II. SCYLD'S SUCCESSORS.--HROTHGAR'S GREAT MEAD-HALL.

{Beowulf succeeds his father Scyld}rnrn          In the boroughs then Beowulf, bairn of the Scyldings,          Belovèd land-prince, for long-lasting seasonrn          Was famed mid the folk (his father departed,          The prince from his dwelling), till afterward sprangrn        5 Great-minded Healfdene; the Danes in his lifetimern          He graciously governed, grim-mooded, agèd.rnrn{Healfdene's birth.}rnrn          Four bairns of his body born in successionrn          Woke in the world, war-troopers' leaderrn          Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga the good;       10 Heard I that Elan was Ongentheow's consort,rnrn{He has three sons--one of them, Hrothgar--and a daughter named Elan.rnHrothgar becomes a mighty king.}rnrn          The well-beloved bedmate of the War-Scylfing leader.          Then glory in battle to Hrothgar was given,          Waxing of war-fame, that willingly kinsmenrn          Obeyed his bidding, till the boys grew to manhood,       15 A numerous band.  It burned in his spiritrn          To urge his folk to found a great building,          A mead-hall grander than men of the erarnrn{He is eager to build a great hall in which he may feast his retainers}rnrn          Ever had heard of, and in it to sharern          With young and old all of the blessingsrn       20 The Lord had allowed him, save life and retainers.          Then the work I find afar was assignedrn[4]       To many races in middle-earth's regions,          To adorn the great folk-hall. In due time it happenedrn          Early 'mong men, that 'twas finished entirely,       25 The greatest of hall-buildings; Heorot he named itrnrn{The hall is completed, and is called Heort, or Heorot.}rnrn          Who wide-reaching word-sway wielded 'mong earlmen.          His promise he brake not, rings he lavished,          Treasure at banquet. Towered the hall uprn          High and horn-crested, huge between antlers:       30 It battle-waves bided, the blasting fire-demon;          Ere long then from hottest hatred must sword-wrathrn          Arise for a woman's husband and father.          Then the mighty war-spirit[1] endured for a season,rnrn{The Monster Grendel is madly envious of the Danemen's joy.}rnrn          Bore it bitterly, he who bided in darkness,       35 That light-hearted laughter loud in the buildingrn          Greeted him daily; there was dulcet harp-music,          Clear song of the singer. He said that was ablernrn{[The course of the story is interrupted by a short reference to some oldrnaccount of the creation.]}rnrn          To tell from of old earthmen's beginnings,          That Father Almighty earth had created,       40 The winsome wold that the water encircleth,          Set exultingly the sun's and the moon's beamsrn          To lavish their lustre on land-folk and races,          And earth He embellished in all her regionsrn          With limbs and leaves; life He bestowed toorn       45 On all the kindreds that live under heaven.rnrn{The glee of the warriors is overcast by a horrible dread.}rnrn          So blessed with abundance, brimming with joyance,          The warriors abided, till a certain one gan torn          Dog them with deeds of direfullest malice,          A foe in the hall-building: this horrible stranger[2]       50 Was Grendel entitled, the march-stepper famousrn          Who[3] dwelt in the moor-fens, the marsh and the fastness;          The wan-mooded being abode for a seasonrn[5]       In the land of the giants, when the Lord and Creatorrn          Had banned him and branded. For that bitter murder,       55 The killing of Abel, all-ruling Fatherrnrn{Cain is referred to as a progenitor of Grendel, and of monsters inrngeneral.}rnrn          The kindred of Cain crushed with His vengeance;          In the feud He rejoiced not, but far away drove himrn          From kindred and kind, that crime to atone for,          Meter of Justice. Thence ill-favored creatures,       60 Elves and giants, monsters of ocean,          Came into being, and the giants that longtimern          Grappled with God; He gave them requital.rnrn    [1] R. and t. B. prefer 'ellor-gæst' to 'ellen-gæst' (86): _Then thern    stranger from afar endured, etc._rnrn    [2] Some authorities would translate '_demon_' instead ofrn    '_stranger_.'rnrn    [3] Some authorities arrange differently, and render: _Who dwelt inrn    the moor-fens, the marsh and the fastness, the land of thern    giant-race._