Þā se gæst ongan glēdum spīwan, beorht hofu bærnan; bryne-lēoma stōd 2315 eldum on andan; nō þǣr āht cwices lāð lyft-floga lǣfan wolde. Wæs þæs wyrmes wīg wīde gesȳne, nearo-fāges nīð nēan and feorran, hū se gūð-sceaða Gēata lēode 2320 hatode and hȳnde: hord eft gescēat, dryht-sele dyrnne ǣr dæges hwīle. Hæfde land-wara līge befangen, bǣle and bronde; beorges getruwode, wīges and wealles: him sēo wēn gelēah. 2325 Þā wæs Bīowulfe brōga gecȳðed snūde tō sōðe, þæt his sylfes him bolda sēlest bryne-wylmum mealt, gif-stōl Gēata. Þæt þām gōdan wæs hrēow on hreðre, hyge-sorga mǣst: 2330 wēnde se wīsa, þæt hē wealdende, ofer ealde riht, ēcean dryhtne bitre gebulge: brēost innan wēoll þēostrum geþoncum, swā him geþȳwe ne wæs. Hæfde līg-draca lēoda fæsten, 2335 ēa-lond ūtan, eorð-weard þone glēdum forgrunden. Him þæs gūð-cyning, Wedera þīoden, wræce leornode. Heht him þā gewyrcean wīgendra hlēo eall-īrenne, eorla dryhten 2340 wīg-bord wrǣtlīc; wisse hē gearwe, þæt him holt-wudu helpan ne meahte, lind wið līge. Sceolde lǣn-daga æðeling ǣr-gōd ende gebīdan worulde līfes and se wyrm somod; 2345 þēah þe hord-welan hēolde lange. Oferhogode þā hringa fengel, þæt hē þone wīd-flogan weorode gesōhte, sīdan herge; nō hē him þā sæcce ondrēd, nē him þæs wyrmes wīg for wiht dyde, 2350 eafoð and ellen; forþon hē ǣr fela nearo nēðende nīða gedīgde, hilde-hlemma, syððan hē Hrōðgāres, sigor-ēadig secg, sele fǣlsode and æt gūðe forgrāp Grendeles mǣgum, 2355 lāðan cynnes. Nō þæt lǣsest wæs hond-gemota, þǣr mon Hygelāc slōh, syððan Gēata cyning gūðe rǣsum, frēa-wine folces Frēslondum on, Hrēðles eafora hioro-dryncum swealt, 2360 bille gebēaten; þonan Bīowulf cōm sylfes cræfte, sund-nytte drēah; hæfde him on earme ... XXX hilde-geatwa, þā hē tō holme stāg. Nealles Hetware hrēmge þorfton 2365 fēðe-wīges, þē him foran ongēan linde bǣron: lȳt eft becwōm fram þām hild-frecan hāmes nīosan. Oferswam þā sioleða bigong sunu Ecgþēowes, earm ān-haga eft tō lēodum, 2370 þǣr him Hygd gebēad hord and rīce, bēagas and brego-stōl: bearne ne truwode, þæt hē wið æl-fylcum ēðel-stōlas healdan cūðe, þā wæs Hygelāc dēad. Nō þȳ ǣr fēa-sceafte findan meahton 2375 æt þām æðelinge ǣnige þinga, þæt hē Heardrēde hlāford wǣre, oððe þone cyne-dōm cīosan wolde; hwæðre hē him on folce frēond-lārum hēold, ēstum mid āre, oð þæt hē yldra wearð, 2380 Weder-Gēatum wēold. Hyne wræc-mæcgas