BEOWULF spake, bairn of Ecgtheow:—
“Have mind, thou honored offspring of Healfdene
gold-friend of men, now I go on this quest,
sovran wise, what once was said:
if in thy cause it came that I
should lose my life, thou wouldst loyal bide1
to me, though fallen, in father’s place!
Be guardian2, thou, to this group of my thanes,
my warrior3-friends, if War should seize me;
and the goodly gifts thou gavest me,
Hrothgar beloved, to Hygelac send!
Geatland’s king may ken4 by the gold,
Hrethel’s son see, when he stares at the treasure,
that I got me a friend for goodness famed,
and joyed while I could in my jewel-bestower.
And let Unferth wield5 this wondrous6 sword,
earl far-honored, this heirloom precious,
hard of edge: with Hrunting I
seek doom7 of glory, or Death shall take me.”
After these words the Weder-Geat lord
boldly hastened, biding8 never
answer at all: the ocean floods
closed o’er the hero. Long while of the day
fled ere he felt the floor of the sea.
Soon found the fiend who the flood-domain
sword-hungry held these hundred winters,
greedy and grim, that some guest from above,
some man, was raiding her monster-realm.
She grasped out for him with grisly claws,
and the warrior seized; yet scathed9 she not
his body hale; the breastplate hindered,
as she strove to shatter the sark of war,
the linked harness, with loathsome11 hand.
Then bore this brine-wolf, when bottom she touched,
the lord of rings to the lair12 she haunted
whiles vainly he strove, though his valor13 held,
weapon to wield against wondrous monsters
that sore beset14 him; sea-beasts many
tried with fierce tusks15 to tear his mail,
and swarmed16 on the stranger. But soon he marked
he was now in some hall, he knew not which,
where water never could work him harm,
nor through the roof could reach him ever
fangs17 of the flood. Firelight he saw,
beams of a blaze that brightly shone.
Then the warrior was ware18 of that wolf-of-the-deep,
mere-wife monstrous19. For mighty20 stroke
he swung his blade, and the blow withheld21 not.
Then sang on her head that seemly blade
its war-song wild. But the warrior found
the light-of-battle 64 was loath10 to bite,
to harm the heart: its hard edge failed
the noble at need, yet had known of old
strife22 hand to hand, and had helmets cloven,
doomed23 men’s fighting-gear. First time, this,
for the gleaming blade that its glory fell.
Firm still stood, nor failed in valor,
heedful of high deeds, Hygelac’s kinsman24;
flung away fretted25 sword, featly jewelled,
the angry earl; on earth it lay
steel-edged and stiff. His strength he trusted,
hand-gripe of might. So man shall do
whenever in war he weens to earn him
lasting26 fame, nor fears for his life!
Seized then by shoulder, shrank not from combat,
the Geatish war-prince Grendel’s mother.
Flung then the fierce one, filled with wrath27,
his deadly foe28, that she fell to ground.
Swift on her part she paid him back
with grisly grasp, and grappled with him.
Spent with struggle, stumbled the warrior,
fiercest of fighting-men, fell adown.
On the hall-guest she hurled29 herself, hent her short sword,
broad and brown-edged, 65 the bairn to avenge30,
the sole-born son. — On his shoulder lay
braided breast-mail, barring death,
withstanding entrance of edge or blade.
Life would have ended for Ecgtheow’s son,
under wide earth for that earl of Geats,
had his armor of war not aided him,
battle-net hard, and holy God
wielded31 the victory, wisest Maker32.
The Lord of Heaven allowed his cause;
and easily rose the earl erect33.
1 bide | |
v.忍耐;等候;住 | |
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2 guardian | |
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者 | |
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3 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
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4 ken | |
n.视野,知识领域 | |
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5 wield | |
vt.行使,运用,支配;挥,使用(武器等) | |
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6 wondrous | |
adj.令人惊奇的,奇妙的;adv.惊人地;异乎寻常地;令人惊叹地 | |
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7 doom | |
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定 | |
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8 biding | |
v.等待,停留( bide的现在分词 );居住;(过去式用bided)等待;面临 | |
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9 scathed | |
v.伤害,损害(尤指使之枯萎)( scathe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 loath | |
adj.不愿意的;勉强的 | |
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11 loathsome | |
adj.讨厌的,令人厌恶的 | |
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12 lair | |
n.野兽的巢穴;躲藏处 | |
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13 valor | |
n.勇气,英勇 | |
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14 beset | |
v.镶嵌;困扰,包围 | |
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15 tusks | |
n.(象等动物的)长牙( tusk的名词复数 );獠牙;尖形物;尖头 | |
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16 swarmed | |
密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 ); 云集; 成群地移动; 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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17 fangs | |
n.(尤指狗和狼的)长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 );(蛇的)毒牙;罐座 | |
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18 ware | |
n.(常用复数)商品,货物 | |
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19 monstrous | |
adj.巨大的;恐怖的;可耻的,丢脸的 | |
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20 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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21 withheld | |
withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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22 strife | |
n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争 | |
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23 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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24 kinsman | |
n.男亲属 | |
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25 fretted | |
焦躁的,附有弦马的,腐蚀的 | |
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26 lasting | |
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
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27 wrath | |
n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒 | |
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28 foe | |
n.敌人,仇敌 | |
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29 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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30 avenge | |
v.为...复仇,为...报仇 | |
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31 wielded | |
手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的过去式和过去分词 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响) | |
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32 maker | |
n.制造者,制造商 | |
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33 erect | |
n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的 | |
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