Þā him Hrōðgār gewāt mid his hæleða gedryht, eodur Scyldinga ūt of healle; 665 wolde wīg-fruma Wealhþēo sēcan, cwēn tō gebeddan Hæfde kyninga wuldor Grendle tō-gēanes, swā guman gefrungon, sele-weard āseted, sundor-nytte behēold ymb aldor Dena, eoton weard ābēad; 670 hūru Gēata lēod georne truwode mōdgan mægnes, metodes hyldo. Þā hē him of dyde īsern-byrnan, helm of hafelan, sealde his hyrsted sweord, īrena cyst ombiht-þegne, 675 and gehealdan hēt hilde-geatwe. Gespræc þā se gōda gylp-worda sum Bēowulf Gēata, ǣr hē on bed stige: "Nō ic mē an here-wǣsmum hnāgran talige "gūð-geweorca, þonne Grendel hine; 680 "forþan ic hine sweorde swebban nelle, "aldre benēotan, þēah ic eal mǣge. "Nāt hē þāra gōda, þæt hē mē on-gēan slēa, "rand gehēawe, þēah þe hē rōf sīe "nīð-geweorca; ac wit on niht sculon 685 "secge ofersittan, gif hē gesēcean dear "wīg ofer wǣpen, and siððan wītig god "on swā hwæðere hond hālig dryhten "mǣrðo dēme, swā him gemet þince." Hylde hine þā heaðo-dēor, hlēor-bolster onfēng 690 eorles andwlitan; and hine ymb monig snellīc sǣ-rinc sele-reste gebēah. Nǣnig heora þōhte þæt hē þanon scolde eft eard-lufan ǣfre gesēcean, folc oððe frēo-burh, þǣr hē āfēded wæs, 695 ac hīe hæfdon gefrūnen, þæt hīe ǣr tō fela micles in þǣm wīn-sele wæl-dēað fornam, Denigea lēode. Ac him dryhten forgeaf wīg-spēda gewiofu, Wedera lēodum frōfor and fultum, þæt hīe fēond heora 700 þurh ānes cræft ealle ofercōmon, selfes mihtum: sōð is gecȳðed, þæt mihtig god manna cynnes wēold wīde-ferhð. Cōm on wanre niht scrīðan sceadu-genga. Scēotend swǣfon, 705 þā þæt horn-reced healdan scoldon, ealle būton ānum. Þæt wæs yldum cūð, þæt hīe ne mōste, þā metod nolde, se syn-scaða under sceadu bregdan; ac hē wæccende wrāðum on andan 710 bād bolgen-mōd beadwa geþinges. XII. GRENDEL'S RAID.