Beowulf arrives in Denmark and is directed to Herot. The king sends his thane, Wulfgar, to greet the visitors.

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1 The Arrival of the Hero 3 1 So the living sorrow of Healfdane s son 2 Simmered, bitter and fresh, and no wisdom 3 Or strength could break it: that agony hung 4 On king and people alike, harsh 5 And unending, violent and cruel, and evil. 6 In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac s 7 Follower and the strongest of the Geats 8 greater 9 And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world 10 Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror 11 And quickly commanded a boat fitted out, 12 Proclaiming that he d go to that famous king, 13 Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar, 14 Now when help was needed. None 15 Of the wise ones regretted his going, much 16 As he was loved by the Geats: the omens were good, 17 And they urged the adventure on. So Beowulf 18 Chose the mightiest men he could find, 19 The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen 20 In all, and led them down to their boat; 21 He knew the sea, would point the prow 22 Straight to that distant Danish shore. Beowulf arrives in Denmark and is directed to Herot. The king sends his thane, Wulfgar, to greet the visitors. 23 Then Wulfgar, went to the door and addressed 24 The waiting seafarers with soldiers words 25 My lord, the great king of the Danes 26 Commands me to tell you that having come to him from over the 27 Open sea, you have come bravely and are welcome. 28 Now go to him as you are, in your armor and helmets, 29 But leave your battle shields here and your spears. 30 Let them lie waiting for the promises your words may make. 31 Beowulf arose, with his men 32 Around him, ordering a few to remain 33 With their weapons, leading the others quickly

2 34 Along under Herot s steep roof into Hrothgar s 35 Presence. Standing on that prince s own hearth, 36 Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt 37 Gleaming with a smith s high art, he greeted 38 The Danes great lord: 39 Hail Hrothgar! 40 Higlac is my cousin and my king; the days 41 Of my youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel s 42 Name has echoed in our land: sailors 43 Have brought us stories of Herot, the best 44 Of all mead halls, deserted and useless when the moon 45 Hangs in skies the sun had lit, 46 Light and life fleeting together. 47 My people have said, the wisest, most knowing 48 And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes 49 Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, 50 Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, 51 Dripping with my enemies blood. I drove 52 Five great giants into chains, chased 53 All of that race from the earth. I swam 54 In the blackness of night, hunting monsters 55 Out of the ocean, and killing them one 56 By one; death was my errand and the fate 57 They had earned. Now Grendel and I are called 58 Together, and I ve come. Grant me, then, 59 Lord and protector of this noble place, 60 A single request! I have come so far, 61 Oh shelterer of warriors and your people s loved friend, 62 That this one favor you should not refuse me 63 That I, alone and with the help of my men, 64 May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard, 65 Too, that the monster s scorn of men 66 Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. 67 Nor will I. My lord Higlac 68 Might think less of me if I let my sword 69 Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid 70 Behind some broad linden shield: my hands 71 Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life 72 Against the monster. God must decide 73 Who will be given to death s cold grip.

3 74 Grendel s plan, I think, will be 75 What it has been before, to invade this hall 76 And gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can, 77 If he can. And I think, if my time will have come, 78 There ll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare 79 For its grave: Grendel will carry our bloody 80 Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones 81 And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls 82 Of his den. No I expect no Danes 83 Will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins, 84 And if death does take me, send the hammered 85 Mail of my armor to Higlac, return 86 The inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he 87 From Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must! Unferth s Challenge 1 Unferth spoke, Ecglaf s son, 2 Who sat at Hrothgar s feet, spoke harshly. 3 And sharp (vexed) by Beowulf s adventure, 4 By their visitor s courage, and angry that anyone 5 In Denmark or anywhere on earth had ever 6 Acquired glory and fame greater than his own. 7 You re Beowulf, are you the same 8 Boastful fool who fought a swimming 9 Match with Brecca, both of you daring 10 And young and proud, exploring the deepest 11 Seas risking your lives for no reason 12 But the danger? All older and wiser heads warned 13 You not to, but no one could check your pride. 14 With Brecca at your side you swam along 15 The sea paths, your swift moving hands pulling you 16 Over the ocean s face. Then winter 17 Churned through the water, the waves ran you 18 As they willed and you struggled seven long nights 19 To survive. And at the end victory was his, 20 Not yours. 21 Your luck may change if you challenge Grendel, 4

4 22 Staying a whole night through in this hall, 23 Waiting where that fiercest of demons can find you. 24 Beowulf answered Edgetho s great son: 25 Ah! Unferth, my friend, your face 26 Is hot with ale, and your tongue has tried 27 To tell us about Brecca s doings, but the truth 28 Is simple: no man swims in the sea 29 As I can, no strength is a match for mine. 30 As boys, Brecca and I had boasted 31 We were both too young to know better that we d risk 32 Our lives far out at sea, and so 33 We did. Each of us carried a naked 34 Sword, prepared for whales or the swift 35 Sharp teeth and beaks of needlefish. 36 He could never leave me behind, swim faster 37 Across the wave than I could, and I 38 Had chosen to remain close to his side. 39 I remained near him for five long nights, 40 Until a flood swept us apart: 41 The frozen sea surged around me, 42 It grew dark, the wind turned bitter, blowing 43 From the north, and the waves were savage. 44 Creatures who sleep deep in the sea were stirred 45 Into life and the iron hammered links 46 Of my mail shirt, these shining bits of metal 47 Woven across my breast, saved me 48 From death. A monster seized me, drew me 49 Swiftly toward the bottom, swimming with its claws 50 Tight in my flesh. But fate let me 51 Find its heart with my sword, hack myself 52 Free I fought that beast s last battle, 53 Left it floating lifeless in the sea. 54 Other monsters crowded around me 55 Continually attacking. I treated them politely 56 Offering the edge of my razor-sharp sword. 57 But the feast, I think, did not please them, filled 58 Their evil bellies with no banquet-rich food. 59 Thrashing there at the bottom of the sea 60 By morning they d decided to sleep on the shore 61 Lying on their backs, their blood spilled out

5 62 On the sand. Afterwards, sailors could cross 63 That sea road and feel no fear; nothing 64 Would stop their passing. The God s bright beacon 65 Appeared in the east, the water lay still, 66 And at least I could see the land, wind-swept 67 Cliff walls at the edge of the coast. Fate saves 68 The living when they drive away death by themselves. 69 Lucky or not, nine was the number 70 Of sea-huge monsters I killed. What man, 71 Anywhere under Heaven s high arch has fought 72 In such darkness endured more misery or been 73 Harder pressed. Yet I survived, the sea smashed 74 The monster s hot jaws, swam home from my journey. 75 The swift-flowing waters swept me along 76 And I landed on Finnish soil. I ve heard 77 No tales of you, Unferth telling 78 Of such clashing terror, such contests in the night. 79 Brecca s battles were never so bold. 80 Neither he nor you can match me and I mean 81 No boast, have announced no more than I know 82 To be true. And there s more: you murdered your brothers. 83 Your own close kin. Words and bright wit 84 Won t help your soul; you ll suffer hell s fires 85 Unferth, forever tormented. Ecglaf s 86 Proud son, if your hands were as hard, your heart 87 As fierce as you think it, no fool would dare 88 To raid your hall, ruin Herot 89 And oppress its prince, as Grendel has done. 90 But he s learned that terror is his alone 91 Discovered he can come for your people with no fear 92 Of reprisal: he s found no fighting here. 93 But only food, only delight. 94 He murders as he like, with no mercy, gorges 95 And feasts on your flesh and expects no trouble. 96 No quarrel from the quiet Danes. Now 97 The Geats will show him courage, soon 98 He can test his strength in battle. And when the sun 99 Comes up again opening another 100 Bright day from the south, anyone in Denmark 101 May enter this hall: that evil will be gone!