Week 2 Passages: Beowulf, lines 53-1962
Offer at least three comments before your scheduled class day this week. You can comment on just one passage or spread them throughout. You can annotate by exploring words, images, or concepts that stand out to you, asking probing questions, making connections to other passages in the reading or other texts, providing historical, social, or political context you’ve discovered through research, or engaging in conversation with your classmates’ annotations. Note: I am not reproducing any footnotes here, so be sure to check to see if any question you might have is answered there before you ask it as a comment.
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Then success in war was given to Hrothgar,
honor in battle, so that his beloved kinsmen
eagerly served him, until the young soldiers grew
that he should order a hall-building,
have men make a great mead-house
which the sons of men should remember forever,
and there inside he would share everything
with young and old that God had given him,
except for the common land and the lives of men.
Then the work, as I've heard, was widely proclaimed
to many nations throughout this middle-earth,
to come adorn the folk-stead. It came to pass
swiftly among men, and it was soon ready,
the greatest of hal1s; he gave it the name "Heorot,"
he who ruled widely with his words.
He remembered his boast; he gave out rings,
treasure at table. The hall towered
high and horn-gabled-it awaited hostile fires,
the surges of war; the time. was not yet near
that the sword-hate of sworn in-laws
should arise after ruthless violence.
It was not longer
than the next night until he committed
a greater murder, mourned riot at all
for his feuds and sins--he was too fixed in them.
Then it was easy to find a thane
who sought his rest elsewhere, farther away,
a bed in the outbuildings, when was pointed out--
truly announced with clear tokens--
that hall-thane's hate; he kept himself afterwards
farther and safer, who escaped the fiend.
So he ruled, and strove against right,
one against all, until empty stood
the best of houses. And so for a great while--
for twelve long winters the lord of the Scyldings
suffered his grief, every sort of woe,
great sorrow, for to the sons of men
it became known, and carried abroad
in sad tales, that Grendel strove
long with Hrothgar, bore his hatred,
sins and feuds, for many seasons,
perpetual conflict; he wanted no peace
with any man of the Danish army,
nor ceased his deadly hatred, nor settled with money,
nor did any of the counselors need to expect
bright compensation from the killer's hands,
for the great ravager relentlessly stalked,
a dark death-shadow, lurked and struck
old and young alike, in perpetual night
held the misty moors. Men do not know
whither such whispering demons wander about.
260-285
"We are men of the Geatish nation
and Hygelac's hearth-companions.
My father was well-known among men,
a noble commander named Ecgtheow;
he saw many winters before he passed away,
ancient, from the court; nearly everyone
throughout the world remembers him.well.
With a friendly heart have we come
seeking your lord, the son of Healfdene,
guardian of his people; be of good counsel to us!
We have a great mission to that famous man,
ruler of the Danes; nor should any of it be
hidden, I think. You know, if things are
as we have truly heard tell,
that among the Scyldings some sort of enemy,
hidden evildoer, in the dark nights
manifests his terrible and mysterious violence,
shame and slaughter. With a generous spirit
I can counsel Hrothgar, advise him how,
wise old king, he may overcome this fiend--
if a change should ever come for him,
a remedy for the evil of his affiictions,
and his seething cares turn cooler;
or forever afterwards a time of anguish
he shall suffer, his sad necessity, while there stands
in its high place the best of houses."
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