sē wæs Hrōðgāre hæleða lēofost on gesīðes hād be sǣm tweonum, rīce rand-wiga, þone þe hēo on ræste ābrēat, 1300 blǣd-fæstne beorn. Næs Bēowulf þǣr, ac wæs ōðer in ǣr geteohhod æfter māððum-gife mǣrum Gēate. Hrēam wearð on Heorote. Hēo under heolfre genam cūðe folme; cearu wæs genīwod 1305 geworden in wīcum: ne wæs þæt gewrixle til, þæt hīe on bā healfa bicgan scoldon frēonda fēorum. Þā wæs frōd cyning, hār hilde-rinc, on hrēon mōde, syððan hē aldor-þegn unlyfigendne, 1310 þone dēorestan dēadne wisse. Hraðe wæs tō būre Bēowulf fetod, sigor-ēadig secg. Samod ǣr-dæge ēode eorla sum, æðele cempa self mid gesīðum, þǣr se snottra bād, 1315 hwæðre him al-walda ǣfre wille æfter wēa-spelle wyrpe gefremman. Gang þā æfter flōre fyrd-wyrðe man mid his hand-scale (heal-wudu dynede) þæt hē þone wīsan wordum hnǣgde 1320 frēan Ingwina; frægn gif him wǣre æfter nēod-laðu niht getǣse. XXI. SORROW AT HEOROT: AESCHERE'S DEATH Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scildinga: "Ne frīn þū æfter sǣlum! Sorh is genīwod "Denigea lēodum. Dēad is Æsc-here, 1325 "Yrmenlāfes yldra brōðor, "mīn rūn-wita and mīn rǣd-bora, "eaxl-gestealla, þonne wē on orlege "hafelan weredon, þonne hniton fēðan, "eoferas cnysedan; swylc scolde eorl wesan 1330 "æðeling ǣr-gōd, swylc Æsc-here wæs. "Wearð him on Heorote tō hand-banan "wæl-gǣst wǣfre; ic ne wāt hwæder "atol ǣse wlanc eft-sīðas tēah, "fylle gefrǣgnod. Hēo þā fǣhðe wræc, 1335 "þē þū gystran niht Grendel cwealdest "þurh hǣstne hād heardum clammum, "forþan hē tō lange lēode mīne "wanode and wyrde. Hē æt wīge gecrang "ealdres scyldig, and nū ōðer cwōm 1340 "mihtig mān-scaða, wolde hyre mǣg wrecan, "gē feor hafað fǣhðe gestǣled, "þæs þe þincean mæg þegne monegum, "sē þe æfter sinc-gyfan on sefan grēoteð, "hreðer-bealo hearde; nū sēo hand ligeð, 1345 "sē þe ēow wēl-hwylcra wilna dohte. "Ic þæt lond-būend lēode mīne "sele-rǣdende secgan hȳrde, "þæt hīe gesāwon swylce twēgen "micle mearc-stapan mōras healdan, 1350 "ellor-gǣstas: þǣra ōðer wæs, "þæs þe hīe gewislīcost gewitan meahton, "idese onlīcnes, ōðer earm-sceapen "on weres wæstmum wræc-lāstas træd, "næfne hē wæs māra þonne ǣnig man ōðer, 1355 "þone on geār-dagum Grendel nemdon "fold-būende: nō hīe fæder cunnon, "hwæðer him ǣnig wæs ǣr ācenned "dyrnra gāsta. Hīe dȳgel lond "warigeað, wulf-hleoðu, windige næssas, 1360 "frēcne fen-gelād, þǣr fyrgen-strēam "under næssa genipu niðer gewīteð,