Hrothgar and Hryllingur, Part XVII
Continuing Somhairle na Dagney's retelling of Beowulf.
If you're new to this serialization, here's the link to the introductory post, which now has the complete table of contents. Or you can read the completed (to date) verses here.
‘Chanced I the whale-road
With my warriors. Wholly I
Would war against the fiend, or fall
To Hryllingur, Heorot’s bane,
In battle to the death.’
Wealhtheow went
To Hrothgar, happy to have heard
Bjarndýr’s vow. Loud lifted voice
And scáeli’s song in Heorot;
Memory of past mirth.
But Bjarndýr bowed;
Begged he of lord and lady leave
To quit their company for rest.
Stealthy and silent, soon the fiend
In darkness would descend.
Dawn to dusk dreamt
The monster of murder, maddened
By blood-lust but patient in wait
Past midnight and moon-set; the murk
And cloud his cover.
‘Health to you, Bjarndýr!”
Hrothgar proclaimed. “Hold my hall
As warden: guard it well. To none
Before have I relinquished
Great Heorot’s keeping.’
More next Thursday!
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