The Tale of Beowulf, Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats
1898
The Tale of Beowulf, Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats
1898
Translated by William Morris
Composed over a thousand years ago by an unknown poet, Beowulf is the oldest major epic in English, a tale that begins in blood and ends in fire. When the great mead-hall Heorot is torn apart by Grendel, a monster descended from Cain, the Geatish warrior Beowulf arrives to do what no other man could: wrestle the demon bare-handed and tear its arm from its socket. Victory seems absolute. But the poem knows better. Grendel's mother comes for revenge, and decades later, an aging Beowulf must face a dragon with nothing left but his reputation. This is not simply a story about killing monsters. It is about what remains after the fighting stops, about glory that cannot outlast the grave, about the terrible weight of being the strongest man alive in a world that does not care about strength. Seamus Heaney's Nobel-winning translation gives this ancient voice new power, revealing a poem that feels less like medieval relic and more like something written yesterday, for readers who know that the real battle is always the one that comes after.
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“It is always betterto avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.For every one of us, living in this worldmeans waiting for our end. Let whoever canwin glory before death. When a warrior is gone,that will be his best and only bulwark.””
— Unknown
“Behaviour that's admiredis the path to power among people everywhere.””
— Unknown
“Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what's said and what's done.””
— Unknown
“I shall gain glory or die.””
— Unknown
“Quickly, the dragon came at him, encouragedAs Beowulf fell back; its breath flared,And he suffered, wrapped around in swirlingFlames -- a king, before, but nowA beaten warrior. None of his comradesCame to him, helped him, his brave and nobleFollowers; they ran for their lives, fledDeep in a wood. And only one of themRemained, stood there, miserable, remembering,As a good man must, what kinship should mean.””
— Unknown
“Fate will unwind as it must!””
— Unknown
“That was their way, their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts they remembered hell.””
— Unknown
“Fate goes ever as fate must.””
— Unknown
“Meanwhile, the swordbegan to wilt into gory icicles, to slather and thaw. It was a wonderful thing, the way it all melted as ice melts when the Father eases the fetters off the frostand unravels the water-ropes. He who wields powerover time and tide: He is the true Lord.””
— Unknown
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