Note 1
For the ‘Þæt’ of verse 15, Sievers suggests ‘Þá’ (= which). If this be accepted, the sentence ‘He had … afflicted’ will read: He (i.e. God) had perceived the malice-caused sorrow w…
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Notes to Beowulf — J. Lesslie (John Lesslie) Hall translation
132 notes in J. Lesslie (John Lesslie) Hall translation. Follow a thought back to its place in the book.
132 notes
Note 2
For ‘aldor-léase’ (15) Gr. suggested ‘aldor-ceare’: He perceived their distress, that they formerly had suffered life-sorrow a long while.
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A very difficult passage. ‘Áhte’ (31) has no object. H. supplies ‘geweald’ from the context; and our translation is based upon this assumption, though it is far from satisfactory. …
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The reading of the H.-So. text has been quite closely followed; but some eminent scholars read ‘séle-rædenne’ for ‘sele-rædende.’ If that be adopted, the passage will read: Men can…
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R. and t. B. prefer ‘ellor-gæst’ to ‘ellen-gæst’ (86): Then the stranger from afar endured, etc.
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Some authorities would translate ‘demon’ instead of ‘stranger.’
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Some authorities arrange differently, and render: Who dwelt in the moor-fens, the marsh and the fastness, the land of the giant-race.
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The translation is based on ‘weras,’ adopted by H.-So.—K. and Th. read ‘wera’ and, arranging differently, render 119(2)-120: They knew not sorrow, the wretchedness of man, aught of…
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S. rearranges and translates: So he ruled and struggled unjustly, one against all, till the noblest of buildings stood useless (it was a long while) twelve years’ time: the friend …
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For ‘syððan,’ B. suggests ‘sárcwidum’: Hence in mournful words it became well known, etc. Various other words beginning with ‘s’ have been conjectured.
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The H.-So. glossary is very inconsistent in referring to this passage.—‘Sibbe’ (154), which H.-So. regards as an instr., B. takes as accus., obj. of ‘wolde.’ Putting a comma after …
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Of this difficult passage the following interpretations among others are given: (1) Though Grendel has frequented Heorot as a demon, he could not become ruler of the Danes, on acco…
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‘From hám’ (194) is much disputed. One rendering is: Beowulf, being away from home, heard of Hrothgar’s troubles, etc. Another, that adopted by S. and endorsed in the H.-So. notes,…
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‘Eoletes’ (224) is marked with a (?) by H.-So.; our rendering simply follows his conjecture.—Other conjectures as to ‘eolet’ are: (1) voyage, (2) toil, labor, (3) hasty journey.
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The lacuna of the MS at this point has been supplied by various conjectures. The reading adopted by H.-So. has been rendered in the above translation. W., like H.-So., makes ‘ic’ t…
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‘Seld-guma’ (249) is variously rendered: (1) housecarle; (2) home-stayer; (3) common man. Dr. H. Wood suggests a man-at-arms in another’s house.
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‘Edwendan’ (280) B. takes to be the subs. ‘edwenden’ (cf. 1775); and ‘bisigu’ he takes as gen. sing., limiting ‘edwenden’: If reparation for sorrows is ever to come. This is suppor…
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Combining the emendations of B. and t.B., we may read: The boar-images glistened … brilliant, protected the life of the war-mooded man. They read ‘ferh-wearde’ (305) and ‘gúðmódgum…
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Instead of the punctuation given by H.-So, S. proposed to insert a comma after ‘scír’ (322), and to take ‘hring-íren’ as meaning ‘ring-mail’ and as parallel with ‘gúð-byrne.’ The p…
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Gr. and others translate ‘unhár’ by ‘bald’; old and bald.
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Some render ‘gif-sceattas’ by ‘tribute.’—‘Géata’ B. and Th. emended to ‘Géatum.’ If this be accepted, change ‘of the Geatmen’ to ‘to the Geatmen.’
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If t.B.’s emendation of vv. 386, 387 be accepted, the two lines, ‘Hasten … kinsmen’ will read: Hasten thou, bid the throng of kinsmen go into the hall together.
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For 420 (b) and 421 (a), B. suggests: Þær ic (on) fífelgeban ýðde eotena cyn = where I in the ocean destroyed the eoten-race.—t.B. accepts B.’s “brilliant” ‘fífelgeban,’ omits ‘on,…
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‘Unforhte’ (444) is much disputed.—H.-So. wavers between adj. and adv. Gr. and B. take it as an adv. modifying etan: Will eat the Geats fearlessly.—Kl. considers this reading absur…
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