wið duru healle 390 Wulfgār ēode, word inne ābēad: "Ēow hēt secgan sige-drihten mīn, "aldor Ēast-Dena, þæt hē ēower æðelu can "and gē him syndon ofer sǣ-wylmas, "heard-hicgende, hider wil-cuman. 395 "Nū gē mōton gangan in ēowrum guð-geatawum, "under here-grīman, Hrōðgār gesēon; "lǣtað hilde-bord hēr onbidian, "wudu wæl-sceaftas, worda geþinges." Ārās þā se rīca, ymb hine rinc manig, 400 þrȳðlīc þegna hēap; sume þǣr bidon, heaðo-rēaf hēoldon, swā him se hearda bebēad. Snyredon ætsomne, þā secg wīsode under Heorotes hrōf; hyge-rōf ēode, heard under helme, þæt hē on heoðe gestōd. 405 Bēowulf maðelode (on him byrne scān, searo-net sēowed smiðes or-þancum): "Wes þū Hrōðgār hāl! ic eom Higelāces "mǣg and mago-þegn; hæbbe ic mǣrða fela "ongunnen on geogoðe. Mē wearð Grendles þing 410 "on mīnre ēðel-tyrf undyrne cūð: "secgað sǣ-līðend, þæt þes sele stande, "reced sēlesta, rinca gehwylcum "īdel and unnyt, siððan ǣfen-lēoht "under heofenes hādor beholen weorðeð. 415 "Þā mē þæt gelǣrdon lēode mīne, "þā sēlestan, snotere ceorlas, "þēoden Hrōðgār, þæt ic þē sōhte; "forþan hīe mægenes cræft mīnne cūðon: "selfe ofersāwon, þā ic of searwum cwōm, 420 "fāh from fēondum, þǣr ic fīfe geband, "ȳðde eotena cyn, and on ȳðum slōg "niceras nihtes, nearo-þearfe drēah, "wræc Wedera nīð (wēan āhsodon) "forgrand gramum; and nū wið Grendel sceal, 425 "wið þām āglǣcan, āna gehegan "þing wið þyrse. Ic þē nū þā, "brego Beorht-Dena, biddan wille, "eodor Scyldinga, ānre bēne; "þæt þū mē ne forwyrne, wīgendra hlēo, 430 "frēo-wine folca, nū ic þus feorran cōm, "þæt ic mōte āna and mīnra eorla gedryht, "þes hearda hēap, Heorot fǣlsian. "Hæbbe ic ēac geāhsod, þæt se ǣglǣca "for his won-hȳdum wǣpna ne rēceð;