Note 3
For ‘gúð-rinc,’ ‘gúð-réc,’ battle-smoke, has been suggested.
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Notes to Beowulf — Page 3
132 notes in J. Lesslie (John Lesslie) Hall translation. Follow a thought back to its place in the book.
132 notes
Note 1
For 1130 (1) R. and Gr. suggest ‘elne unflitme’ as 1098 (1) reads. The latter verse is undisputed; and, for the former, ‘elne’ would be as possible as ‘ealles,’ and ‘unflitme’ is w…
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Some scholars have proposed ‘roden’; the line would then read: Then the building was reddened, etc., instead of ‘covered.’ The ‘h’ may have been carried over from the three alliter…
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C. suggests a semicolon after ‘city,’ with ‘he’ as supplied subject of ‘fled’ and ‘chose.’
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For ‘feorh’ S. suggests ‘feoh’: ‘corpse’ in the translation would then be changed to ‘possessions,’ ‘belongings.’ This is a better reading than one joining, in such intimate syntac…
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S. suggests ‘wine-joyous heroes,’ ‘warriors elated with wine.’
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I believe this translation brings out the meaning of the poet, without departing seriously from the H.-So. text. ‘Oft’ frequently means ‘constantly,’ ‘continually,’ not always ‘oft…
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Several eminent authorities either read or emend the MS. so as to make this verse read, While Grendel was wasting the gold-bedecked palace. So 20 15 below: ravaged the desert.
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For ‘sóna’ (1281), t.B. suggests ‘sára,’ limiting ‘edhwyrft.’ Read then: Return of sorrows to the nobles, etc. This emendation supplies the syntactical gap after ‘edhwyrft.’
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Some authorities follow Grein’s lexicon in treating ‘heard ecg’ as an adj. limiting ‘sweord’: H.-So. renders it as a subst. (So v. 1491.) The sense of the translation would be the …
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B. suggests ‘under hróf genam’ (v. 1303). This emendation, as well as an emendation with (?) to v. 739, he offers, because ‘under’ baffles him in both passages. All we need is to t…
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For ‘néod-laðu’ (1321) C. suggests ‘néad-láðum,’ and translates: asked whether the night had been pleasant to him after crushing-hostility.
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For ‘gefrægnod’ (1334), K. and t.B. suggest ‘gefægnod,’ rendering ‘rejoicing in her fill.’ This gives a parallel to ‘æse wlanc’ (1333).
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The line ‘And … yielding,’ B. renders: And she has performed a deed of blood-vengeance whose effect is far-reaching.
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‘Sé Þe’ (1345) is an instance of masc. rel. with fem. antecedent. So v. 1888, where ‘sé Þe’ refers to ‘yldo.’
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For ‘hrímge’ in the H.-So. edition, Gr. and others read ‘hrínde’ (=hrínende), and translate: which rustling forests overhang.
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Kl. emends ‘wæl-sweord.’ The half-line would then read, ‘the battle-sword splendid.’—For ‘heard-ecg’ in next half-verse, see note to 20 39 above.
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Sw., R., and t.B. suggest ‘feaxe’ for ‘eaxle’ (1538) and render: Seized by the hair.
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If ‘hand-léan’ be accepted (as the MS. has it), the line will read: She hand-reward gave him early thereafter.
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Sw. and S. change H.-So.’s semicolon (v. 1557) to a comma, and translate: The Ruler of Heaven arranged it in justice easily, after he arose again.
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‘ Þæs monige gewearð ’ (1599) and ‘ hafað þæs geworden ’ (2027).—In a paper published some years ago in one of the Johns Hopkins University circulars, I tried to throw upon these …
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‘Bróden-mæl’ is regarded by most scholars as meaning a damaskeened sword. Translate: The damaskeened sword burned up. Cf. 25 16 and note.
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‘Cyning-balde’ (1635) is the much-disputed reading of K. and Th. To render this, “nobly bold,” “excellently bold,” have been suggested. B. would read ‘cyning-holde’ (cf. 290), and …
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Or rather, perhaps, ‘the inlaid, or damaskeened weapon.’ Cf. 24 57 and note.
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