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The Anglo-Saxon Period
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4. Beowulf's Death
1. ableeding: sa ng uinante
2. plashed. spruzzo
piena
3. breast-hoard:
dell'animo
4. spake = spoke
5. splendour-booty: teso ­
ro, bottino
6. hoard: amrnasso, muc­
chio
7. ye = you
8. fere: compagno
9. mound: turnul o
10. death-pyre: ro go , ere­
mazion e
11. foreland: prornontorio
12. Whale's Ness: Prornon­
torio della Balen a
13. Beowulf's Barrow: Tu­
mulo di Beowulf
14. doffed: stacco, tolse
15. Sturdy-Souled: prode,
indomito
f
16. Retainer: vassa llo
17. gold-bedight: ado rno
d'oro
18. byrnie: corse tto
19. Kin: stirpe
20. Wyrd: faro
21. stock and stem: con­
giunti
22. jarlmen: valorosi prin­
cipi
23. Ere = before
24. bale-fire. pira
25. soothfast: gius te
26. in the right: cui avev a
diritto.
Then Wiglaf w ith the treasures found his King and Friend,
His glorious Chief, ablee ding,' near his life's end.
Again he plashed- with water; until the point of word
Pierced athrough the bre ast-h oard' of Beowulf, the old,
5 And spake" he in his grieving , with gaze upon the gold:
"Fo r this splendo ur-booty! be thanks unto the Lord,
Unto the King-of-Glory , for what I here behold,
To God, the everl asting , in that 'tis mine to give
Such gifts unto my people , while an hour I live.
10 Now have I bartered for the hoard- of gold
The end of this my old life. Look ye 7 well, my fere,"
To my people's needs now. I'm no longer here.
Bid the battle-bold men build a mound? to me ,
Shining, after de ath-pyre ," on foreland'! by the se a;
15 Out upon Whale 's Ness,' ? it sh all lift on high ,
Reminder to my people of the man was I,
That ever thereafter sailor-folk will hail
"Beowulf's Barrow?" when home from far they sail,
O'er the misty ocean, past the Ness-of-Whale ."
20 From his neck he doffed» then, he, the Sturdy-Souled,"
And gave to his Retainer," a co llar of gold;
Gave the yo ung Spearman his helmet gold-bedight,"
His ring and his byrnie ," bade him use them right:
"Thou art only remnant of our common line ,
25 The Kin19 of the Waegmundis, Wiglaf min e .
Wyrd 20 has swept before ye all my stock and stern,"
The jarlrnen> in their glory . I must after them ."
The last of words was that for which that aged Heart had breath,
Ere,z3 he chose the bale-ftre.> the hot waves of de ath.
30 And so from breast of Beowulf the soul took flight
To seek the just award of souls soothfast" in the right."
(from: Beowulf,
11. 2788-2 820)1
The passage describes the last moments of Beowulf'S life. He has just been
wou nded by the dragon and is dying: nea r him is young Wigla! The two
characters are quite different from each other in age, behaviour and rank:
Beowulf lovingly calls Wiglaf "Wiglaf mine" (l . 25) while the boy considers
him his "King and Friend " (l. 1) . Wiglaf isp robably related to Beowulfsince
he calls him the "only rem nant of our common line" (l . 24) and apparent­
ly appoints him to succeed him on the throne, asking him to look afte r his
people's needs (ll. 11-12) : to this end he passes on to him his own collar of
gold, his helmet, his ring and his "byrnie."
Beowulfseems tofo reshadow the end ofhis own people; he kn ows he is
goi ng to die and asks Wiglafto build a mou nd for him on Whale's Ness,
1. Th is mo de rn version is by William E. Leonard (Beowulf, a New Verse Translation , New
York, 1923); though the origina l is no t rhymed, this modern vers ion is.