The poem opens with an incident which reminds us of one of the most beautiful of Mr. Tennyson's earlier poems, the Mart d'Arthur, and seems to show a similarity between British and Germanic traditions. We give it in the simple words of Mr. Kemble's prose translation.
" At his appointed time then Scyld departed, very decrepit, to go into the peace of the Lord; they then, his dear comrades. bore him out to the shore of the sea. as he him self requested, the while that he, the friend of the Scyldings, the beloved chieftain, had power with his words; long he owned it! There upon the beach stood the ring-prowed ship, the vehicle of the noble, shining like ice, and ready to set out. They then laid down the dear prince, the distributer of rings, in the bosom of the ship, the mighty one beside the mast; there was much of treasures, of ornaments, brought from afar. Never heard I of a comelier ship having been adorned with battle-weapons and with war-weeds, with bills and mailed coats. 'Upon Us bosom lay a multitude of treasures which were to depart afar with him, into the possession of the flood. They furnished him not less with offerings, with mighty wealth, than those had done who in the beginning sent him forth in his wretchedness, alone over the Waves. Moreover they set up for him a golden ensign, high overhead; they let the bear him; they gave hint to the Ocean. Sad was their spirit, mournful their mood. Men know not in tooth tosay (men wise of coun sel, or any men under the heavens) who received 'the fteight." The following is a brief outline of the story: B. is introduced to 'us. preparing for a piratical adventure. After a vivid description of the embarkation of the hero and his •• friendly ScylclIngi," the scene changes, and 'the palace . of Hrothgnr rises before us. here the Danish king Ints 'assembled his Warriors, and holds a feast, unconscious of the deadly peril in which he is placed. The " scop" ("shaper," from seapan, shape" ur " create ") sings a poem on the origin of things, and how evil came into the world. This is deftly used to bring upon the stage the " inimstranger'Grendel, a mighty haunter of the marshes, one that held the Moors, fen, ancrfaStness, the dwellings of the monster race." Malignant and cruel, he hears with envious hate the sounds of joy echoing from the hall, and stealing into the palate after dark, when the revel is over, he seizes and destroys thirty of the Sleeping thegns. In the morning, when the havoc wrought by Grendel becomes known, there is a fierce Outcry, and Hrothgar is hitidly blamed. Yet twelve winters pass by before the outrage is avenged. The king is continually "seethed in the sorrow of the time; " but help is at hand. B. has heard of the crimes of the monster, and comes with his Gents (lutes) to inflict punishinent. The voyage over the waves, and the landing of the brave adventurers on the shores of Hrothgar's dominions, is finely told. After sonic parley with the coast-ginirds, fill interview takes place between the monarch and the hero. who almost pleads to be allowed to deliver the land from the ravages of Grendel. Most tender and pathetic is the passage in which he asks—if for tune should he adverse to him (" if Hilda"—i.e. "the goddess of slaughter"—" should
take lihn away"), that they would 'Mt meurh Over the "solitary rover," but plant a " simple flower" on his cairn, and Send back his "garments of battle" to his lord and kinsman, lligelac. Tie inevitable feast follows, in the of Which the " scop" sings of the race that is to be, and B. enlarges upon his 'past exploits. Then we have an exquisite picture of the 'Danish queen: "There was laughter of heroes, the noise was modulated, words were winsome; Weadtheow, Hrothgar'S queen, went forth; mind ful of their races, she, hung round with gold, greeted the Men in the hall; and the free born lady gave the cup first to the prince of the &flat Danes; she bade him be blithe at the service of beer, dear to his people. He, the king, proud of victory, joyfully received the feast and hall-cup. The lady of the Helmings'then went round about every part of young and old; she give treasure-vessels, until the opportunity occurred, that she, a queen hung round with rings, venerable of mood, bore forth the mead-cup to Beowulf. Wise of words, she greeted the Geat, she thanked God because her will was accom plished, that she believed in any earl, as a consolation against the crimes." That night, when the shadows of darkness have fallen, Grendel comes swiftly to the palace from the misty moors, and assails Beowulf. A fierce struggle ensues, but the monster is baffled, and obliged to flee. Next day a second feast is in honor of the hero's suc cess. magnificent gifts are showered upon hint by the grateful Hrothgar, the services of the " seop" are again called into request, music and sports follo'w, and the queen once more moves through the crowd Of warriors with courtesy and'grace. The night, however, is not to pass Without its tragedy. The mother of the monster secretly enters, and destroys one of the king's dearest thegns. B., in a magnanimous speech, undertakes to avenge Win. ;Having sought the wild hauntsof the "hateful one," he first slays the mother after a furious combat, in which he would have been vanquiShed but for the apparition of a magic sword " over the waves," which came into his grasp. Grendel is then destroyed, and his head carried off as a present to Hrothga•. B. then returns home, . and after a variety of other but less interesting adventures, succeeds to the throne on the death of his kinsman Higelac. More recent editions than those above noted are that by Ileyne (1863, 3d ed. 1873); and the admirable English one of Thomas Arnold, pub lished with translation, notes, and appendix in 1876. Wackerbarth (1849) and Thorpe (1855) have given EnglNli metrical translations; the best German versions are those of Simroek (1859), Heyue (1863), and Von Wolzogen (1873).
BtPUB, or 13EYPOTIE, a seaport of western India, 6 m. s. of Calicut. Its situation is very beautiful. It has a considerable trade in timber, particularly teak, which is floated down the river for exportation. Iron ore is found in the neighborhood, and iron-works have recently been established here. B. is the terminus of a railway across the pen insula of India from Madras by way of Coimbatore, and will probably soon become a place of great importance. Pop, in 1871, 5858.