< Page:Gummere (1909) The Oldest English Epic.djvu
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162

THE OLDEST ENGLISH EPIC

But he[1] cried across all in no craven’s voice,

25hardy hero: “Who holds the door?”
“Sigeferth my name is, Secgas’ prince,
wide-heralded hero: heavy my trials,
hard wars that I waged; there awaits thee now
such[2] as thyself would serve to me!”
30Then din by the door[3] from death-blows sounded;
in hands of heroes were hewn the shields,
the bone-helms[4] burst; and the burg-floor groaned,
until in the grim fight Garulf fell
first of the earls of earth-dwellers there,[5]
35Guthlaf’s[6] son, and good men beside him.
Sank still the slain: wide circled the raven
sallow-brown, swarthy: the sword-light gleamed
as if Finn’s whole burg were blazing with fire.[7]
Never heard I that worthier warring men,
40conquerors sixty, more splendidly fought,

and for mead-draughts sweet such service rendered,
  1. ↑ By Klaeber’s reading, Garulf.
  2. ↑ Literally, “which of the two,”—life or death.
  3. ↑ Ms. “In the hall,” with false rime, and therefore changed by editors to “by the wall.”
  4. ↑ Variant of “shields” in the preceding verse.
  5. ↑ That is, as ten Brink explains, of those who dwelt in that part of the earth,—the Frisians.
  6. ↑ To avoid a clash with v. 18, above, Möller changed to Guthulf (war-wolf). Ten Brink suspects a tragic motive and retains Guthlaf. Father and son would thus be opposed and repeat the tragedy of the Hildebrand Lay.
  7. ↑ Valhalla was lighted by swords. See Uhland, Mythus v. Thor, p. 166.—Swords were named for their light-giving power; they shine after death of the owner,—as in the case of that sailor who has slain five and twenty dragons (Salomon and Saturn, 156 f):—
    His sword well-burnished shineth yet,
    and over the barrow beam the hilts. . . .
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