{Beowulf falls.}

          She gave him requital[3] early thereafter,
          And stretched out to grab him; the strongest of warriors
          Faint-mooded stumbled, till he fell in his traces,

{The monster sits on him with drawn sword.}

       70 Foot-going champion.  Then she sat on the hall-guest
          And wielded her war-knife wide-bladed, flashing,
          For her son would take vengeance, her one only bairn.

{His armor saves his life.}

          His breast-armor woven bode on his shoulder;
          It guarded his life, the entrance defended
       75 ’Gainst sword-point and edges.  Ecgtheow’s son there
          Had fatally journeyed, champion of Geatmen,
          In the arms of the ocean, had the armor not given,
          Close-woven corslet, comfort and succor,

{God arranged for his escape.}

          And had God most holy not awarded the victory,
       80 All-knowing Lord; easily did heaven’s
          Ruler most righteous arrange it with justice;[4]
          Uprose he erect ready for battle.

    [1] Kl. emends ‘wael-sweord.’  The half-line would then read, ’the
    battle-sword splendid.’—­For ‘heard-ecg’ in next half-verse, see note
    to 20_39 above.

    [2] Sw., R., and t.B. suggest ‘feaxe’ for ‘eaxle’ (1538) and render: 
    Seized by the hair.

    [3] If ‘hand-lean’ be accepted (as the MS. has it), the line will
    read:  She hand-reward gave him early thereafter.

    [4] Sw. and S. change H.-So.’s semicolon (v. 1557) to a comma, and
    translate:  The Ruler of Heaven arranged it in justice easily, after
    he arose again.

XXIV.

BEOWULF IS DOUBLE-CONQUEROR.

{Beowulf grasps a giant-sword,}

          Then he saw mid the war-gems a weapon of victory,
          An ancient giant-sword, of edges a-doughty,
          Glory of warriors:  of weapons ’twas choicest,
          Only ’twas larger than any man else was
[54] 5 Able to bear to the battle-encounter,
          The good and splendid work of the giants. 
          He grasped then the sword-hilt, knight of the Scyldings,
          Bold and battle-grim, brandished his ring-sword,
          Hopeless of living, hotly he smote her,
       10 That the fiend-woman’s neck firmly it grappled,

{and fells the female monster.}

          Broke through her bone-joints, the bill fully pierced her
          Fate-cursed body, she fell to the ground then: 
          The hand-sword was bloody, the hero exulted. 
          The brand was brilliant, brightly it glimmered,
       15 Just as from heaven gemlike shineth
          The torch of the firmament.  He glanced ’long the building,