"Anonymous - Beowulf" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anonymous)

-- winding-neck'd wood, -- to Weders' bounds,
heroes such as the hest of fate
shall succor and save from the shock of war."
They bent them to march, -- the boat lay still,
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Page 14

fettered by cable and fast at anchor,
broad-bosomed ship. -- Then shone the boars2
over the cheek-guard; chased with gold,
keen and gleaming, guard it kept
o'er the man of war, as marched along
heroes in haste, till the hall they saw,
broad of gable and bright with gold:
that was the fairest, 'mid folk of earth,
of houses 'neath heaven, where Hrothgar lived,
and the gleam of it lightened o'er lands afar.
The sturdy shieldsman showed that bright
burg-of-the-boldest; bade them go
straightway thither; his steed then turned,
hardy hero, and hailed them thus: --
"Tis time that I fare from you. Father Almighty
in grace and mercy guard you well,
safe in your seekings. Seaward I go,
'gainst hostile warriors hold my watch."

[1] Hrothgar.

[2] Beowulf's helmet has several boar-images on it; he is the "man of war";
and the boar-helmet guards him as typical representative of the marching
party as a whole. The boar was sacred to Freyr, who was the favorite god of
the Germanic tribes about the North Sea and the Baltic. Rude
representations of warriors show the boar on the helmet quite as large as
the helmet itself.

V

STONE-BRIGHT the street:1 it showed the way
to the crowd of clansmen. Corselets glistened
hand-forged, hard; on their harness bright
the steel ring sang, as they strode along
in mail of battle, and marched to the hall.
There, weary of ocean, the wall along
they set their bucklers, their broad shields, down,
and bowed them to bench: the breastplates clanged,
war-gear of men; their weapons stacked,
spears of the seafarers stood together,
gray-tipped ash: that iron band
was worthily weaponed! -- A warrior proud
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