{"id":392,"date":"2015-07-15T18:17:30","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T18:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/britlit1xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=392"},"modified":"2015-07-15T18:17:30","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T18:17:30","slug":"beowulf-prelude","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-britlit1\/chapter\/beowulf-prelude\/","title":{"raw":"Beowulf Prelude","rendered":"Beowulf Prelude"},"content":{"raw":"LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings\r\nof spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,\r\nwe have heard, and what honor the athelings won!\r\nOft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,\r\nfrom many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,\r\nawing the earls. Since erst he lay\r\nfriendless, a foundling, fate repaid him:\r\nfor he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve,\r\ntill before him the folk, both far and near,\r\nwho house by the whale-path, heard his mandate,\r\ngave him gifts: a good king he!\r\nTo him an heir was afterward born,\r\na son in his halls, whom heaven sent\r\nto favor the folk, feeling their woe\r\nthat erst they had lacked an earl for leader\r\nso long a while; the Lord endowed him,\r\nthe Wielder of Wonder, with world\u2019s renown.\r\nFamed was this Beowulf[footnote]Not, of course, Beowulf the Great, hero of the epic.[\/footnote]\u00a0far flew the boast of him,\r\nson of Scyld, in the Scandian lands.\r\nSo becomes it a youth to quit him well\r\nwith his father\u2019s friends, by fee and gift,\r\nthat to aid him, aged, in after days,\r\ncome warriors willing, should war draw nigh,\r\nliegemen loyal: by lauded deeds\r\nshall an earl have honor in every clan.\r\n\r\nForth he fared at the fated moment,\r\nsturdy Scyld to the shelter of God.\r\nThen they bore him over to ocean\u2019s billow,\r\nloving clansmen, as late he charged them,\r\nwhile wielded words the winsome Scyld,\r\nthe leader beloved who long had ruled....\r\nIn the roadstead rocked a ring-dight vessel,\r\nice-flecked, outbound, atheling\u2019s barge:\r\nthere laid they down their darling lord\r\non the breast of the boat, the breaker-of-rings,[footnote]Kenning for king or chieftain of a comitatus: he breaks off gold from the spiral rings -- often worn on the arm -- and so rewards his followers.[\/footnote]\r\nby the mast the mighty one. Many a treasure\r\nfetched from far was freighted with him.\r\nNo ship have I known so nobly dight\r\nwith weapons of war and weeds of battle,\r\nwith breastplate and blade: on his bosom lay\r\na heaped hoard that hence should go\r\nfar o\u2019er the flood with him floating away.\r\nNo less these loaded the lordly gifts,\r\nthanes\u2019 huge treasure, than those had done\r\nwho in former time forth had sent him\r\nsole on the seas, a suckling child.\r\nHigh o\u2019er his head they hoist the standard,\r\na gold-wove banner; let billows take him,\r\ngave him to ocean. Grave were their spirits,\r\nmournful their mood. No man is able\r\nto say in sooth, no son of the halls,\r\nno hero \u2019neath heaven, -- who harbored that freight!","rendered":"

LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings
\nof spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
\nwe have heard, and what honor the athelings won!
\nOft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,
\nfrom many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,
\nawing the earls. Since erst he lay
\nfriendless, a foundling, fate repaid him:
\nfor he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve,
\ntill before him the folk, both far and near,
\nwho house by the whale-path, heard his mandate,
\ngave him gifts: a good king he!
\nTo him an heir was afterward born,
\na son in his halls, whom heaven sent
\nto favor the folk, feeling their woe
\nthat erst they had lacked an earl for leader
\nso long a while; the Lord endowed him,
\nthe Wielder of Wonder, with world\u2019s renown.
\nFamed was this Beowulf[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0far flew the boast of him,
\nson of Scyld, in the Scandian lands.
\nSo becomes it a youth to quit him well
\nwith his father\u2019s friends, by fee and gift,
\nthat to aid him, aged, in after days,
\ncome warriors willing, should war draw nigh,
\nliegemen loyal: by lauded deeds
\nshall an earl have honor in every clan.<\/p>\n

Forth he fared at the fated moment,
\nsturdy Scyld to the shelter of God.
\nThen they bore him over to ocean\u2019s billow,
\nloving clansmen, as late he charged them,
\nwhile wielded words the winsome Scyld,
\nthe leader beloved who long had ruled….
\nIn the roadstead rocked a ring-dight vessel,
\nice-flecked, outbound, atheling\u2019s barge:
\nthere laid they down their darling lord
\non the breast of the boat, the breaker-of-rings,[2]<\/sup><\/a>
\nby the mast the mighty one. Many a treasure
\nfetched from far was freighted with him.
\nNo ship have I known so nobly dight
\nwith weapons of war and weeds of battle,
\nwith breastplate and blade: on his bosom lay
\na heaped hoard that hence should go
\nfar o\u2019er the flood with him floating away.
\nNo less these loaded the lordly gifts,
\nthanes\u2019 huge treasure, than those had done
\nwho in former time forth had sent him
\nsole on the seas, a suckling child.
\nHigh o\u2019er his head they hoist the standard,
\na gold-wove banner; let billows take him,
\ngave him to ocean. Grave were their spirits,
\nmournful their mood. No man is able
\nto say in sooth, no son of the halls,
\nno hero \u2019neath heaven, — who harbored that freight!<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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