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I. Beowulf

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Appendix

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The Attack in Finnsburg‡

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“........... næs byrnað nǣfre.”

Hleoðrode þā heaðo-geong cyning:

“Ne þis ne dagað ēastan, ne hēr draca ne flēogeð,

“ne hēr þisse healle hornas ne byrnað,

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“ac fēr forð berað fugelas singað,

“gylleð grǣg-hama, gūð-wudu hlynneð,

“scyld scefte oncwyð. Nū scȳneð þes mōna

“waðol under wolcnum; nū ārīsað wēa-dǣda,

“þē þisne folces nīð fremman willað.

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“Ac onwacnigeað nū, wīgend mīne,

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“hebbað ēowre handa, hicgeað on ellen,

“winnað on orde, wesað on mōde!”

Þā ārās monig gold-hladen þegn, gyrde hine his swurde;

þā tō dura ēodon drihtlīce cempan,

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Sigeferð and Eaha, hyra sweord getugon, and æt ōðrum durum Ordlāf and Gūðlāf, and Hengest sylf; hwearf him on lāste.

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Þā gīt Gārulf Gūðere styrode,

þæt hīe swā frēolīc feorh forman sīðe

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tō þǣre healle durum hyrsta ne bǣran, nū hyt nīða heard ānyman wolde:

ac hē frægn ofer eal undearninga, dēor-mōd hæleð, hwā þā duru hēolde.

“Sigeferð is mīn nama (cwæð hē), ic eom Secgena lēod,

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“wrecca wīde cūð. Fela ic wēana gebād,

“heardra hilda; þē is gȳt hēr witod,

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“swæðer þū sylf tō mē sēcean wylle.”

Þā wæs on wealle wæl-slihta gehlyn,

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sceolde cēlod bord cēnum on handa

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bān-helm berstan. Buruh-þelu dynede, oð þæt æt þǣre gūðe Gārulf gecrang, ealra ǣrest eorð-būendra,

Gūðlāfes sunu; ymbe hine gōdra fela.

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Hwearf flacra hrǣw hræfn, wandrode

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sweart and sealo-brūn; swurd-lēoma stōd swylce eal Finns-buruh fȳrenu wǣre.

Ne gefrægn ic nǣfre wurðlīcor æt wera hilde sixtig sige-beorna sēl gebǣran, ne nǣfre swānas swētne medo sēl forgyldan,

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þonne Hnæfe guldon his hæg-stealdas.

Hig fuhton fīf dagas, swā hyra nān ne fēol

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driht-gesīða, ac hig þā duru hēoldon.

Þā gewāt him wund hæleð on wæg gangan, sǣde þæt his byrne ābrocen wǣre,

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here-sceorpum hrōr, and ēac wæs his helm þyrl.

Þā hine sōna frægn folces hyrde,

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hū þā wīgend hyra wunda genǣson oððe hwæðer þǣra hyssa.......

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