Chapter XVI: The Banquet and the Gifts

Þā wæs hāten hreðe Heort innan-weard
folmum gefrætwod: fela þǣra wæs
wera and wīfa, þē þæt wīn-reced,
995 gest-sele gyredon. Gold-fāg scinon
web æfter wāgum, wundor-sīona fela
secga gehwylcum þāra þe on swylc starað
Wæs þæt beorhte bold tōbrocen swīðe
eal inne-weard īren-bendum fæst,
1000 heorras tōhlidene; hrōf āna genæs
ealles ansund, þā se āglǣca
fyren-dǣdum fāg on flēam gewand,
aldres or-wēna. Nō þæt ȳðe byð
tō beflēonne (fremme sē þe wille!)
1005 ac gesacan sceal sāwl-berendra
nȳde genȳdde niðða bearna
grund-būendra gearwe stōwe,
þǣr his līc-homa leger-bedde fæst
swefeð æfter symle. Þā wæs sǣl and mǣl,
1010 þæt tō healle gang Healfdenes sunu;
wolde self cyning symbel þicgan.
Ne gefrægen ic þā mǣgðe māran weorode
ymb hyra sinc-gyfan sēl gebǣran.
Bugon þā tō bence blǣd-āgende,
1015 fylle gefǣgon. Fægere geþǣgon
medo-ful manig māgas þāra
swīð-hicgende on sele þām hēan,
Hrōðgār and Hrōðulf. Heorot innan wæs
frēondum āfylled; nalles fācen-stafas
1020 Þēod-Scyldingas þenden fremedon.
Forgeaf þā Bēowulfe bearn Healfdenes
segen gyldenne sigores tō lēane,
hroden hilte-cumbor, helm and byrnan;
mǣre māððum-sweord manige gesāwon
1025 beforan beorn beran. Bēowulf geþah
ful on flette; nō hē þǣre feoh-gyfte
for scēotendum scamigan þorfte,
ne gefrægn ic frēondlīcor fēower mādmas
golde gegyrede gum-manna fela
1030 in ealo-bence ōðrum gesellan.
Ymb þæs helmes hrōf hēafod-beorge
wīrum bewunden walan ūtan hēold,
þæt him fēla lāfe frēcne ne meahton
scūr-heard sceððan, þonne scyld-freca
1035 ongēan gramum gangan scolde.
Heht þā eorla hlēo eahta mēaras,
fǣted-hlēore, on flet tēon
in under eoderas; þāra ānum stōd
sadol searwum fāh since gewurðad,
1040 þæt wæs hilde-setl hēah-cyninges,
þonne sweorda gelāc sunu Healfdenes
efnan wolde; nǣfre on ōre læg
wīd-cūðes wīg, þonne walu fēollon.
And þā Bēowulfe bēga gehwæðres
1045 eodor Ingwina onweald getēah,
wicga and wǣpna; hēt hine wēl brūcan.
Swā manlīce mǣre þēoden,
hord-weard hæleða heaðo-rǣsas geald
mēarum and mādmum, swā hȳ nǣfre man lyhð,
1050 sē þe secgan wile sōð æfter rihte.