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BEOWULF.
1905Þā wæs be mæste  mere-hrægla sum,

segl sāle fæst;  sund-wudu þunede;
nō þǣr wēg-flotan  wind ofer ȳðum
sīðes getwǣfde;  sǣ-genga fōr,
flēat fāmig-heals  forð ofer ȳðe,
1910bunden-stefna  ofer brim-strēamas,
þæt hīe Gēata clifu  ongitan meahton,
cūþe næssas;  cēol ūp geþrang
lyft-geswenced,  on lande stōd.
Hraþe wæs æt *holme  hȳð-weard gearu,[1]⁠Fol. 172a.
1915sē þe ǣr lange tīd  lēofra manna
fūs æt faroð  feor wlātode;
sǣlde tō sande  sīd-fæþme scip
oncer-bendum[2] fæst,  þȳ lǣs hym ȳþa ðrym
wudu wynsuman  forwrecan meahte.
1920Hēt þā ūp beran  æþelinga gestrēon,
frætwe ond fǣt-gold;  næs him feor þanon
tō gesēcanne  sinces bryttan,
Higelāc Hrēþling,  þǣr æt hām wunað[3]
selfa mid gesīðum  sǣ-wealle nēah.
1925Bold wæs betlīc,  brego rōf[4] cyning,
hēa healle,  Hygd swīðe geong,
wīs, wel þungen,  þēah ðe wintra lȳt
under burh-locan  gebiden hæbbe
Hæreþes dohtor;  næs hīo hnāh swā þēah,
1930ne tō gnēað gifa  Gēata lēodum,

maāþm-gestrēona.  Mōd Ðrȳðo wæg,
  1. ↑ 1914. MS. ‘geara.’
  2. ↑ 1918. MS. ‘oncear bendum.’
  3. ↑ 1923. Wülcker ‘wunade.’ Sievers regards this and the next line as oratio recta. But cf. the present tenses in ll. 1314, 1928.
  4. ↑ 1925. Grundtvig ‘brego-rōf’ (so Heyne).
W. B.
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