Part IV
To him the stateliest spake in answer;the warriors' leader his word-hoard unlocked: --"We are by kin of the clan of Geats,and Hygelac's own hearth-fellows we.To folk afar was my father known,noble atheling, Ecgtheow named.Full of winters, he fared awayaged from earth; he is honored stillthrough width of the world by wise men all.To thy lord and liege in loyal moodwe hasten hither, to Healfdene's son,people-protector: be pleased to advise us!To that mighty-one come we on mickle errand,to the lord of the Danes; nor deem I rightthat aught be hidden. We hear -- thou knowestif sooth it is -- the saying of men,that amid the Scyldings a scathing monster,dark ill-doer, in dusky nightsshows terrific his rage unmatched,hatred and murder. To Hrothgar Iin greatness of soul would succor bring,so the Wise-and-Brave may worst his foes, --if ever the end of ills is fated,of cruel contest, if cure shall follow,and the boiling care-waves cooler grow;else ever afterward anguish-dayshe shall suffer in sorrow while stands in placehigh on its hill that house unpeered!"Astride his steed, the strand-ward answered,clansman unquailing: "The keen-souled thanemust be skilled to sever and sunder dulywords and works, if he well intends.I gather, this band is graciously bentto the Scyldings' master. March, then, bearingweapons and weeds the way I show you.I will bid my men your boat meanwhileto guard for fear lest foemen come, --your new-tarred ship by shore of oceanfaithfully watching till once againit waft o'er the waters those well-loved thanes,-- winding-neck'd wood, -- to Weders' bounds,heroes such as the hest of fateshall succor and save from the shock of war."They bent them to march, -- the boat lay still,fettered by cable and fast at anchor,broad-bosomed ship. -- Then shone the boarsover the cheek-guard; chased with gold,keen and gleaming, guard it kepto'er the man of war, as marched alongheroes in haste, till the hall they saw,broad of gable and bright with gold:that was the fairest, 'mid folk of earth,of houses 'neath heaven, where Hrothgar lived,and the gleam of it lightened o'er lands afar.The sturdy shieldsman showed that brightburg-of-the-boldest; bade them gostraightway thither; his steed then turned,hardy hero, and hailed them thus: --"'Tis time that I fare from you. Father Almightyin grace and mercy guard you well,safe in your seekings. Seaward I go,'gainst hostile warriors hold my watch."
Words in this poem 25
- folk n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- 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]
- liege a.
- Sovereign; independent; having authority or right to allegiance; as, a liege lord. [OE. lige, lege, F. lige, LL. ligius, legius, liege, unlimited, complete, prob. of German origin; cf. G. ledig free from bonds and obstacles, MHG. ledec, ledic, ]
- mickle a.
- Much; great. [Old Eng. & Scot.] [OE. mikel, muchel, mochel, mukel, AS. micel, mycel; akin to OS. mikil, OHG. mihil, mihhil, Icel. mikill, mykill, Goth. mikils, L. magnus, Gr. mahat. sq. root103]
- deem v. t.
- To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- 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]
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- cooler n.
- That which cools, or abates heat or excitement.
- unpeered a.
- Having no peer; unequaled; unparalleled.
- astride adv.
- With one leg on each side, as a man when on horseback; with the legs stretched wide apart; astraddle. [Pref. a- + stride.]
- steed n.
- A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
- clansman n.
- One belonging to the same clan with another.
- graciously adv.
- In a gracious manner; courteously; benignantly.
- meanwhile n.
- The intervening time; as, in the meantime (or mean time).
- waft v. t.
- To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
- hest n.
- Command; precept; injunction. See Behest. [AS. hs, fr. h to call, bid. See Hight, and cf. Behest.]
- fettered a.
- Seeming as if fettered, as the feet pf certain animals which bend backward, and appear unfit for walking.
- gable n.
- A cable. Chapman.
- burg n.
- A fortified town. [AS. burh, burg, cf. LL. burgus. See 1st Borough.]
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- straightway adv.
- Immediately; without loss of time; without delay.
- seaward a.
- Directed or situated toward the sea. Donne.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Part IV 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 IV, in Beowulf (1910), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #981, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/beowulf/part-iv.html, id L14192.
Form and metre
Part IV is 62 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 72%). 86% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.1 syllables. 12 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 37% 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 -------------------------------------AA----------------------- answer · unlocked · geats · we · known · named · away · still · all · mood · son · us · errand · right · knowest · men · monster · nights · unmatched · i · bring · foes · fated · follow · grow · days · place · unpeered · answered · thane · duly · intends · bent · bearing · you · meanwhile · come · oceanA · againA · thanes · bounds · fate · war · still · anchor · boars · gold · kept · along · saw · gold · earth · lived · afar · bright · go · turned · thus · almighty · well · go · watch
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 |
|---|---|---|
| To him the stateliest spake in answer; | 10 | ········/˘ |
| the warriors' leader his word-hoard unlocked: -- | 11 | ·/˘˘/˘···˘/ |
| "We are by kin of the clan of Geats, | 9 | ········· |
| and Hygelac's own hearth-fellows we. | 9 | ······/˘· |
| To folk afar was my father known, | 9 | ··˘/··/˘· |
| noble atheling, Ecgtheow named. | 8 | /˘/˘˘··· |
| Full of winters, he fared away | 8 | ··/˘··˘/ |
| aged from earth; he is honored still | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| through width of the world by wise men all. | 9 | ········· |
| To thy lord and liege in loyal mood | 9 | ······/˘· |
| we hasten hither, to Healfdene's son, | 9 | ·/˘/˘···· |
| people-protector: be pleased to advise us! | 11 | /˘˘/˘···˘/· |
| To that mighty-one come we on mickle errand, | 12 | ··/˘····/˘/˘ |
| to the lord of the Danes; nor deem I right | 10 | ·········· |
| that aught be hidden. We hear -- thou knowest | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| if sooth it is -- the saying of men, | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| that amid the Scyldings a scathing monster, | 11 | ·˘/····/˘/˘ |
| dark ill-doer, in dusky nights | 7 | ····/˘· |
| shows terrific his rage unmatched, | 8 | ·˘/˘··˘/ |
| hatred and murder. To Hrothgar I | 9 | /˘·/˘···· |
| in greatness of soul would succor bring, | 9 | ·/˘···/˘· |
| so the Wise-and-Brave may worst his foes, -- | 9 | ········· |
| if ever the end of ills is fated, | 10 | ·/˘·····/˘ |
| of cruel contest, if cure shall follow, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···/˘ |
| and the boiling care-waves cooler grow; | 9 | ··/˘··/˘· |
| else ever afterward anguish-days | 9 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘· |
| he shall suffer in sorrow while stands in place | 11 | ··/˘·/˘···· |
| high on its hill that house unpeered!" | 8 | ········ |
| Astride his steed, the strand-ward answered, | 9 | ˘/·····/˘ |
| clansman unquailing: "The keen-souled thane | 9 | /˘······· |
| must be skilled to sever and sunder duly | 11 | ····/˘·/˘/˘ |
| words and works, if he well intends. | 8 | ······˘/ |
| I gather, this band is graciously bent | 10 | ·/˘···/˘˘· |
| to the Scyldings' master. March, then, bearing | 10 | ····/˘··/˘ |
| weapons and weeds the way I show you. | 9 | /˘······· |
| I will bid my men your boat meanwhile | 9 | ·······/· |
| to guard for fear lest foemen come, -- | 8 | ········ |
| your new-tarred ship by shore of ocean | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| faithfully watching till once again | 9 | /˘˘/˘··˘/ |
| it waft o'er the waters those well-loved thanes, | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| -- winding-neck'd wood, -- to Weders' bounds, | 8 | /˘······ |
| heroes such as the hest of fate | 8 | /˘······ |
| shall succor and save from the shock of war." | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| They bent them to march, -- the boat lay still, | 9 | ········· |
| fettered by cable and fast at anchor, | 10 | /˘·/˘···/˘ |
| broad-bosomed ship. -- Then shone the boars | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| over the cheek-guard; chased with gold, | 8 | ········ |
| keen and gleaming, guard it kept | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| o'er the man of war, as marched along | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| heroes in haste, till the hall they saw, | 9 | /˘······· |
| broad of gable and bright with gold: | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| that was the fairest, 'mid folk of earth, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| of houses 'neath heaven, where Hrothgar lived, | 10 | ·/˘·/˘···· |
| and the gleam of it lightened o'er lands afar. | 11 | ·····/˘··˘/ |
| The sturdy shieldsman showed that bright | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| burg-of-the-boldest; bade them go | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| straightway thither; his steed then turned, | 8 | /˘/˘···· |
| hardy hero, and hailed them thus: -- | 8 | /˘/˘···· |
| "'Tis time that I fare from you. Father Almighty | 12 | ·······/˘˘/˘ |
| in grace and mercy guard you well, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| safe in your seekings. Seaward I go, | 9 | ···/˘/˘·· |
| 'gainst hostile warriors hold my watch." | 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.