foemen annoy and fright thee, — as they
that hate thee erewhile have used, — thousands
then of thanes I shall bring, heroes to help thee.
Of Hygelac I know, ward of his folk, that, though
few his years, the lord of the Geats will give me
aid by word and by work, that well I may serve thee,
wielding the war-wood to win thy triumph and lending
thee might when thou lackest men. If thy Hrethric
should come to court of Geats, a sovran’s son,
he will surely there find his friends. A far-off
land each man should visit who vaunts him brave.”
Him then answering, Hrothgar spake: —
“These words of thine the wisest God sent to
thy soul! No sager counsel from so young in years
e’er yet have I heard. Thou art strong
of main and in mind art wary, art wise in words!
I ween indeed if ever it hap that Hrethel’s
heir by spear be seized, by sword-grim battle, by
illness or iron, thine elder and lord, people’s
leader, — and life be thine, —
no seemlier man will the Sea-Geats find at all to
choose for their chief and king, for hoard-guard of
heroes, if hold thou wilt thy kinsman’s kingdom!
Thy keen mind pleases me the longer the better, Beowulf
loved!
Thou hast brought it about that both our peoples,
sons of the Geat and Spear-Dane folk, shall have mutual
peace, and from murderous strife, such as once they
waged, from war refrain. Long as I rule this
realm so wide, let our hoards be common, let heroes
with gold each other greet o’er the gannet’s-bath,
and the ringed-prow bear o’er rolling waves
tokens of love. I trow my landfolk towards friend
and foe are firmly joined, and honor they keep in
the olden way.” To him in the hall, then,
Healfdene’s son gave treasures twelve, and the
trust-of-earls bade him fare with the gifts to his
folk beloved, hale to his home, and in haste return.
Then kissed the king of kin renowned, Scyldings’
chieftain, that choicest thane, and fell on his neck.
Fast flowed the tears of the hoary-headed. Heavy
with winters, he had chances twain, but he clung to
this, {26a} — that each should look on
the other again, and hear him in hall. Was this
hero so dear to him.
his breast’s wild billows
he banned in vain; safe in his soul a secret longing,
locked in his mind, for that loved man burned in his
blood. Then Beowulf strode, glad of his gold-gifts,
the grass-plot o’er, warrior blithe. The
wave-roamer bode riding at anchor, its owner awaiting.
As they hastened onward, Hrothgar’s gift they
lauded at length. — ’Twas a lord unpeered,
every way blameless, till age had broken —
it spareth no mortal — his splendid might.
