“He ran and in running vain rescue he sought,
He left his curdled cruelty, his claw and shouldered arm,
Left behind, bleeding; my boast is nailed there”
Best of Men
“Now Beowulf, best of men, in battle triumphant,
As a son I laud and love you, lift your name high,
Keep this new kinship, carry it with you,
Acknowledge and nurture it, know that it’s yours”
A Bevy
“The king himself came from the queen’s quarters,
Regal and royal, the ring-treasure guardian,
Well-known and noble, knights and earls with him,
A column of comfort, the queen right beside him,
And beautiful, bountiful, a bevy of women”
Famed as a Fighter
“He was famed as a fighter, ferocity unmatched,
A baron of battle, the best in the business,
His great and good deeds, all gained by his courage”
The Whole Clan
“Conquering they killed a whole clan of giants,
Seeking with swords to signal their glory”
Singing the Story
“And song after song the stop would recount
From his storehouse of stories, singing with wisdom,
Glorying in good words, the great, ancient tales.
One after another he eagerly sang them,
Weaving in wisdom, old words with new ones”
Hell’s Welcome
“Facing his death-fate, his fen then received him,
Lurking and luckless, from life he relinquished
His hard-hearted soul. Hell came then and took him”
Bloody Trail Home
“Doomed and despairing, he dragged bloody footprints.
The blood boiled in the water, bucking and seething,
Swirls of hot wound-slurry, surging in turmoil,
Oozing out envy and utter disaster”
A Gable Trophy
“The proof of proud victory, presented in gladness,
When the hard warrior’s hand held the grim trophy,
The talon he tore off, with the torn arm and shoulder,
And Grendel’s long grip to the gable was nailed”
Impervious
“They had not known, nearing their enemy,
These hardy friends, heroes, these high-hearted warriors,
Swinging their swords from several sides,
That the keenest blade could not kill the creature”