Beowulf Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOGPGQR STUVWXYNZYYA2B2YAOGY A2FNFC2CGYYGD2A2E2Y UE2YF2G2H2YGEI2J2IEK 2YYEEL2M2GN2YYYEYYYO 2P2FYN2YYA2YQ2WL2ER2 E2L2O2S2A2WRYP2E2YYY A2CN2YE2YZ UYEF2YEYE2E2YYT2P2U2 YV2YE2YEYWYW2YYU2CE2 WX2YEEYWWA2GEYE2YYE2 M2X2YYYWP2YE2WO2YE2A 2WYE2E2ZE2Y2YYEWZ2A3 GYE2 UWWB3C3LO praise of the prowess of people kings | A |
of spear armed Danes in days long sped | B |
we have heard and what honor the athelings won | C |
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes | D |
from many a tribe the mead bench tore | E |
awing the earls Since erst he lay | F |
friendless a foundling fate repaid him | G |
for he waxed under welkin in wealth he throve | H |
till before him the folk both far and near | I |
who house by the whale path heard his mandate | J |
gave him gifts a good king he | K |
To him an heir was afterward born | L |
a son in his halls whom heaven sent | M |
to favor the folk feeling their woe | N |
that erst they had lacked an earl for leader | O |
so long a while the Lord endowed him | G |
the Wielder of Wonder with world's renown | P |
Famed was this Beowulf far flew the boast of him | G |
son of Scyld in the Scandian lands | Q |
So becomes it a youth to quit him well | R |
with his father's friends by fee and gift | S |
that to aid him aged in after days | T |
come warriors willing should war draw nigh | U |
liegemen loyal by lauded deeds | V |
shall an earl have honor in every clan | W |
Forth he fared at the fated moment | X |
sturdy Scyld to the shelter of God | Y |
Then they bore him over to ocean's billow | N |
loving clansmen as late he charged them | Z |
while wielded words the winsome Scyld | Y |
the leader beloved who long had ruled | Y |
In the roadstead rocked a ring dight vessel | A2 |
ice flecked outbound atheling's barge | B2 |
there laid they down their darling lord | Y |
on the breast of the boat the breaker of rings | A |
by the mast the mighty one Many a treasure | O |
fetched from far was freighted with him | G |
No ship have I known so nobly dight | Y |
with weapons of war and weeds of battle | A2 |
with breastplate and blade on his bosom lay | F |
a heaped hoard that hence should go | N |
far o'er the flood with him floating away | F |
No less these loaded the lordly gifts | C2 |
thanes' huge treasure than those had done | C |
who in former time forth had sent him | G |
sole on the seas a suckling child | Y |
High o'er his head they hoist the standard | Y |
a gold wove banner let billows take him | G |
gave him to ocean Grave were their spirits | D2 |
mournful their mood No man is able | A2 |
to say in sooth no son of the halls | E2 |
no hero 'neath heaven who harbored that freight | Y |
- | |
I | U |
Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the Scyldings | E2 |
leader beloved and long he ruled | Y |
in fame with all folk since his father had gone | F2 |
away from the world till awoke an heir | G2 |
haughty Healfdene who held through life | H2 |
sage and sturdy the Scyldings glad | Y |
Then one after one there woke to him | G |
to the chieftain of clansmen children four | E |
Heorogar then Hrothgar then Halga brave | I2 |
and I heard that was 's queen | J2 |
the Heathoscylfing's helpmate dear | I |
To Hrothgar was given such glory of war | E |
such honor of combat that all his kin | K2 |
obeyed him gladly till great grew his band | Y |
of youthful comrades It came in his mind | Y |
to bid his henchmen a hall uprear | E |
a master mead house mightier far | E |
than ever was seen by the sons of earth | L2 |
and within it then to old and young | M2 |
he would all allot that the Lord had sent him | G |
save only the land and the lives of his men | N2 |
Wide I heard was the work commanded | Y |
for many a tribe this mid earth round | Y |
to fashion the folkstead It fell as he ordered | Y |
in rapid achievement that ready it stood there | E |
of halls the noblest Heorot he named it | Y |
whose message had might in many a land | Y |
Not reckless of promise the rings he dealt | Y |
treasure at banquet there towered the hall | O2 |
high gabled wide the hot surge waiting | P2 |
of furious flame Nor far was that day | F |
when father and son in law stood in feud | Y |
for warfare and hatred that woke again | N2 |
With envy and anger an evil spirit | Y |
endured the dole in his dark abode | Y |
that he heard each day the din of revel | A2 |
high in the hall there harps rang out | Y |
clear song of the singer He sang who knew | Q2 |
tales of the early time of man | W |
how the Almighty made the earth | L2 |
fairest fields enfolded by water | E |
set triumphant sun and moon | R2 |
for a light to lighten the land dwellers | E2 |
and braided bright the breast of earth | L2 |
with limbs and leaves made life for all | O2 |
of mortal beings that breathe and move | S2 |
So lived the clansmen in cheer and revel | A2 |
a winsome life till one began | W |
to fashion evils that field of hell | R |
Grendel this monster grim was called | Y |
march riever mighty in moorland living | P2 |
in fen and fastness fief of the giants | E2 |
the hapless wight a while had kept | Y |
since the Creator his exile doomed | Y |
On kin of Cain was the killing avenged | Y |
by sovran God for slaughtered Abel | A2 |
Ill fared his feud and far was he driven | C |
for the slaughter's sake from sight of men | N2 |
Of Cain awoke all that woful breed | Y |
Etins and elves and evil spirits | E2 |
as well as the giants that warred with God | Y |
weary while but their wage was paid them | Z |
- | |
II | U |
WENT he forth to find at fall of night | Y |
that haughty house and heed wherever | E |
the Ring Danes outrevelled to rest had gone | F2 |
Found within it the atheling band | Y |
asleep after feasting and fearless of sorrow | E |
of human hardship Unhallowed wight | Y |
grim and greedy he grasped betimes | E2 |
wrathful reckless from resting places | E2 |
thirty of the thanes and thence he rushed | Y |
fain of his fell spoil faring homeward | Y |
laden with slaughter his lair to seek | T2 |
Then at the dawning as day was breaking | P2 |
the might of Grendel to men was known | U2 |
then after wassail was wail uplifted | Y |
loud moan in the morn The mighty chief | V2 |
atheling excellent unblithe sat | Y |
labored in woe for the loss of his thanes | E2 |
when once had been traced the trail of the fiend | Y |
spirit accurst too cruel that sorrow | E |
too long too loathsome Not late the respite | Y |
with night returning anew began | W |
ruthless murder he recked no whit | Y |
firm in his guilt of the feud and crime | W2 |
They were easy to find who elsewhere sought | Y |
in room remote their rest at night | Y |
bed in the bowers when that bale was shown | U2 |
was seen in sooth with surest token | C |
the hall thane's hate Such held themselves | E2 |
far and fast who the fiend outran | W |
Thus ruled unrighteous and raged his fill | X2 |
one against all until empty stood | Y |
that lordly building and long it bode so | E |
Twelve years' tide the trouble he bore | E |
sovran of Scyldings sorrows in plenty | Y |
boundless cares There came unhidden | W |
tidings true to the tribes of men | W |
in sorrowful songs how ceaselessly Grendel | A2 |
harassed Hrothgar what hate he bore him | G |
what murder and massacre many a year | E |
feud unfading refused consent | Y |
to deal with any of Daneland's earls | E2 |
make pact of peace or compound for gold | Y |
still less did the wise men ween to get | Y |
great fee for the feud from his fiendish hands | E2 |
But the evil one ambushed old and young | M2 |
death shadow dark and dogged them still | X2 |
lured or lurked in the livelong night | Y |
of misty moorlands men may say not | Y |
where the haunts of these Hell Runes be | Y |
Such heaping of horrors the hater of men | W |
lonely roamer wrought unceasing | P2 |
harassings heavy O'er Heorot he lorded | Y |
gold bright hall in gloomy nights | E2 |
and ne'er could the prince approach his throne | W |
'twas judgment of God or have joy in his hall | O2 |
Sore was the sorrow to Scyldings' friend | Y |
heart rending misery Many nobles | E2 |
sat assembled and searched out counsel | A2 |
how it were best for bold hearted men | W |
against harassing terror to try their hand | Y |
Whiles they vowed in their heathen fanes | E2 |
altar offerings asked with words | E2 |
that the slayer of souls would succor give them | Z |
for the pain of their people Their practice this | E2 |
their heathen hope 'twas Hell they thought of | Y2 |
in mood of their mind Almighty they knew not | Y |
Doomsman of Deeds and dreadful Lord | Y |
nor Heaven's Helmet heeded they ever | E |
Wielder of Wonder Woe for that man | W |
who in harm and hatred hales his soul | Z2 |
to fiery embraces nor favor nor change | A3 |
awaits he ever But well for him | G |
that after death day may draw to his Lord | Y |
and friendship find in the Father's arms | E2 |
- | |
III | U |
THUS seethed unceasing the son of Healfdene | W |
with the woe of these days not wisest men | W |
assuaged his sorrow too sore the anguish | B3 |
loathly and long | C3 |
Charles Baudelaire
(1)
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