The dwellers in the world, and these words she spoke: "O Heavenly God, and Holy Ghost, Son of the Almighty, I will seek from Thee 85 Thy mercy unfailing to defend me from evil, O Holiest Trinity. Truly for me now Full sore is my soul and sorrowful my heart, Tormented with griefs. Grant me, Lord of the skies, Success and soundness of faith, that with this sword I may 90 Behead this hideous monster. Heed my prayer for salvation, Noble Lord of nations; never have I had More need of thy mercy; mighty Lord, avenge now Bright-minded Bringer of glory, that I am thus baffled in spirit, Heated in heart." Her then the greatest of Judges 95 With dauntless daring inspired, as he doth ever to all The sons of the Spirit who seek him for help, With reason and with right belief. Then was to the righteous in mind, Holy hope renewed; the heathen man then she took, And held by his hair; with her hands she drew him 100 Shamefully toward her, and the traitorous deceiver Laid as she listed, most loathsome of men, In order that easily the enemy's body She might wield at her will. The wicked one she slew, The curly-locked maiden with her keen-edged sword, 105 Smote the hateful-hearted one till she half cut through Severing his neck, so that swooning he lay Drunken and death-wounded. Not dead was he yet, Nor lifeless entirely: the triumphant lady More earnestly smote the second time 110 The heathen hound, so that his head was thrown Forth on the floor; foul lay the carcass, Bereft of a soul; the spirit went elsewhere Under the burning abyss where abandoned it lay, Tied down in torment till time shall cease, 115 With serpents bewound, amid woes and tortures, All firmly fixed in the flames of hell, When death came upon him. He durst not hope, Enveloped in blackness, to venture forth ever From that dreary hole, but dwell there he shall 120 Forever and aye till the end of time, In that hideous home without hope of joy. 52. Here begins a series of extended lines which some critics think are intended to lend an air of solemnity to the passage. A study of the occurrence of these long lines in this and other poems, such as _The Wanderer_, _The Charms_, or _Widsith_, does not seem to bear out this contention. Usually these long lines have three accents in each half. The rules for the alliteration are the same as for the short verses. 3. The Return to Bethulia