Hi, I'm back after working (yet again) on editing my book on poetry. I haven't given up this project...certainly not now when I have only 237 lines left to do!
An earlier version of the first lines appear in a posting below, but here's the whole fitt.
I should explain the translation choices made in one section:
An earlier version of the first lines appear in a posting below, but here's the whole fitt.
I should explain the translation choices made in one section:
I'm following a particular point of view here, expressed in the notes on these lines on Ben Slade's site heorot.dk, which say this:“He beseiged the grove and the swords' leavings,“tired from their wounds. He trumpeted threats“to that wretched band the rest of the night.“That morning, he said, his sword's edges“would give one to the gods on the gallows tree, 2940
2937] sinherge is usually rendered 'with a vast army'; Tripp (277-8 & personal communication) recommends 'at the huge (sacred) grove', taking herge as a variant of hearg, hearh 'temple, altar, santuary, idol; grove' (Clark Hall). Compare with The Wife's Lament (in the Exeter Book), l. 15 'het mec hlaford min / herheard niman' ("my lord commanded me be taken to the grove/sanctuary"). See also n. 2941-2 below.
[2941] gétan here could related to agétan 'to waste, destroy'; or a form of géotan 'to pour, shed, gush', here meaning 'to cause to shed blood', or 'to sacrifice', as I translate it; or it could be an otherwise unattested verb with the meaning 'to cut, to pierce', judging from the context (cf. Christ and Satan 508b-9a (in Minor Poems ): 'beornas sticodon, / garum on galdum' ["the warriors pierced, with spears on the gallows(cross)"].
[2941-2: The Sacrifice in the Forest] As North (142), Tripp (277) and others point out, the fact that the Geats are in a forest called 'Raven's Wood', and especially if we take sinherge as 'at the huge sacred grove', then this passage may well allude to sacrifices to Woden.
So these lines could be translated differently. Seamus Heaney writes
His army surrounded the weary remnantBurton Raffel did them like this
where they nursed their wounds; all through the night
he howled threats at those huddled survivors,
promised to axe their bodies open
when dawn broke, dangle them from gallows
to feed the birds.
With his mass of soldiers, circled aroundThe reference to "Othere's wise father" means Ongentheow.
The Geats who'd survived, who'd escaped him, calling
Threats and boasts at that wretched band
The whole night through. In the morning he'd hang
A few, he promised, to amuse the birds,
Then slaughter the rest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
He
told them to tell the tidings of battle 2892
at
the clifftop camp where the company waited
sad
in spirit through the slow morning,
the
spearbearers expecting both
their
king was killed or would come again,
beloved
man. The messenger
left
out little that lapsed in the battle
but
told them all the honest truth.
“Now
the one who held the Weders’ hopes,
“the
lord of the Geats, lies on his death-bed, 2900
“stretched
out like the dead by the dragon's strike.
“He
lies beside his lethal foe,
“sick
from saxe-wounds. No sword was able
“to
make a mark on that monstrous being
“whatever
the way. Wiglaf was sitting,
“Weohstan's
son, beside Beowulf,
“a
living lord along by the dead,
“weary
in mind, watching over
“the
loved and the loathed. Now our land must expect 2910
“a
time of war when the truth spreads
“to
Frisians, Franks, and far-off lands,
“the
king was killed. The conflict with the Hugas
“was worked to hardness when Hygelac went
“afloat
with his fleet to Frisian land
“where
Hetwares warred against him.
“There
courage came with such crushing power
“the
armoured man was overwhelmed.
“He
fell in the front. No further treasures
“could
he offer his men. Ever since then, 2920
“no
mercy for us from the Meroving.
“And
I place no trust in peace or truce,
“not
with the Swedes, for news has spread
“that
Ongentheow had overthrown
“Haethcyn
himself, who was Hrethel's son,
“at
Ravenswood when, in their pride,
“the
Geats first went against War Scylfings.
“Shortly
after, Othere's wise father
“turned
to attack, terrible and old.
“He
ended the sea-dog, honoured his wife, 2930
“his
ancient companion, deprived of her gold,
“Onela's
mother and Otheres',
“then
was hard on the heels of his hated foes
“who
could scarcely escape from him,
“to
Ravenswood, robbed of their lord.
“He
beseiged the grove and the swords' leavings,
“tired
from their wounds. He trumpeted threats
“to
that wretched band the rest of the night.
“That
morning, he said, his sword's edges
“would
give one to the gods on the gallows tree, 2940
“a
ravens' toy. Relief returned
“to
those downcast men as day began
“when
they heard Hygelac's horn and trumpet
“and
knew his war-cry. That worthy came
"
with
seasoned soldiers swift on the path." 2945
