I. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SCYLD. {The famous race of Spear-Danes.} Lo! the Spear-Danes' glory through splendid achievements The folk-kings' former fame we have heard of, How princes displayed then their prowess-in-battle. {Scyld, their mighty king, in honor of whom they are often called Scyldings. He is the great-grandfather of Hrothgar, so prominent in the poem.}

I Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the Scyldings, leader belovéd, and long he ruled 55 in fame with all folk, since his father had gone away from the world, till awoke an heir, haughty Healfdene, who held through life, sage and sturdy, the Scyldings glad.[1] Then, one after one, there woke to him, 60 to the chieftain of clansmen, children four: Heorogar, then Hrothgar, then Halga brave; and I heard that —— was ——’s queen,[2] the Heathoscylfing’s helpmate dear. To Hrothgar[3] was given such glory of war,

But the man remembered his mighty power, the glorious gift that God had sent him. in his Maker’s mercy put his trust for comfort and help: so he conquered the foe, felled the fiend, who fled abject, 1275reft of joy, to the realms of death, mankind’s foe. And his mother now, gloomy and grim, would go that quest of sorrow, the death of her son to avenge. To Heorot came she, where helmeted Danes 1280slept in the hall. Too soon came back old ills of the earls, when in she burst, the mother of Grendel. Less grim, though, that terror, e’en as terror of woman in war is less, might of maid, than of men in arms

So lived the clansmen in cheer and revel 100a winsome life, till one began to fashion evils, that fiend of hell. Grendel this monster grim was called, march-riever[9] mighty, in moorland living,[10] in fen and fastness; fief of the giants 105the hapless wight a while had kept since the Creator his exile doomed. On kin of Cain was the killing avenged by sovran God for slaughtered Abel. Ill fared his feud,[11] and far was he driven, 110for the slaughter’s sake, from sight of men. Of Cain awoke all that woful breed, Etins[12] and elves and evil-spirits, as well as the giants that warred with God weary while: but their wage was paid them!