Beowulf: Lines 1 to 11 (Text)

Old English Reading 1

Appendix · Texts · Beowulf: Lines 1 to 11

📜 Beowulf: Lines 1 to 11

The Old English only, with no gloss or translation. Read in Old English Reading 1, Chapter 8. Download as a .txt file.

Source and licence Wikisource, Beowulf (Wyatt), A. J. Wyatt's 1894 edition based on Zupitza's autotypes, lines 1 to 11 of the Prelude. The dot marks the gap between half-lines. The edition is public domain by age; Wikisource's own contributions to the transcription are generally CC BY-SA, which I did not check for this page.

The text

1Hwæt! wē Gār-Dena · in gēar-dagum

þēod-cyninga · þrym gefrūnon,

hū ðā æþelingas · ellen fremedon.

Oft Scyld Scēfing · sceaþena þrēatum,

5monegum mǣgþum · meodo-setla oftēah.

Egsode eorl, · syððan ǣrest wearð

fēa-sceaft funden; · hē þæs frōfre gebād,

wēox under wolcnum, · weorð-myndum þāh,

oð þæt him ǣghwylc · þāra ymb-sittendra

10ofer hron-rāde · hȳran scolde,

gomban gyldan; · þæt wæs gōd cyning.

Note Only this extract is given. The poem has over 3,000 lines and I have not read a source of the whole text.