From Beowulf (epic) - Tài liệu tham khảo Tiếng anh (TA8 ISW) | Đại học Hoa Sen

MAKING MEANING About the Translator from Beowulf Concept Vocabulary
You wil encounter the fol owing words as you read this excerpt from
Beowulf. Before reading, note how familiar you are with each word. Then,
rank the words in order from most familiar (1) to least familiar (6). Burton Raffel WORD YOUR RANKING (1928–2015) attended lair high school and col ege in Brooklyn, New York. After stalked learning a law degree from Yale University, he prac- gorge ticed as an attorney for gruesome two years. He went on to work as an editor, an Eng- writhing lish professor, a freelance loathsome writer, and a television and radio broadcaster. What Raffel is best known for,
After completing the first read, come back to the concept vocabulary and however, is his work as a
review your rankings. Mark changes to your original rankings as needed. translator. In addition to
Beowulf, he has translated First Read EPIC POETRY a broad range of clas- sics from world literature,
Apply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You wil have an
including The Canterbury
opportunity to complete the close-read notes after your first read. Tales, Gargantua and Pan-
tagruel, and Don Quixote. His translations have won numerous awards.
NOTICE who or what is ANNOTATE by marking “speaking” the poem and vocabulary and key passages
whether the poem tells a story you want to revisit. or describes a single moment. Tool Kit First-Read Guide and Model Annotation served. CONNECT ideas within RESPOND by completing ghts Re the selection to what you the Comprehension Check and already know and what by writing a brief summary of pany LLC. Al Ri you’ve already read. the selection. SAVVAS Learning Com  STANDARDS Reading Literature Copyright ©
By the end of grade 12, read and
comprehend literature, including
stories, dramas, and poems, at the
high end of the grades 11-CCR text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
16 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero
essential question: What makes a hero? Background
The Anglo-Saxon Scribes The author of Beowul fis unknown,
but it seems likely that he was an Anglo-Saxon descendant of people
who migrated from northern Germany to settle in England starting
in the fifth century. Recent archaeological discoveries include burial
sites in Anglian settlements that include items that are both similar to
those mentioned in Beowul
f and closely linked to Beowulf’s homeland
in southern Sweden. Although there is no evidence that Beowulf
himself ever existed, people and events in the poem are, indeed,
historical. Higlac, for example, truly was king of the Geats. Hrothgar,
likewise, was likely a true historical character. The interweaving of
characters and legends from the 500s and 600s argues for Beowulf’s
composition’s having taken place in the 600s or 700s, when
audiences would have stil been familiar with these events due to their
exposure to the oral tradition.
Translating Old-English Texts Beowulf was written in Old
English, the language used by Anglo-Saxons up until about A.d. 1150.
Although Old English is the earliest historical form of modern English,
it is very different from modern English—so different, in fact, that it
often requires a translation in order for modern speakers of English to understand it.
Consider this passage from Beowul
f in Old English. These are the
opening lines of the section that appears in text you are about to read
under the title “The Wrath of Grendel”:
ða se ellengæst earfoðlice
þrage geþolode, se þe in þystrum bad,
þæt he dogora gehwam dream gehyrde
hludne in healle; þær wæs hearpan sweg, swutol sang scopes.
Here is another version of these lines, translated by Francis Gummere
in the early twentieth century:
With envy and anger an evil spirit served.
endured the dole in his dark abode, ghts Re
that he heard each day the din of revel
high in the hall: there harps rang out, clear song of the singer. pany LLC. Al Ri
Look closely at the Old English, and try to pick out familiar modern
words. For example, you may spot heal e (“hal ”), hearpan (“harps”)
and sang (“song”). Furthermore, once you learn that the character þ SAVVAS Learning Com (called a thor )
n represents the t h sound in thi
n and the character ð (called an ed )
h represents the t
h sound in the, you may recognize even
more familiar words—for example, þæt (“that”) and þær (“there”). Copyright ©
Stil , Old English wil likely seem like a foreign language to most
speakers of English today. Because of this, translators try both to be
true to the original poem and to capture its qualities in a way modern
readers can appreciate. Translation, then, is a form of interpretation. from Beowulf 17 MAKING MEANING
The Hero Beowulf In the epic poem you are about to read, Beowulf, a Geat
from a region that is today southern Sweden, sets sail to aid the Danish king
Hrothgar in his fight against the monster Grendel, a terrifying swampland
creature whose eyes burn with “gruesome light.” Grendel has been
terrorizing Hrothgar’s great banquet hall, Herot, for twelve years.
The battle between Beowulf, a young warrior of great strength
and courage, and Grendel, his bloodthirsty foe, is the first of
three mortal battles that are fought in this long epic poem.
Forging an Epic The tales in Beowul foriginated from
a time when stories and poems were passed along by
word of mouth. This process is known as oral tradition,
and it included many different literary forms, such as
riddles and proverbs, in addition to epic poems.
In Anglo-Saxon England, traveling minstrels called
scops captivated audiences with long narrative poems.
These poems changed and grew as they were passed
from one scop to another. Beowul f was told and retold
in this fashion throughout England for hundreds of
years. In the eleventh century, the epic was finally written
down. Today, it survives in a single manuscript, which is in the
col ection of the British Museum in London.
Beowulf grew out of other, earlier traditions. The monsters and
dragons of the tale, the brave warriors steadfastly loyal to their heroic chief, the
descent into the eerie regions below the earth—these were familiar elements of
Scandinavian and Celtic folk tales. Even a detail as specific as Beowulf’s seizure of
Grendel’s arm can be traced to earlier tales.
Poetry in Performance From the clues provided in Beowul fitself, we gain a
general idea of how the epic may have sounded in performance. Anglo-Saxon
poetry was sung or chanted to musical accompaniment, with the scop playing
a primitive harp as he performed the narrative. Each rhythmic verse had four
stressed syl ables and an indefinite number of unstressed ones, with two or
three of the stressed syl ables tied together by al iteration ,the repetition of initial
consonant sounds. Each line of verse was divided in half by a slight pause called served. a caesura. ghts Re
A Guide to Life By forging different traditions into one unified tale, and by
incorporating the later influence of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxon scops created pany LLC. Al Ri
a central reference point for their culture. Listening to Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon
could learn of bravery and loyalty to one’s fellows, of the monsters that spite and
hatred could breed, and of the heroism needed to conquer such monsters.
Besides its relationship to Anglo-Saxon culture, Beowul
f displays archetypal literary SAVVAS Learning Com
elements. Archetypes are patterns in literature found around the world. Beowulf
himself is an archetypal hero: extraordinarily strong and unshakably loyal. His
struggle against the monsters and the dragon is an archetypal conflict of good Copyright © versus evil.
18 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero ANCHOR TEXT | EPIC POETRY from Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel The Wrath of Grendel NOTES
A powerful monster, living down
In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient
As day after day the music rang
Loud in that hall,1 the harp’s rejoicing served.
5 Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung ghts Re
Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling
The Almighty making the earth, shaping pany LLC. Al Ri
These beautiful plains marked off by oceans,
Then proudly setting the sun and moon
10 To glow across the land and light it;
The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees SAVVAS Learning Com
And leaves, made quick with life, with each
Of the nations who now move on its face. And then Copyright ©
As now warriors sang of their pleasure:
15 So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall 1. hall Herot. from Beowulf 19
Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, NOTES
Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild
Marshes, and made his home in a hell
Not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime,
20 Conceived by a pair of those monsters born
Of Cain,2 murderous creatures banished
By God, punished forever for the crime
Of Abel’s death. The Almighty drove
Those demons out, and their exile was bitter, served.
25 Shut away from men; they split ghts Re
Into a thousand forms of evil—spirits
And fiends, goblins, monsters, giants,
A brood forever opposing the Lord’s pany LLC. Al Ri
Will, and again and again defeated. 30
Then, when darkness had dropped, Grendel
Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors
Would do in that hall when their drinking was done. SAVVAS Learning Com
He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting
Nothing, their dreams undisturbed. The monster’s Copyright ©
35 Thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws:
He slipped through the door and there in the silence
Snatched up thirty men, smashed them
2. Cain oldest son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother, Abel.
20 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero
Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies NOTES
The blood dripping behind him, back
40 To his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter.
lair (lair) den; hiding place n.
At daybreak, with the sun’s first light, they saw
How well he had worked, and in that gray morning
Broke their long feast with tears and laments
For the dead. Hrothgar, their lord, sat joyless
45 In Herot, a mighty prince mourning
The fate of his lost friends and companions, served.
Knowing by its tracks that some demon had torn ghts Re
His followers apart. He wept, fearing
The beginning might not be the end. And that night pany LLC. Al Ri 50 Grendel came again, so set
On murder that no crime could ever be enough,
No savage assault quench his lust
For evil. Then each warrior tried SAVVAS Learning Com
To escape him, searched for rest in different
55 Beds, as far from Herot as they could find,
Seeing how Grendel hunted when they slept. Copyright ©
Distance was safety; the only survivors
Were those who fled him. Hate had triumphed.
So Grendel ruled, fought with the righteous,
60 One against many, and won; so Herot from Beowulf 21
Stood empty, and stayed deserted for years, NOTES
Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king CLOSE READ
Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door ANNOTATE: Mark the
By hell-forged hands. His misery leaped repeated word in lines
65 The seas, was told and sung in all 67–73.
Men’s ears: how Grendel’s hatred began, QUESTION: Why might an
How the monster relished his savage war author choose to repeat
On the Danes, keeping the bloody feud a word in such rapid
Alive, seeking no peace, offering succession?
70 No truce, accepting no settlement, no price CONCLUDE: What does
In gold or land, and paying the living the repetition here reveal
For one crime only with another. No one about Grendel?
Waited for reparation from his plundering claws:
That shadow of death hunted in the darkness, stalked (stawkt) . v
75 Stalked Hrothgar’s warriors, old pursued stealthily;
And young, lying in waiting, hidden hunted
In mist, invisibly following them from the edge
Of the marsh, always there, unseen.
So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes,
80 Killing as often as he could, coming
Alone, bloodthirsty and horrible. Though he lived
In Herot, when the night hid him, he never
Dared to touch King Hrothgar’s glorious
Throne, protected by God—God,
85 Whose love Grendel could not know. But Hrothgar’s
Heart was bent. The best and most noble
Of his council debated remedies, sat
In secret sessions, talking of terror
And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do.
90 And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods,
Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s
Support, the Devil’s guidance in driving
Their affliction off. That was their way,
And the heathen’s only hope, Hell served.
95 Always in their hearts, knowing neither God ghts Re
Nor His passing as He walks through our world, the Lord
Of Heaven and earth; their ears could not hear
His praise nor know His glory. Let them pany LLC. Al Ri
Beware, those who are thrust into danger,
100 Clutched at by trouble, yet can carry no solace
In their hearts, cannot hope to be better! Hail
To those who will rise to God, drop off SAVVAS Learning Com
Their dead bodies and seek our Father’s peace! Copyright ©
22 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero The Coming of Beowulf NOTES
So the living sorrow of Healfdane’s son3
105 Simmered, bitter and fresh, and no wisdom
Or strength could break it; that agony hung
On king and people alike, harsh
And unending, violent and cruel, and evil.
In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s4
110 Follower and the strongest of the Geats—greater
And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world—
Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror
And quickly commanded a boat fitted out,
Proclaiming that he’d go to that famous king,
115 Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar, Now when help was needed. None
Of the wise ones regretted his going, much
As he was loved by the Geats: the omens were good,
And they urged the adventure on. So Beowulf
120 Chose the mightiest men he could find,
The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen
In all, and led them down to their boat;
He knew the sea, would point the prow
Straight to that distant Danish shore. 125
Then they sailed, set their ship
Out on the waves, under the cliffs,
Ready for what came they wound through the currents,
The seas beating at the sand, and were borne
In the lap of their shining ship, lined
130 With gleaming armor, going safely
In that oak-hard boat to where their hearts took them.
The wind hurried them over the waves,
The ship foamed through the sea like a bird
Until, in the time they had known it would take,
135 Standing in the round-curled prow they could see served.
Sparkling hills, high and green ghts Re
Jutting up over the shore, and rejoicing
In those rock-steep cliffs they quietly ended
Their voyage. Jumping to the ground, the Geats pany LLC. Al Ri
140 Pushed their boat to the sand and tied it
In place, mail shirts5 and armor rattling
As they swiftly moored their ship. And then
They gave thanks to God for their easy crossing. SAVVAS Learning Com
High on a wall a Danish watcher
145 Patrolling along the cliffs saw Copyright ©
3. Healfdane’s (HAY alf deh nuhz) son Hrothgar.
4. Higlac’s (HIHG laks) Higlac was the king of the Geats (GAY ots) and Beowulf’s feudal lord and uncle.
5. mail shirts flexible body armor made of metal. from Beowulf 23
The travelers crossing to the shore, their shields NOTES
Raised and shining: he came riding down,
Hrothgar’s lieutenant, spurring his horse,
Needing to know why they’d landed, these men
150 In armor. Shaking his heavy spear In their faces he spoke: “Whose soldiers are you,
You who’ve been carried in your deep-keeled ship
Across the sea-road to this country of mine? CLOSE READ
Listen! I’ve stood on these cliffs longer ANNOTATE: Mark two
155 Than you know, keeping our coast free details in lines 151–171
Of pirates, raiders sneaking ashore that show what the
From their ships, seeking our lives and our gold. watchman finds unusual
None have ever come more openly— about the arrival of
And yet you’ve offered no password, no sign Beowulf and his men.
160 From my prince, no permission from my people for your landing
QUESTION: What do these Here. Nor have I ever seen, details suggest about the
Out of all the men on earth, one greater threats the Danes face and
Than has come with you; no commoner carries the personal qualities they value?
Such weapons, unless his appearance, and his beauty,
165 Are both lies. You! Tell me your name, CONCLUDE: What is
And your father’s; no spies go further onto Danish the effect of describing
Soil than you’ve come already. Strangers, Beowulf’s arrival from the point of view of the
From wherever it was you sailed, tell it, watchman?
And tell it quickly, the quicker the better,
170 I say, for us all. Speak, say
Exactly who you are, and from where, and why.”
Their leader answered him, Beowulf unlocking Words from deep in his breast: “We are Geats,
Men who follow Higlac. My father
175 Was a famous soldier, known far and wide
As a leader of men. His name was Edgetho. His life lasted many winters; served.
Wise men all over the earth surely ghts Re
Remember him still. And we have come seeking
180 Your prince, Healfdane’s son, protector
Of this people, only in friendship: instruct us, pany LLC. Al Ri
Watchman, help us with your words! Our errand
Is a great one, our business with the glorious king
Of the Danes no secret; there’s nothing dark
185 Or hidden in our coming. You know (if we’ve heard SAVVAS Learning Com
The truth, and been told honestly) that your country
Is cursed with some strange, vicious creature Copyright ©
That hunts only at night and that no one
Has seen. It’s said, watchman, that he has slaughtered
190 Your people, brought terror to the darkness. Perhaps
Hrothgar can hunt, here in my heart,
24 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero
For some way to drive this devil out— NOTES
If anything will ever end the evils
Afflicting your wise and famous lord.
195 Here he can cool his burning sorrow.
Or else he may see his suffering go on
Forever, for as long as Herot towers High on your hills.” The mounted officer
Answered him bluntly, the brave watchman: 200
“A soldier should know the difference between words
And deeds, and keep that knowledge clear
In his brain. I believe your words, I trust in
Your friendship. Go forward, weapons and armor
And all, on into Denmark. I’ll guide you
205 Myself—and my men will guard your ship.
Keep it safe here on our shores,
Your fresh-tarred boat, watch it well,
Until that curving prow carries
Across the sea to Geatland a chosen
210 Warrior who does battle with the creature
Haunting our people, who survives that horror
Unhurt, and goes home bearing our love.”
Then they moved on. Their boat lay moored,
Tied tight to its anchor. Glittering at the top
215 Of their golden helmets wild boar heads gleamed,
Shining decorations, swinging as they marched,
Erect like guards, like sentinels, as though ready
To fight. They marched, Beowulf and his men
And their guide, until they could see the gables
220 Of Herot, covered with hammered gold
And glowing in the sun—that most famous of all dwellings,
Towering majestic, its glittering roofs Visible far across the land.
Their guide reined in his horse, pointing served.
225 To that hall, built by Hrothgar for the best ghts Re
And bravest of his men; the path was plain,
They could see their way. . . . pany LLC. Al Ri
Beowulf and his men arrive at Herot and are called to see the King. Beowulf arose, with his men SAVVAS Learning Com
Around him, ordering a few to remain
With their weapons, leading the others quietly
230 Along under Herot’s steep roof into Hrothgar’s Copyright ©
Presence. Standing on that prince’s own hearth.
Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt
Gleaming with smith’s high art, he greeted The Danes’ great lord: from Beowulf 25 NOTES “Hail, Hrothgar!
235 Higlac is my cousin6 and my king; the days
Of my youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel’s
Name has echoed in our land: sailors
Have brought us stories of Herot, the best
Of all mead-halls,7 deserted and useless when the moon CLOSE READ
240 Hangs in skies the sun had lit, ANNOTATE: Mark details
Light and life fleeing together. served. in lines 235–253 that
My people have said, the wisest, most knowing ghts Re show the specific heroic
And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ deeds Beowulf recounts to
Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, Hrothgar. 245 pany LLC. Al Ri
Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, QUESTION: What can you
Dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove infer about Beowulf from
Five great giants into chains, chased the details he shares with
All of that race from the earth. I swam Hrothgar? SAVVAS Learning Com
In the blackness of night, hunting monsters
CONCLUDE: What do these
250 Out of the ocean, and killing them one details reveal about the Copyright ©
By one; death was my errand and the fate world in which this
They had earned. Now Grendel and I are called story is set?
6. cousin here, used as a general term for a relative.
7. mead-halls To reward his retainers, the king in heroic literature would often build a hall
where mead (a drink made of fermented honey) was served.
26 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero
Together, and I’ve come. Grant me, then, NOTES
Lord and protector of this noble place,
255 A single request! I have come so far,
O shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend,
That this one favor you should not refuse me—
That I, alone and with the help of my men,
May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard,
260 Too, that the monster’s scorn of men
is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will I. My lord Higlac
Might think less of me if I let my sword
Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid
265 Behind some broad linden8 shield: my hands
Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life
Against the monster. God must decide
Who will be given to death’s cold grip.
Grendel’s plan, I think, will be
270 What it has been before, to invade this hall
And gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can,
gorge (gawrj) v to fill by .
If he can. And I think, if my time will have come, eating greedily
There’ll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare
For its grave: Grendel will carry our bloody
275 Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones
And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls
Of his den. No, I expect no Danes
Will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins.
And if death does take me, send the hammered
280 Mail of my armor to Higlac, return
The inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he
From Wayland.9 Fate will unwind as it must!”
That night, Beowulf and his men stay inside Herot. While his men sleep,
Beowulf lies awake, eager to meet with Grendel. served. ghts Re The Battle With Grendel
Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty pany LLC. Al Ri
Hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred
285 Grendel came, hoping to kill
Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot.
He moved quickly through the cloudy night, SAVVAS Learning Com
Up from his swampland, sliding silently
Toward that gold-shining hall. He had visited Hrothgar’s Copyright ©
290 Home before, knew the way—
But never, before nor after that night,
8. linden (LIHN duhn) very sturdy type of wood.
9. Wayland blacksmith from Germanic folklore. from Beowulf 27
Found Herot defended so firmly, his reception NOTES
So harsh. He journeyed, forever joyless,
Straight to the door, then snapped it open,
295 Tore its iron fasteners with a touch
And rushed angrily over the threshold.
He strode quickly across the inlaid
Floor, snarling and fierce: his eyes
gruesome (GROO suhm) adj.
Gleamed in the darkness, burned with a gruesome horrible; ghastly
300 Light. Then he stopped, seeing the hall
Crowded with sleeping warriors, stuffed
With rows of young soldiers resting together.
And his heart laughed, he relished the sight,
Intended to tear the life from those bodies
305 By morning; the monster’s mind was hot
With the thought of food and the feasting his belly
Would soon know. But fate, that night, intended
Grendel to gnaw the broken bones
Of his last human supper. Human
310 Eyes were watching his evil steps,
Waiting to see his swift hard claws.
Grendel snatched at the first Geat
He came to, ripped him apart, cut
His body to bits with powerful jaws,
315 Drank the blood from his veins and bolted
Him down, hands and feet; death
And Grendel’s great teeth came together,
Snapping life shut. Then he stepped to another
Still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws, CLOSE READ
320 Grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper— ANNOTATE: In English
And was instantly seized himself, claws
syntax, apposition may be
Bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm. used to rename or explain
That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, a person or thing. Mark the
Knew at once that nowhere on earth two identifying, appositive
325 Had he met a man whose hands were harder; phrases used to rename served.
His mind was flooded with fear—but nothing Grendel in line 323. ghts Re
Could take his talons and himself from that tight QUESTION: How do the
Hard grip. Grendel’s one thought was to run renamings of Grendel in
From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there: pany LLC. Al Ri this line emphasize the
330 This was a different Herot from the hall he had emptied. significance of the battle that is about to begin?
But Higlac’s follower remembered his final
Boast and, standing erect, stopped CONCLUDE: What is the
The monster’s flight, fastened those claws SAVVAS Learning Com effect of using two or more
In his fists till they cracked, clutched Grendel appositives in a row?
335 Closer. The infamous killer fought Copyright ©
For his freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat,
Desiring nothing but escape; his claws
writhing (RY thihng) adj.
Had been caught, he was trapped. That trip to Herot making twisting or turning
Was a miserable journey for the writhing monster! motions
28 UNIT 1 • ForGING a Hero 340
The high hall rang, its roof boards swayed, NOTES
And Danes shook with terror. Down
The aisles the battle swept, angry
And wild. Herot trembled, wonderfully
Built to withstand the blows, the struggling
345 Great bodies beating at its beautiful walls;
Shaped and fastened with iron, inside
And out, artfully worked, the building
Stood firm. Its benches rattled, fell
To the floor, gold-covered boards grating
350 As Grendel and Beowulf battled across them.
Hrothgar’s wise men had fashioned Herot To stand forever; only fire,
They had planned, could shatter what such skill had put
Together, swallow in hot flames such splendor
355 Of ivory and iron and wood. Suddenly
The sounds changed, the Danes started
In new terror, cowering in their beds as the terrible
Screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang
In the darkness, the horrible shrieks of pain
360 And defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s
Taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms
Of him who of all the men on earth Was the strongest. That mighty protector of men
Meant to hold the monster till its life
365 Leaped out, knowing the fiend was no use
To anyone in Denmark. All of Beowulf’s
Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral
Swords raised and ready, determined
To protect their prince if they could. Their courage
370 Was great but all wasted: they could hack at Grendel
From every side, trying to open
A path for his evil soul, but their points served.
Could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron ghts Re
Could not scratch at his skin, for that sin-stained demon
375 Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells
That blunted every mortal man’s blade. pany LLC. Al Ri
And yet his time had come, his days
Were over, his death near; down
To hell he would go, swept groaning and helpless SAVVAS Learning Com
380 To the waiting hands of still worse fiends.
Now he discovered—once the afflictor
Of men, tormentor of their days—what it meant Copyright ©
To feud with Almighty God: Grendel
Saw that his strength was deserting him, his claws
385 Bound fast, Higlac’s brave follower tearing at
His hands. The monster’s hatred rose higher, from Beowulf 29
But his power had gone. He twisted in pain, NOTES
And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bone split
390 And broke. The battle was over, Beowulf
Had been granted new glory: Grendel escaped,
But wounded as he was could flee to his den,
His miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh,
Only to die, to wait for the end
395 Of all his days. And after that bloody
Combat the Danes laughed with delight.
He who had come to them from across the sea,
Bold and strong-minded had driven affliction
Off, purged Herot clean. He was happy,
400 Now, with that night’s fierce work; the Danes
Had been served as he’d boasted he’d serve them: Beowulf,
A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel,
Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering
Forced on Hrothgar’s helpless people
405 By a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dane doubted
The victory, for the proof, hanging high
From the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s
Arm, claw and shoulder and all.
The Danes celebrate Beowulf’s victory. That night, though, Grendel’s
mother kills Hrothgar’s closest friend and carries off her child’s claw. The
next day, the horrified king tells Beowulf about the two monsters and their underwater lair. The Monsters’ Lair
“I’ve heard that my people, peasants working
410 In the fields, have seen a pair of such fiends
Wandering in the moors and marshes, giant served.
Monsters living in those desert lands. ghts Re
And they’ve said to my wise men that, as well as they could see,
One of the devils was a female creature.
415 The other, they say, walked through the wilderness pany LLC. Al Ri
Like a man—but mightier than any man.
They were frightened, and they fled, hoping to find help
In Herot. They named the huge one Grendel: SAVVAS Learning Com
If he had a father no one knew him,
420 Or whether there’d been others before these two,
Hidden evil before hidden evil. Copyright ©
They live in secret places, windy
Cliffs, wolf-dens where water pours
From the rocks, then runs underground, where mist 30 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero
425 Steams like black clouds, and the groves of trees NOTES
Growing out over their lake are all covered
With frozen spray, and wind down snakelike
Roots that reach as far as the water
And help keep it dark. At night that lake
430 Burns like a torch. No one knows its bottom,
No wisdom reaches such depths. A deer,
Hunted through the woods by packs of hounds,
A stag with great horns, though driven through the forest
From faraway places, prefers to die
435 On those shores, refuses to save its life
In that water. It isn’t far, nor is it
A pleasant spot! When the winds stirs
And storms, waves splash toward the sky,
As dark as the air, as black as the rain
440 That the heavens weep. Our only help,
Again, lies with you. Grendel’s mother
Is hidden in her terrible home, in a place
You’ve not seen. Seek it, if you dare! Save us,
Once more, and again twisted gold,
445 Heaped-up ancient treasure will reward you For the battle you win!”
Beowulf resolves to kill Grendel’s monstrous mother. He travels to the lake in which she lives.
The Battle With Grendel’s Mother Then Edgetho’s brave son1 s 0 poke: “Remember, Hrothgar, O knowing king, now
When my danger is near, the warm words we uttered,
450 And if your enemy should end my life served.
Then be, O generous prince, forever
The father and protector of all whom I leave ghts Re
Behind me, here in your hands, my beloved
Comrades left with no leader, their leader pany LLC. Al Ri
455 Dead. And the precious gifts you gave me,
My friend, send them to Higlac. May he see
In their golden brightness, the Geats’ great lord
Gazing at your treasure, that here in Denmark SAVVAS Learning Com
I found a noble protector, a giver
460 Of rings whose rewards I won and briefly Copyright ©
Relished. And you, Unferth,11 let
10. Edgetho’s brave son Beowulf. Elsewhere he is identified by such phrases as “the Geats’
proud prince” and “the Geats’ brave prince.”
11. Unferth Danish warrior who had questioned Beowulf’s bravery before the battle with Grendel. from Beowulf 31
My famous old sword stay in your hands: NOTES
I shall shape glory with Hrunting, or death
Will hurry me from this earth!” As his words ended
465 He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s
Answer; the heaving water covered him
Over. For hours he sank through the waves;
At last he saw the mud of the bottom.
And all at once the greedy she-wolf
470 Who’d ruled those waters for half a hundred
Years discovered him, saw that a creature
From above had come to explore the bottom
Of her wet world. She welcomed him in her claws,
Clutched at him savagely but could not harm him,
475 Tried to work her fingers through the tight
Ring-woven mail on his breast, but tore
And scratched in vain. Then she carried him, armor
And sword and all, to her home; he struggled
To free his weapon, and failed. The fight CLOSE READ
480 Brought other monsters swimming to see ANNOTATE: Mark words and phrases in lines
Her catch, a host of sea beasts who beat at 477–489 that contain
His mail shirt, stabbing with tusks and teeth sound devices and paral el
As they followed along. Then he realized, suddenly, structures.
That she’d brought him into someone’s battle-hall, QUESTION: What effect
485 And there the water’s heat could not hurt him. might these word choices
Nor anything in the lake attack him through have had on listeners?
The building’s high-arching roof. A brilliant
Light burned all around him, the lake CONCLUDE: In what way does the language Itself like a fiery flame. of the story help make Then he saw it memorable for both
490 The mighty water witch and swung his sword, the storytel er and the
His ring-marked blade, straight at her head; audience? The iron sang its fierce song,
Sang Beowulf’s strength. But her guest served.
Discovered that no sword could slice her evil ghts Re
495 Skin, that Hrunting could not hurt her, was useless
Now when he needed it. They wrestled, she ripped
And tore and clawed at him, bit holes in his helmet, pany LLC. Al Ri
And that too failed him; for the first time in years
Of being worn to war it would earn no glory;
500 It was the last time anyone would wear it. But Beowulf
Longed only for fame, leaped back SAVVAS Learning Com
Into battle. He tossed his sword aside,
Angry; the steel-edged blade lay where Copyright ©
He’d dropped it. If weapons were useless he’d use
505 His hands, the strength in his fingers. So fame
Comes to the men who mean to win it
And care about nothing else! He raised
32 UNIT 1 • ForgINg a Hero
His arms and seized her by the shoulder; anger NOTES
Doubled his strength, he threw her to the floor.
510 She fell, Grendel’s fierce mother, and the Geats’
Proud prince was ready to leap on her. But she rose
At once and repaid him with her clutching claws,
Wildly tearing at him. He was weary, that best
And strongest of soldiers; his feet stumbled
515 And in an instant she had him down, held helpless.
Squatting with her weight on his stomach, she drew
A dagger, brown with dried blood, and prepared
To avenge her only son. But he was stretched
On his back, and her stabbing blade was blunted
520 By the woven mail shirt he wore on his chest.
The hammered links held; the point
Could not touch him. He’d have traveled to the bottom of the earth,
Edgetho’s son, and died there, if that shining
Woven metal had not helped—and Holy
525 God, who sent him victory, gave judgment
For truth and right, Ruler of the Heavens,
Once Beowulf was back on his feet and fighting.
Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy
Sword, hammered by giants, strong
530 And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons
But so massive that no ordinary man could lift
Its carved and decorated length. He drew it
From its scabbard, broke the chain on its hilt And then, savage, now, angry
535 And desperate, lifted it high over his head
And struck with all the strength he had left,
Caught her in the neck and cut it through.
Broke bones and all. Her body fell
To the floor, lifeless, the sword was wet
540 With her blood, and Beowulf rejoiced at the sight.
The brilliant light shone, suddenly, served.
As though burning in that hall, and as bright as Heaven’s ghts Re
Own candle, lit in the sky. He looked
At her home, then following along the wall
545 Went walking, his hands tight on the sword, pany LLC. Al Ri
His heart still angry. He was hunting another
Dead monster, and took his weapon with him
For final revenge against Grendel’s vicious SAVVAS Learning Com
Attacks, his nighttime raids, over
550 And over, coming to Herot when Hrothgar’s
Men slept, killing them in their beds, Copyright ©
Eating some on the spot, fifteen
Or more, and running to his loathsome moor
loathsome (LOHTH suhm) adj.
With another such sickening meal waiting disgusting; detestable
555 In his pouch. But Beowulf repaid him for those visits, from Beowulf 33