Part II
WENT he forth to find at fall of nightthat haughty house, and heed whereverthe Ring-Danes, outrevelled, to rest had gone.Found within it the atheling bandasleep after feasting and fearless of sorrow,of human hardship. Unhallowed wight,grim and greedy, he grasped betimes,wrathful, reckless, from resting-places,thirty of the thanes, and thence he rushedfain of his fell spoil, faring homeward,laden with slaughter, his lair to seek.Then at the dawning, as day was breaking,the might of Grendel to men was known;then after wassail was wail uplifted,loud moan in the morn. The mighty chief,atheling excellent, unblithe sat,labored in woe for the loss of his thanes,when once had been traced the trail of the fiend,spirit accurst: too cruel that sorrow,too long, too loathsome. Not late the respite;with night returning, anew beganruthless murder; he recked no whit,firm in his guilt, of the feud and crime.They were easy to find who elsewhere soughtin room remote their rest at night,bed in the bowers, when that bale was shown,was seen in sooth, with surest token, --the hall-thane's hate. Such held themselvesfar and fast who the fiend outran!Thus ruled unrighteous and raged his fillone against all; until empty stoodthat lordly building, and long it bode so.Twelve years' tide the trouble he bore,sovran of Scyldings, sorrows in plenty,boundless cares. There came unhiddentidings true to the tribes of men,in sorrowful songs, how ceaselessly Grendelharassed Hrothgar, what hate he bore him,what murder and massacre, many a year,feud unfading, -- refused consentto deal with any of Daneland's earls,make pact of peace, or compound for gold:still less did the wise men ween to getgreat fee for the feud from his fiendish hands.But the evil one ambushed old and youngdeath-shadow dark, and dogged them still,lured, or lurked in the livelong nightof misty moorlands: men may say notwhere the haunts of these Hell-Runes be.Such heaping of horrors the hater of men,lonely roamer, wrought unceasing,harassings heavy. O'er Heorot he lorded,gold-bright hall, in gloomy nights;and ne'er could the prince approach his throne,-- 'twas judgment of God, -- or have joy in his hall.Sore was the sorrow to Scyldings'-friend,heart-rending misery. Many noblessat assembled, and searched out counselhow it were best for bold-hearted menagainst harassing terror to try their hand.Whiles they vowed in their heathen fanesaltar-offerings, asked with wordsthat the slayer-of-souls would succor give themfor the pain of their people. Their practice this,their heathen hope; 'twas Hell they thought ofin mood of their mind. Almighty they knew not,Doomsman of Deeds and dreadful Lord,nor Heaven's-Helmet heeded they ever,Wielder-of-Wonder. -- Woe for that manwho in harm and hatred hales his soulto fiery embraces; -- nor favor nor changeawaits he ever. But well for himthat after death-day may draw to his Lord,and friendship find in the Father's arms!
Words in this poem 32
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- haughty a.
- High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
- wherever adv.
- At or in whatever place; wheresoever.
- atheling n.
- An Anglo-Saxon prince or nobleman; esp., the heir apparent or a prince of the royal family. [Written also Adeling and Ætheling.] [AS. æ noble, fr. æ noble, akin to G. adel nobility, edel noble. The word æ, E. ethel, is in many AS. proper names, as Ethelwolf, noble wolf; Ethelbald, noble bo]
- unhallowed a.
- Not consecrated; hence, profane; unholy; impious; wicked. [Pref. un- not + hallowed.]
- wight n.
- A whit; a bit; a jot. [OE. wight, wiht, a wight, a whit, AS. wiht, wuht, a creature, a thing; skin to D. wicht a child, OS. & OHG. wiht a creature, thing, G. wicht a creature, Icel. v]
- betimes adv.
- In good season or time; before it is late; seasonably; early. [Pref. be- (for by) + time; that is, by the proper time. The -s is an adverbial ending.]
- wrathful a.
- Full of wrath; very angry; greatly incensed; ireful; passionate; as, a wrathful man.
- rushed a.
- Abounding or covered with rushes.
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- homeward a.
- Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.
- lair n.
- A place in which to lie or rest; especially, the bed or couch of a wild beast. [OE. leir, AS. leger; akin to D. leger, G. lager couch, lair, OHG. laga, Goth. ligrs, and to E. lie. See Lie to be prostrate, and cf. Layer, Leaguer.]
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- accurst p. p.
- Doomed to destruction or misery; cursed; hence, bad enough to be under the curse; execrable; detestable; exceedingly hateful; -- as, an accursed deed.
- ruthless a.
- Having no ruth; cruel; pitiless.
- whit n.
- The smallest part or particle imaginable; a bit; a jot; an iota; -- generally used in an adverbial phrase in a negative sentence. [OE. wight, wiht, AS. wiht a creature, a thing. See Wight, and cf. Aught, Naught.]
- sooth a.
- True; faithful; trustworthy. [OE. soth, AS. s, for san; akin to OS. s, OHG. sand, Icel. sannr, Sw. sann, Dan. sand, Skr. sat, sant, real, genuine, present, being; properly p. pr. from a root]
- unrighteous a.
- Not righteous; evil; wicked; sinful; as, an unrighteous man. [OE. unrightwise, AS. unrihtwis. See Un- not, and Righteous.]
- bode n.
- An omen; a foreshadowing.
- sovran a.
- A variant of Sovereign.
- massacre n.
- The killing of a considerable number of human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty, or contrary to the usages of civilized people; as, the massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day. [F., fr. LL. mazacrium; cf. Prov. G. metzgern, metzgen, to kill cattle, G. metzger a butcher, and LG. matsken to cut, hew, OHG. meizan to cut, Goth. máitan.]
- pact n.
- An agreement; a league; a compact; a covenant. [L. pactum, fr. paciscere to make a bargain or contract, fr. pacere to settle, or agree upon; cf. pangere to fasten, Gr. paca bond, and E. fang: cf. F. pacie. Cf]
- ween v. i.
- To think; to imagine; to fancy. [OE. wenen, AS. w, fr. w hope, expectation, opinion; akin to D. waan, OFries. w, OS. & OHG. wan, G. wahn delusion, Icel. van hope, expectation, Goth. w, and D. w]
- fiendish a.
- Like a fiend; diabolically wicked or cruel; infernal; malignant; devilish; hellish.
- dogged a.
- Sullen; morose. [Fron. Dog.]
- livelong a.
- Whole; entire; long in passing; -- used of time, as day or night, in adverbial phrases, and usually with a sense of tediousness. [For lifelong. Cf. Lifelong.]
- roamer n.
- One who roams; a wanderer.
- whiles conj.
- During the time that; while. Chaucer. Fuller.
- slayer n.
- One who slays; a killer; a murderer; a destrroyer of life.
- doomsman n.
- A judge; an umpire. Hampole. [Doom + man.]
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- wielder n.
- One who wields or employs; a manager; a controller.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Part II is in the public domain. This text is taken from Beowulf, Project Gutenberg ebook #981, the Francis B. Gummere translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Anonymous, Part II, in Beowulf (1910), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #981, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/beowulf/part-ii.html, id L14190.
Form and metre
Part II is 74 lines in a single verse paragraph. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is trochaic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 70%). 85% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.3 syllables. 16 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 36% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in trochaic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ---------------A---A-A-A-BB-B-------------------------C--C---------------- night · wherever · gone · band · sorrow · wight · betimes · places · rushed · homeward · seek · breaking · known · uplifted · chief · satA · thanes · fiend · sorrow · respiteA · began · whitA · crime · soughtA · night · shownB · tokenB · themselves · outranB · fill · stood · so · bore · plenty · unhidden · men · grendel · him · year · consent · earls · gold · get · hands · young · still · night · not · be · men · unceasing · lorded · nights · throne · hallC · friend · nobles · counselC · men · hand · fanes · words · them · this · of · not · lord · ever · man · soul · change · him · lord · arms
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against trochaic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| WENT he forth to find at fall of night | 9 | ········· |
| that haughty house, and heed wherever | 9 | ·/˘···˘/˘ |
| the Ring-Danes, outrevelled, to rest had gone. | 10 | ·········· |
| Found within it the atheling band | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| asleep after feasting and fearless of sorrow, | 12 | ˘/··/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| of human hardship. Unhallowed wight, | 9 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘· |
| grim and greedy, he grasped betimes, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| wrathful, reckless, from resting-places, | 9 | /˘/˘·/˘/˘ |
| thirty of the thanes, and thence he rushed | 9 | /˘······· |
| fain of his fell spoil, faring homeward, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| laden with slaughter, his lair to seek. | 9 | /˘·/˘···· |
| Then at the dawning, as day was breaking, | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| the might of Grendel to men was known; | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| then after wassail was wail uplifted, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| loud moan in the morn. The mighty chief, | 9 | ······/˘· |
| atheling excellent, unblithe sat, | 9 | /˘˘/˘˘··· |
| labored in woe for the loss of his thanes, | 10 | /˘········ |
| when once had been traced the trail of the fiend, | 10 | ·········· |
| spirit accurst: too cruel that sorrow, | 10 | /˘···/˘·/˘ |
| too long, too loathsome. Not late the respite; | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| with night returning, anew began | 9 | ··˘/˘˘/˘/ |
| ruthless murder; he recked no whit, | 8 | /˘/˘···· |
| firm in his guilt, of the feud and crime. | 9 | ········· |
| They were easy to find who elsewhere sought | 10 | ··/˘···/·· |
| in room remote their rest at night, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| bed in the bowers, when that bale was shown, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| was seen in sooth, with surest token, -- | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| the hall-thane's hate. Such held themselves | 8 | ······˘/ |
| far and fast who the fiend outran! | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Thus ruled unrighteous and raged his fill | 9 | ··˘/˘···· |
| one against all; until empty stood | 9 | ······/˘· |
| that lordly building, and long it bode so. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Twelve years' tide the trouble he bore, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| sovran of Scyldings, sorrows in plenty, | 10 | /˘···/˘·/˘ |
| boundless cares. There came unhidden | 8 | /˘······ |
| tidings true to the tribes of men, | 8 | /˘······ |
| in sorrowful songs, how ceaselessly Grendel | 11 | ·/˘˘··/˘˘/˘ |
| harassed Hrothgar, what hate he bore him, | 9 | ˘/······· |
| what murder and massacre, many a year, | 11 | ·/˘·/˘˘/˘·· |
| feud unfading, -- refused consent | 8 | ····˘/˘/ |
| to deal with any of Daneland's earls, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| make pact of peace, or compound for gold: | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| still less did the wise men ween to get | 9 | ········· |
| great fee for the feud from his fiendish hands. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| But the evil one ambushed old and young | 10 | ··/˘·/···· |
| death-shadow dark, and dogged them still, | 8 | ·/······ |
| lured, or lurked in the livelong night | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| of misty moorlands: men may say not | 9 | ·/˘/····· |
| where the haunts of these Hell-Runes be. | 8 | ········ |
| Such heaping of horrors the hater of men, | 11 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘·· |
| lonely roamer, wrought unceasing, | 8 | /˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| harassings heavy. O'er Heorot he lorded, | 11 | ˘/˘/˘····/˘ |
| gold-bright hall, in gloomy nights; | 7 | ····/˘· |
| and ne'er could the prince approach his throne, | 9 | ·····˘/·· |
| -- 'twas judgment of God, -- or have joy in his hall. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| Sore was the sorrow to Scyldings'-friend, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| heart-rending misery. Many nobles | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘/˘ |
| sat assembled, and searched out counsel | 9 | ·˘/˘···/˘ |
| how it were best for bold-hearted men | 9 | ······/˘· |
| against harassing terror to try their hand. | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘···· |
| Whiles they vowed in their heathen fanes | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| altar-offerings, asked with words | 8 | /˘/˘˘··· |
| that the slayer-of-souls would succor give them | 11 | ··/˘···/˘·· |
| for the pain of their people. Their practice this, | 11 | ·····/˘·/˘· |
| their heathen hope; 'twas Hell they thought of | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| in mood of their mind. Almighty they knew not, | 11 | ·····˘/˘··· |
| Doomsman of Deeds and dreadful Lord, | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| nor Heaven's-Helmet heeded they ever, | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘·/˘ |
| Wielder-of-Wonder. -- Woe for that man | 9 | /˘·/˘···· |
| who in harm and hatred hales his soul | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| to fiery embraces; -- nor favor nor change | 12 | ·/˘˘˘/˘·/˘·· |
| awaits he ever. But well for him | 9 | ˘/·/˘···· |
| that after death-day may draw to his Lord, | 10 | ·········· |
| and friendship find in the Father's arms! | 9 | ·/˘···/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.