Unit 1

TRANSLATION: BEOWULF
Original Text (165-185):

In icting constant cruelties on the people,

Atrocious hurt. He took over Heorot,

Haunted the glittering hall after dark,

But the throne itself, the treasure-seat,

He was kept from approaching; he was the Lord‟s outcast.

These were hard times, heart-breaking

For the prince of the Shieldings; powerful counselors,

The highest in the land, would lend advice,

Plotting how best the bold defenders

Might resist and beat o sudden attacks.

Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed

O ering to idols, swore oaths

That the killer of souls might come to their aid

And save the people. That was their way,

Their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts

They remembered Hell. The Almighty Judge

Of good deeds and bad, the Lord God,

Head of the Heavens and High King of the World,

Was unknown to them. Oh, cursed is he

Who in time of trouble had to thrust his soul

In the re‟s embrace, forfeiting help;

He has nowhere to turn. But blessed is he

Who after death can approach the Lord

And nd friendship in the Father‟s embrace

Translation:

In igiendo constantes crueldades sobre la gente,

Daño atroz. Tomó control de Heorot,

Acechó el brillante salón después del anochecer,

Pero el trono en si mismo, el asiento de tesoro,

Se le impidió acercarse; era el paria del Señor.

Eran tiempos duros, que rompen el corazón

Para el principe de los Shieldings; consejeros poderosos,

Los más importantes de la tierra, darían consejo,

Tramando como mejor los bravos defensores

Podrían resistir y derrotar repentinos ataques.

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 Unit 1

A veces en santuarios paganos ofrecían

Promesas a los ídolos, hacían juramentos

Que el asesino de almas acudiría en su ayuda

Y salvaría al pueblo. Ese era su camino,

Su esperanza pagana; profunda en sus corazones

Recordaban el in erno. El juez todopoderoso

De las buenas y malas obras, el Señor Dios,

Jefe de los cielos y Alto Rey del mundo,

Era desconocido para ellos. Ay, maldito es aquel

Que en tiempo de problemas confía en su alma

En el abrazo del fuego, pospone ayuda;

No tiene a donde dirigirse. Pero bienaventurado es aquel

Quien después de la muerte puede acercarse al señor

Y encontrar la amistad en el abrazo del Padre

Commentary:
Everything is about religion in this piece, it is the only fragment in Beowulf where paganism is condemned. The
rest of the poem is very di erent in tone and in subject matter.

The rst stanza here (165-170) represents that antithesis between paradise and darkness. Heorot is pure
heaven, pure light. The monster attacks after dark, it is a dark force all together. He was an outcast. Of course,
in Heorot, they provide him from entering, from reaching the throne, which is the prime source of power and
light in this hall. But, why is Grendel an outcast? What condemns him? Because he is part of Cain’s clan.

In the second stanza and third (170-180) we see that Grendel is a political enemy. You can read many meanings
into Grendel, but here he represents immination, he attacks the king and the king feels hopeless. At Heorot, they
re desperate, they need help, even divine assistance. So, they make vows to pagan gods. According to the
poet, however, that is wrong. They are choosing the wrong gods (“heathenish hope”), unchristian, ungodly.
Maybe, that is why they are being attacked, that is why they are not receiving help from God, because they are
pagans. They are praying to the wrong divinities.

The fourth and ve stanzas (180-190) shows us that they knew God if they were in a di erent situation. The fact
that they knew nothing about God was part of the problem. The unchristian have nothing to do, no protection,
no redemption. They are so kind they remember hell because this pagan paradise, Heorot, was becoming hell.

This part of the poem is an interpellation, something that is not supposed to be there, something that it wasn’t in
the original version. That is the theory formulated by many. For other is a possible part of the poem because it is
part of the transitional period. This poem talks about Paganism, talks about Christianity. It does both things
because in Anglo-Saxon culture we have both things competing with each other. This is a fantastic poem to
illustrate this thing.

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