Front matter

Transcriber’s Notes

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.

BEOWULF

AN ANGLO-SAXON EPIC POEM

TRANSLATED FROM THE HEYNE-SOCIN TEXT

BY

JNO: LESSLIE HALL, Ph. D. (J.H.U.)

Professor of English and History in The College of William and Mary

D.C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1892, by JNO: LESSLIE HALL, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

TO My Wife

CONTENTS.

page

Preface

Bibliography of Translations

Glossary of Proper Names

List of Words and Phrases not in General Use

The Life and Death of Scyld (I.)

Scyld’s Successors (II.)

Hrothgar’s Great Mead-Hall

Grendel, the Murderer (III.)

Beowulf Goes to Hrothgar’s Assistance (IV.)

The Geats Reach Heorot (V.)

Beowulf Introduces Himself at the Palace (VI.)

Hrothgar and Beowulf (VII.)

Hrothgar and Beowulf (continued) (VIII.)

Unferth Taunts Beowulf (IX.)

Beowulf Silences Unferth (X.)

Glee is High

All Sleep save One (XI.)

Grendel and Beowulf (XII.)

Grendel is Vanquished (XIII.)

Rejoicing of the Danes (XIV.)

Hrothgar’s Gratitude (XV.)

Hrothgar Lavishes Gifts upon his Deliverer (XVI.)

Banquet (continued) (XVII.)

The Scop’s Song of Finn and Hnæf

The Finn Episode (continued) (XVIII.)

The Banquet Continues

Beowulf Receives Further Honor (XIX.)

The Mother of Grendel (XX.)

Hrothgar’s Account of the Monsters (XXI.)

Beowulf Seeks Grendel’s Mother (XXII.)

Beowulf’s Fight with Grendel’s Mother (XXIII.)

Beowulf is Double-Conqueror (XXIV.)

Beowulf Brings his Trophies (XXV.)

Hrothgar’s Gratitude

Hrothgar Moralizes (XXVI.)

Rest after Labor

Sorrow at Parting (XXVII.)

The Homeward Journey (XXVIII.)

The Two Queens

Beowulf and Higelac (XXIX.)

Beowulf Narrates his Adventures to Higelac (XXX.)

Gift-Giving is Mutual (XXXI.)

The Hoard and the Dragon (XXXII.)

Brave Though Aged (XXXIII.)

Reminiscences

Beowulf Seeks the Dragon (XXXIV.)

Beowulf’s Reminiscences

Reminiscences (continued) (XXXV.)

Beowulf’s Last Battle

Wiglaf the Trusty (XXXVI.)

Beowulf is Deserted by Friends and by Sword

The Fatal Struggle (XXXVII.)

Beowulf’s Last Moments

Wiglaf Plunders the Dragon’s Den (XXXVIII.)

Beowulf’s Death

The Dead Foes (XXXIX.)

Wiglaf’s Bitter Taunts

The Messenger of Death (XL.)

The Messenger’s Retrospect (XLI.)

Wiglaf’s Sad Story (XLII.)

The Hoard Carried Off

The Burning of Beowulf (XLIII.)

Addenda