E’en now some man of the murderer’s progeny
          Exulting in ornaments enters the building,
          Boasts of his blood-shedding, offbeareth the jewel
          Which thou shouldst wholly hold in possession!’
       25 So he urgeth and mindeth on every occasion
          With woe-bringing words, till waxeth the season
          When the woman’s thane for the works of his father,
          The bill having bitten, blood-gory sleepeth,
          Fated to perish; the other one thenceward
       30 ’Scapeth alive, the land knoweth thoroughly.[1]
          Then the oaths of the earlmen on each side are broken,
          When rancors unresting are raging in Ingeld
          And his wife-love waxeth less warm after sorrow. 
          So the Heathobards’ favor not faithful I reckon,
       35 Their part in the treaty not true to the Danemen,
          Their friendship not fast.  I further shall tell thee

[71]

{Having made these preliminary statements, I will now tell thee of
Grendel, the monster.}

          More about Grendel, that thou fully mayst hear,
          Ornament-giver, what afterward came from
          The hand-rush of heroes.  When heaven’s bright jewel
       40 O’er earthfields had glided, the stranger came raging,
          The horrible night-fiend, us for to visit,
          Where wholly unharmed the hall we were guarding.

{Hondscio fell first}

          To Hondscio happened a hopeless contention,
          Death to the doomed one, dead he fell foremost,
       45 Girded war-champion; to him Grendel became then,
          To the vassal distinguished, a tooth-weaponed murderer,
          The well-beloved henchman’s body all swallowed. 
          Not the earlier off empty of hand did
          The bloody-toothed murderer, mindful of evils,
       50 Wish to escape from the gold-giver’s palace,
          But sturdy of strength he strove to outdo me,
          Hand-ready grappled.  A glove was suspended
          Spacious and wondrous, in art-fetters fastened,
          Which was fashioned entirely by touch of the craftman
       55 From the dragon’s skin by the devil’s devices: 
          He down in its depths would do me unsadly
          One among many, deed-doer raging,
          Though sinless he saw me; not so could it happen
          When I in my anger upright did stand.
       60 ’Tis too long to recount how requital I furnished
          For every evil to the earlmen’s destroyer;

{I reflected honor upon my people.}

          ’Twas there, my prince, that I proudly distinguished
          Thy land with my labors.  He left and retreated,
          He lived his life a little while longer: 
       65 Yet his right-hand guarded his footstep in Heorot,
          And sad-mooded thence to the sea-bottom fell he,
          Mournful in mind.  For the might-rush of battle