Beowulf

"HǷÆT! ǷĒ Gār-Dena in geār-dagum þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon, hū þā æðelingas ellen fremedon."

"lof-dǣdum sceal in mǣgða gehwǣre man geþēon."

"Ā-lēdon þā lēofne þēoden, bēaga bryttan on bearm scipes, mærne be mæste. Þær wæs mādma fela, of feor-wegum frætwa gelæded: ne hyrde ic cymlīcor cēol gegyrwan hilde-wæpnum and heaðo-wædum, billum and byrnum; him on bearme læg mādma mænigo, þā him mid scoldon on flōdes æht feor gewītan. Nalas hī hine læssan lācum tēodan, þēod-gestrēonum, þonne þā dydon, þē hine æt frumsceafte forð onsendon ænne ofer yðe umbor wesende: þā gyt hīe him āsetton segen gyldenne hēah ofer hēafod, lēton holm beran, gēafon on gār-secg: him wæs geōmor sefa, murnende mōd. Men ne cunnon secgan tō soðe sele-rædende, hæleð under heofenum, hwā þæm hlæste onfēng."

"In Caines cynne þone cwealm gewræc, ēce drihten, þæs þe hē Ābel slōg; ne gefeah hē þære fæhðe, ac hē hine feor forwræc, metod for þy māne man-cynne fram. Þanon untydras ealle onwōcon, eotenas and ylfe and orcnēas, swylce gīgantas, þā wið gode wunnon lange þrāge; hē him þæs lēan forgeald."

"Gǣð ā Wyrd swā hīo scel!"

"Sēlre bið æghwæm, þæt hē his frēond wrece, þonne hē fela murne; ūre æghwylc sceal ende gebīdan worolde līfes; wyrce sē þe mōte dōmes ær dēaðe! þæt bið driht-guman unlifgendum æfter sēlest."

"Oferhyda ne gym, mære cempa! Nū is þīnes mægnes blæd āne hwīle; eft sōna bið, þæt þec ādl oððe ecg eafoðes getwæfeð, oððe fyres feng oððe flōdes wylm, oððe gripe mēces oððe gāres fliht, oððe atol yldo, oððe ēagena bearhtm forsiteð and forsworceð; semninga bið, þæt þec, dryht-guma, dēað oferswyðeð."

"Heald þū nū, hrūse, nū hæleð ne mōston, eorla æhte. Hwæt! hit ær on þē gōde begeāton; gūð-dēað fornam, feorh-bealo frēcne fyra gehwylcne, lēoda mīnra, þāra þe þis līf ofgeaf, gesāwon sele-drēam. Nāh hwā sweord wege oððe fetige fæted wæge, drync-fæt dēore: duguð ellor scōc. Sceal se hearda helm hyrsted golde fætum befeallen: feormiend swefað, þā þe beado-grīman bywan sceoldon, gē swylce sēo here-pād, sīo æt hilde gebād ofer borda gebræc bite īrena, brosnað æfter beorne. Ne mæg byrnan hring æfter wīg-fruman wīde fēran hæleðum be healfe; næs hearpan wyn, gomen glēo-bēames, nē gōd hafoc geond sæl swingeð, nē se swifta mearh burh-stede bēateð. Bealo-cwealm hafað fela feorh-cynna feorr onsended!"

"Sƿā bið geōmorlīc gomelum ceorle tō gebīdanne, þæt his byre rīde giong on galgan, þonne hē gyd ƿrece, sārigne sang, þonne his sunu hangað hrefne tō hrōðre and hē him helpe ne mæg, eald and in‐frōd, ǣnige gefremman. Symble bið gemyndgad morna gehƿylce eaforan ellor‐sīð; ōðres ne gȳmeð tō gebīdanne burgum on innan yrfe‐ƿeardes ... Geƿīteð þonne on sealman, sorh‐lēoð gæleð ān æfter ānum: þūhte him eall tō rūm, ƿongas and ƿīc‐stede."

"Ic þāra frætwa frēan ealles þanc wuldur-cyninge wordum secge, ēcum dryhtne, þē ic hēr on starie, þæs þe ic mōste mīnum lēodum ær swylt-dæge swylc gestrynan. Nū ic on māðma hord mīne bebohte frōde feorh-lege, fremmað gē nū lēoda þearfe; ne mæg ic hēr leng wesan. Hātað heaðo-mære hlæw gewyrcean, beorhtne æfter bæle æt brimes nosan; se scel tō gemyndum mīnum lēodum hēah hlīfian on Hrones næsse, þæt hit sæ-līðend syððan hātan Bīowulfes biorh, þā þe brentingas ofer flōda genipu feorran drīfað.""

"Beowulf is in fact so interesting as poetry, in places poetry so powerful, that this quite overshadows the historical content, and is largely independent even of the most important facts...that research has discovered."

"At the beginning, and during its process, and most of all at the end, we look down as if from a visionary height upon the house of man in the valley of the world. A light starts...and there is a sound of music; but the outer darkness and its hostile offspring lie ever in wait for the torches to fail and the voices to cease."