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Chapter 16
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| | AND the lord of earls, to each that came | |
| | with Beowulf over the briny ways, | |
| | an heirloom there at the ale-bench gave, | |
| | precious gift; and the price[1] bade pay | |
| | in gold for him whom Grendel erst | |
| | murdered,—and fain of them more had killed, | |
| | had not wisest God their Wyrd averted, | |
| | and the man's[2] brave mood. The Maker then | |
| | ruled human kind, as here and now. | |
| | Therefore is insight always best, | |
| | and forethought of mind. How much awaits him | |
| | of lief and of loath, who long time here, | |
| | through days of warfare this world endures! | |
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| | Then song and music mingled sounds | |
| | in the presence of Healfdene's head-of-armies[3] | |
| | and harping was heard with the hero-lay | |
| | as Hrothgar's singer the hall-joy woke | |
| | along the mead-seats, making his song | |
| | of that sudden raid on the sons of Finn.[4] | |
| | Healfdene's hero, Hnaef the Scylding, | |
| | was fated to fall in the Frisian slaughter.[5] | |
| | Hildeburh needed not hold in value | |
| | her enemies' honor![6] Innocent both | |
| | were the loved ones she lost at the linden-play, | |
| | bairn and brother, they bowed to fate, | |
| | stricken by spears; 'twas a sorrowful woman! | |
| | None doubted why the daughter of Hoc | |
| | bewailed her doom when dawning came, | |
| | and under the sky she saw them lying, | |
| | kinsmen murdered, where most she had kenned | |
| | of the sweets of the world! By war were swept, too, | |
| | Finn's own liegemen, and few were left; | |
| | in the parleying-place[7] he could ply no longer | |
| | weapon, nor war could he wage on Hengest, | |
| | and rescue his remnant by right of arms | |
| | from the prince's thane. A pact he offered: | |
| | another dwelling the Danes should have, | |
| | hall and high-seat, and half the power | |
| | should fall to them in Frisian land; | |
| | and at the fee-gifts, Folcwald's son | |
| | day by day the Danes should honor, | |
| | the folk of Hengest favor with rings, | |
| | even as truly, with treasure and jewels, | |
| | with fretted gold, as his Frisian kin | |
| | he meant to honor in ale-hall there. | |
| | Pact of peace they plighted further | |
| | on both sides firmly. Finn to Hengest | |
| | with oath, upon honor, openly promised | |
| | that woful remnant, with wise-men's aid, | |
| | nobly to govern, so none of the guests | |
| | by word or work should warp the treaty,[8] | |
| | or with malice of mind bemoan themselves | |
| | as forced to follow their fee-giver's slayer, | |
| | lordless men, as their lot ordained. | |
| | Should Frisian, moreover, with foeman's taunt, | |
| | that murderous hatred to mind recall, | |
| | then edge of the sword must seal his doom. | |
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| | Oaths were given, and ancient gold | |
| | heaped from hoard.—The hardy Scylding, | |
| | battle-thane best,[9] on his balefire lay. | |
| | All on the pyre were plain to see | |
| | the gory sark, the gilded swine-crest, | |
| | boar of hard iron, and athelings many | |
| | slain by the sword: at the slaughter they fell. | |
| | It was Hildeburh's hest, at Hnaef's own pyre | |
| | the bairn of her body on brands to lay, | |
| | his bones to burn, on the balefire placed, | |
| | at his uncle's side. In sorrowful dirges | |
| | bewept them the woman: great wailing ascended. | |
| | Then wound up to welkin the wildest of death-fires, | |
| | roared o'er the hillock:[10] heads all were melted, | |
| | gashes burst, and blood gushed out | |
| | from bites[11] of the body. Balefire devoured, | |
| | greediest spirit, those spared not by war | |
| | out of either folk: their flower was gone. | |
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| | [1] Man-price, wergild. [2] Beowulf's. [3] Hrothgar. [4] There is | |
| | no need to assume a gap in the Ms. As before about Sigemund and | |
| | Heremod, so now, though at greater length, about Finn and his | |
| | feud, a lay is chanted or recited; and the epic poet, counting on | |
| | his readers' familiarity with the story,—a fragment of it | |
| | still exists,—simply gives the headings. [5] The exact story | |
| | to which this episode refers in summary is not to be determined, | |
| | but the following account of it is reasonable and has good | |
| | support among scholars. Finn, a Frisian chieftain, who | |
| | nevertheless has a "castle" outside the Frisian border, marries | |
| | Hildeburh, a Danish princess; and her brother, Hnaef, with many | |
| | other Danes, pays Finn a visit. Relations between the two peoples | |
| | have been strained before. Something starts the old feud anew; | |
| | and the visitors are attacked in their quarters. Hnaef is killed; | |
| | so is a son of Hildeburh. Many fall on both sides. Peace is | |
| | patched up; a stately funeral is held; and the surviving visitors | |
| | become in a way vassals or liegemen of Finn, going back with him | |
| | to Frisia. So matters rest a while. Hengest is now leader of the | |
| | Danes; but he is set upon revenge for his former lord, Hnaef. | |
| | Probably he is killed in feud; but his clansmen, Guthlaf and | |
| | Oslaf, gather at their home a force of sturdy Danes, come back to | |
| | Frisia, storm Finn's stronghold, kill him, and carry back their | |
| | kinswoman Hildeburh. [6] The "enemies" must be the Frisians. [7] | |
| | Battlefield.—Hengest is the "prince's thane," companion of | |
| | Hnaef. "Folcwald's son" is Finn. [8] That is, Finn would govern | |
| | in all honor the few Danish warriors who were left, provided, of | |
| | course, that none of them tried to renew the quarrel or avenge | |
| | Hnaef their fallen lord. If, again, one of Finn's Frisians began | |
| | a quarrel, he should die by the sword. [9] Hnaef. [10] The high | |
| | place chosen for the funeral: see description of Beowulf's | |
| | funeral-pile at the end of the poem. [11] Wounds. | |
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