l. 1
Hwæt! Wē Gār-Dena in geārdagum,
Listen! We have heard of the Spear-Danes in days of yore,
Reading edition · lines 1–11
Reading Beowulf in Old English
The opening of the poem in the original language — with line numbers, an editorial translation, and word notes for every line.
How to read this page
Each card is one line: the Old English on top, our editorial translation beneath, then word notes. Words with a → link open a sourced dictionary entry. Read a line aloud first — the poem was composed for the ear.
l. 2
þēodcyninga þrym gefrūnon,
we have heard of the glory of the kings of the people,
- þēodcyninga → “of the kings of the people” — genitive plural.
- þrym “glory, might, splendor”.
- gefrūnon “heard of, learned of” — the story arrives by hearsay, which matters to the poem.
l. 3
hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon.
how the princes performed deeds of courage.
- æþelingas “princes, nobles” — the heroes of the story.
- ellen “courage, valor” — doing ellen is the poem's core virtue.
- fremedon “performed, accomplished”.
l. 4
Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum,
Often Scyld Scefing, from bands of enemies,
- Scyld Scēfing “Scyld, son of Scēf” — the legendary founder of the Danish royal line.
- sceaþena þrēatum “from bands of enemies” — the peoples he defeats.
l. 5
monegum mǣgþum meodosetla oftēah,
from many peoples took away their mead-benches,
- monegum mǣgþum “from many tribes” — dative plural.
- meodosetla oftēah “deprived them of mead-benches” — taking the hall's benches means breaking a lord's power.
l. 6
egsode eorl, syððan ǣrest wearð
he terrified warriors, after he was first
- egsode eorl The manuscript reads eorl; many editors emend to eorlas “warriors” — a real textual crux.
- syððan ǣrest wearð “after he first became” — the story of his rise begins.
l. 7
fēasceaft funden; hē þæs frōfre gebād,
found destitute; he lived to see comfort for that,
- fēasceaft funden “found destitute” — the foundling myth: he arrived alone as a child.
- frōfre gebād “lived to see consolation” — his fortunes reversed.
l. 8
wēox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þāh,
grew under the skies, prospered in honors,
- wēox under wolcnum “grew under the clouds” — a poetic way of saying he grew up in the world.
- weorðmyndum þāh “throve in honors” — his reputation rose.
l. 9
oð þæt him ǣghwylc þāra ymbsittendra
until each of the surrounding peoples
- oð þæt “until”.
- ǣghwylc “each, every”.
- ymbsittendra “of those sitting around” — the neighboring peoples.
l. 10
ofer hronrāde hȳran scolde,
across the whale-road had to obey him,
- hronrāde “whale-road” — a kenning for the sea, one of the poem's famous compressed images.
- hȳran scolde “had to obey” — power, not just fame.
l. 11
gomban gyldan. Þæt wæs gōd cyning!
and pay him tribute. That was a good king!
- gomban gyldan “to pay tribute” — the concrete proof of his power.
- þæt wæs gōd cyning → “that was a good king” — the poem's first verdict, and its values in five words.
Attested text Editorial translation
Old English: Beowulf, lines 1–11, as read in Klaeber's Beowulf (4th ed., University of Toronto Press). The poem is public domain; the modern glosses are this site's editorial renderings, written for learners — not a published scholarly translation.
Keep working with these lines
About this edition
Which edition is the text from?
The Old English text follows the standard scholarly reading (Klaeber's Beowulf, 4th edition), normalized with modern long-vowel marks. The poem itself is over a thousand years old and public domain; the modern translation on this page is our own editorial gloss.
Is the translation attested?
No — and it says so. The Old English lines are the attested text; the modern rendering is an editorial gloss written for this page. For published scholarship, compare a standard edition or a published translation.
Why only the opening lines?
This reader launches with the famous prologue (lines 1–11). More passages will follow the same format — original text, line numbers, word notes. If a passage you need is missing, tell us via the contact page.
Can I quote this page?
Quote the Old English freely — it is public domain. If you use our translation or notes, cite this page (anglosaxontranslator.com/texts/beowulf/) as the source of the gloss.