Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes: "Hwæt! wē þē þās sǣ-lāc, sunu Healfdenes, "lēod Scyldinga, lustum brōhton, 1655 "tīres tō tācne, þē þū hēr tō lōcast. "Ic þæt unsōfte ealdre gedīgde: "wigge under wætere weorc genēðde "earfoðlīce, æt-rihte wæs "gūð getwǣfed, nymðe mec god scylde. 1660 "Ne meahte ic æt hilde mid Hruntinge "wiht gewyrcan, þēah þæt wǣpen duge, "ac mē geūðe ylda waldend, "þæt ic on wāge geseah wlitig hangian "eald sweord ēacen (oftost wīsode 1665 "winigea lēasum) þæt ic þȳ wǣpne gebrǣ. "Ofslōh þā æt þǣre sæcce (þā mē sǣl āgeald) "hūses hyrdas. Þā þæt hilde-bil "forbarn, brogden mǣl, swā þæt blōd gesprang, "hātost heaðo-swāta: ic þæt hilt þanan 1670 "fēondum ætferede; fyren-dǣda wræc, "dēað-cwealm Denigea, swā hit gedēfe wæs. "Ic hit þē þonne gehāte, þæt þū on Heorote mōst "sorh-lēas swefan mid þīnra secga gedryht, "and þegna gehwylc þīnra lēoda, 1675 "duguðe and iogoðe, þæt þū him ondrǣdan ne þearft, "þēoden Scyldinga, on þā healfe, "aldor-bealu eorlum, swā þū ǣr dydest." Þā wæs gylden hilt gamelum rince. hārum hild-fruman, on hand gyfen, 1680 enta ǣr-geweorc, hit on ǣht gehwearf æfter dēofla hryre Denigea frēan, wundor-smiða geweorc, and þā þās worold ofgeaf grom-heort guma, godes andsaca, morðres scyldig, and his mōdor ēac; 1685 on geweald gehwearf worold-cyninga þǣm sēlestan be sǣm twēonum þāra þe on Sceden-igge sceattas dǣlde. Hrōðgār maðelode, hylt scēawode, ealde lāfe, on þǣm wæs ōr writen 1690 fyrn-gewinnes: syððan flōd ofslōh, gifen gēotende, gīganta cyn, frēcne gefērdon: þæt wæs fremde þēod ēcean dryhtne, him þæs ende-lēan þurh wæteres wylm waldend sealde. 1695 Swā wæs on þǣm scennum scīran goldes þurh rūn-stafas rihte gemearcod, geseted and gesǣd, hwām þæt sweord geworht, īrena cyst ǣrest wǣre, wreoðen-hilt and wyrm-fāh. þā se wīsa spræc 1700 sunu Healfdenes (swīgedon ealle): "Þæt lā mæg secgan, sē þe sōð and riht "fremeð on folce, (feor eal gemon "eald ēðel-weard), þæt þes eorl wǣre "geboren betera! Blǣd is ārǣred 1705 "geond wīd-wegas, wine mīn Bēowulf, "þīn ofer þēoda gehwylce. Eal þū hit geþyldum healdest, "mægen mid mōdes snyttrum. Ic þē sceal mīne gelǣstan "frēode, swā wit furðum sprǣcon; þū scealt tō frōfre weorðan "eal lang-twidig lēodum þīnum, 1710 "hæleðum tō helpe. Ne wearð Heremōd swā "eaforum Ecgwelan, Ār-Scyldingum; "ne gewēox hē him tō willan, ac tō wæl-fealle "and tō dēað-cwalum Deniga lēodum; "brēat bolgen-mōd bēod-genēatas,