Beowulf - Chapter 34: Beowulf Seeks the Dragon - Beowulf's Reminiscences lyrics

He planned requital for the folk-leader's ruin In days thereafter, to Eadgils the wretched Becoming an enemy. Ohthere's son then Went with a war-troop o'er the wide-stretching currents With warriors and weapons: with woe-journeys cold he After avenged him, the king's life he took. So he came off uninjured from all of his battles, Perilous fights, offspring of Ecgtheow, From his deeds of daring, till that day most momentous When he fate-driven fared to fight with the dragon. With eleven companions the prince of the Geatmen Went lowering with fury to look at the fire-drake: Inquiring he'd found how the feud had arisen, Hate to his heroes; the highly-famed gem-vessel Was brought to his keeping through the hand of th' informer. That in the throng was thirteenth of heroes, That caused the beginning of conflict so bitter, Captive and wretched, must sad-mooded thenceward Point out the place: he pa**ed then unwillingly To the spot where he knew of the notable cavern, The cave under earth, not far from the ocean, The anger of eddies, which inward was full of Jewels and wires: a warden uncanny, Warrior weaponed, wardered the treasure, Old under earth; no easy possession For any of earth-folk access to get to. Then the battle-brave atheling sat on the naze-edge, While the gold-friend of Geatmen gracious saluted His fireside-companions: woe was his spirit, d**h-boding, wav'ring; Weird very near him, Who must seize the old hero, his soul-treasure look for, Dragging aloof his life from his body: Not flesh-hidden long was the folk-leader's spirit. Beowulf spake, Ecgtheow's son: “I survived in my youth-days many a conflict, Hours of onset: that all I remember. I was seven-winters old when the j**el-prince took me, High-lord of heroes, at the hands of my father, Hrethel the hero-king had me in keeping, Gave me treasure and feasting, our kinship remembered; Not ever was I any less dear to him Knight in the boroughs, than the bairns of his household, Herebald and Hæthcyn and Higelac mine. To the eldest unjustly by acts of a kinsman Was murder-bed strewn, since him Hæthcyn from horn-bow His sheltering chieftain shot with an arrow, Erred in his aim and injured his kinsman, One brother the other, with blood-sprinkled spear: 'Twas a feeless fight, finished in malice, Sad to his spirit; the folk-prince however Had to part from existence with vengeance untaken. So to hoar-headed hero 'tis heavily crushing To live to see his son as he rideth Young on the gallows: then measures he chanteth, A song of sorrow, when his son is hanging For the raven's delight, and aged and hoary He is unable to offer any a**istance. Every morning his offspring's departure Is constant recalled: he cares not to wait for The birth of an heir in his borough-enclosures, Since that one through d**h-pain the deeds hath experienced. He heart-grieved beholds in the house of his son the Wine-building wasted, the wind-lodging places Reaved of their roaring; the riders are sleeping, The knights in the grave; there's no sound of the harp-wood, Joy in the yards, as of yore were familiar.