110 Famous in battle, as Fate had not willed it. 
          The lord of the Geatmen uplifted his hand then,
          Smiting the fire-drake with sword that was precious,
          That bright on the bone the blade-edge did weaken,
          Bit more feebly than his folk-leader needed,
      115 Burdened with bale-griefs.  Then the barrow-protector,

{The dragon rages}

          When the sword-blow had fallen, was fierce in his spirit,
          Flinging his fires, flamings of battle
          Gleamed then afar:  the gold-friend of Weders

{Beowulf’s sword fails him.}

          Boasted no conquests, his battle-sword failed him
      120 Naked in conflict, as by no means it ought to,
          Long-trusty weapon.  ’Twas no slight undertaking
          That Ecgtheow’s famous offspring would leave
          The drake-cavern’s bottom; he must live in some region
          Other than this, by the will of the dragon,
      125 As each one of earthmen existence must forfeit. 
          ’Twas early thereafter the excellent warriors

{The combat is renewed.}

          Met with each other.  Anew and afresh
          The hoard-ward took heart (gasps heaved then his bosom): 

{The great hero is reduced to extremities.}

          Sorrow he suffered encircled with fire
      130 Who the people erst governed.  His companions by no means
          Were banded about him, bairns of the princes,

{His comrades flee!}

          With valorous spirit, but they sped to the forest,
          Seeking for safety.  The soul-deeps of one were

{Blood is thicker than water.}

          Ruffled by care:  kin-love can never
      135 Aught in him waver who well doth consider.

[88]

[1] The clause 2520(2)-2522(1), rendered by ‘Wist I ... monster,’ Gr., followed by S., translates substantially as follows:  If I knew how else I might combat the boastful defiance of the monster.—­The translation turns upon ‘wiethgripan,’ a word not understood.

    [2] B. emends and translates:  I will not flee the space of a foot
    from the guard of the barrow, but there shall be to us a fight at the
    wall, as fate decrees, each one’s Creator.

[3] The translation of this passage is based on ‘unslaw’ (2565), accepted by H.-So., in lieu of the long-standing ‘ungleaw.’  The former is taken as an adj. limiting ‘sweord’; the latter as an adj. c. ‘gueth-cyning’:  The good war-king, rash with edges, brandished his sword, his old relic. The latter gives a more rhetorical Anglo-Saxon (poetical) sentence.

XXXVI.

WIGLAF THE TRUSTY.—­BEOWULF IS DESERTED BY FRIENDS AND BY SWORD.

{Wiglaf remains true—­the ideal Teutonic liegeman.}