III. GRENDEL THE MURDERER.

{Grendel attacks the sleeping heroes}rnrn          When the sun was sunken, he set out to visitrn          The lofty hall-building, how the Ring-Danes had used itrn          For beds and benches when the banquet was over.          Then he found there reposing many a noblern        5 Asleep after supper; sorrow the heroes,[1]          Misery knew not. The monster of evilrn          Greedy and cruel tarried but little,rnrn{He drags off thirty of them, and devours them}rnrn          Fell and frantic, and forced from their slumbersrn          Thirty of thanemen; thence he departedrn       10 Leaping and laughing, his lair to return to,          With surfeit of slaughter sallying homeward.          In the dusk of the dawning, as the day was just breaking,          Was Grendel's prowess revealed to the warriors:rnrn{A cry of agony goes up, when Grendel's horrible deed is fully realized.}rnrn          Then, his meal-taking finished, a moan was uplifted,       15 Morning-cry mighty. The man-ruler famous,          The long-worthy atheling, sat very woful,          Suffered great sorrow, sighed for his liegemen,[6]       When they had seen the track of the hateful pursuer,          The spirit accursèd: too crushing that sorrow,rnrn{The monster returns the next night.}rnrn       20 Too loathsome and lasting. Not longer he tarried,          But one night after continued his slaughterrn          Shameless and shocking, shrinking but littlern          From malice and murder; they mastered him fully.          He was easy to find then who otherwhere looked forrn       25 A pleasanter place of repose in the lodges,          A bed in the bowers. Then was brought to his noticern          Told him truly by token apparentrn          The hall-thane's hatred: he held himself afterrn          Further and faster who the foeman did baffle.       30 [2]So ruled he and strongly strove against justicern          Lone against all men, till empty uptoweredrnrn{King Hrothgar's agony and suspense last twelve years.}rnrn          The choicest of houses. Long was the season:          Twelve-winters' time torture sufferedrn          The friend of the Scyldings, every affliction,       35 Endless agony; hence it after[3] becamern          Certainly known to the children of menrn          Sadly in measures, that long against Hrothgarrn          Grendel struggled:--his grudges he cherished,          Murderous malice, many a winter,       40 Strife unremitting, and peacefully wished hern          [4]Life-woe to lift from no liegeman at all ofrn          The men of the Dane-folk, for money to settle,          No counsellor needed count for a momentrn[7]       On handsome amends at the hands of the murderer;rnrn{Grendel is unremitting in his persecutions.}rnrn       45 The monster of evil fiercely did harass,          The ill-planning death-shade, both elder and younger,          Trapping and tricking them. He trod every night thenrn          The mist-covered moor-fens; men do not know wherern          Witches and wizards wander and ramble.       50 So the foe of mankind many of evilsrn          Grievous injuries, often accomplished,          Horrible hermit; Heort he frequented,          Gem-bedecked palace, when night-shades had fallenrnrn{God is against the monster.}rnrn          (Since God did oppose him, not the throne could he touch,[5]       55 The light-flashing jewel, love of Him knew not).          'Twas a fearful affliction to the friend of the Scyldingsrnrn{The king and his council deliberate in vain.}rnrn          Soul-crushing sorrow. Not seldom in privatern          Sat the king in his council; conference held theyrn          What the braves should determine 'gainst terrors unlooked for.rnrn{They invoke the aid of their gods.}rnrn       60 At the shrines of their idols often they promisedrn          Gifts and offerings, earnestly prayed theyrn          The devil from hell would help them to lightenrn          Their people's oppression. Such practice they used then,          Hope of the heathen; hell they rememberedrn       65 In innermost spirit, God they knew not,rnrn{The true God they do not know.}rnrn          Judge of their actions, All-wielding Ruler,          No praise could they give the Guardian of Heaven,          The Wielder of Glory. Woe will be his whorn          Through furious hatred his spirit shall drive torn       70 The clutch of the fire, no comfort shall look for,          Wax no wiser; well for the man who,          Living his life-days, his Lord may facern          And find defence in his Father's embrace!rnrn    [1] The translation is based on 'weras,' adopted by H.-So.--K. and Th.    read 'wera' and, arranging differently, render 119(2)-120: _They knewrn    not sorrow, the wretchedness of man, aught of misfortune_.--Forrn    'unhælo' (120) R. suggests 'unfælo': _The uncanny creature, greedy andrn    cruel, etc_.rnrn    [2] S. rearranges and translates: _So he ruled and struggled unjustly,    one against all, till the noblest of buildings stood useless (it was arn    long while) twelve years' time: the friend of the Scyldings sufferedrn    distress, every woe, great sorrows, etc_.rnrn    [3] For 'syððan,' B. suggests 'sárcwidum': _Hence in mournful words itrn    became well known, etc_. Various other words beginning with 's' havern    been conjectured.rnrn    [4] The H.-So. glossary is very inconsistent in referring to thisrn    passage.--'Sibbe' (154), which H.-So. regards as an instr., B. takesrn    as accus., obj. of 'wolde.' Putting a comma after Deniga, he renders:    _He did not desire peace with any of the Danes, nor did he wish torn    remove their life-woe, nor to settle for money_.rnrn    [5] Of this difficult passage the following interpretations amongrn    others are given: (1) Though Grendel has frequented Heorot as a demon,    he could not become ruler of the Danes, on account of his hostility torn    God. (2) Hrothgar was much grieved that Grendel had not appearedrn    before his throne to receive presents. (3) He was not permitted torn    devastate the hall, on account of the Creator; _i.e._ God wished torn    make his visit fatal to him.--Ne ... wisse (169) W. renders: _Nor hadrn    he any desire to do so_; 'his' being obj. gen. = danach.rnrn[8]