Hafa nū ǫnd geheald hūsa sēlest,
[660] gemyne mǣrþo,[7] mægen-ęllen cȳð,
waca wið wrāðum. Ne bið þē wilna gād,
gif þū þæt ęllen-weorc aldre[8] gedīgest.”
[623.] sinc-fato sealde. Banning (Die epischen Formeln im Beowulf) shows that the usual translation, gave costly gifts, must be given up; or, at least, that the costly gifts are nothing more than beakers of mead. The expression is an epic formula for passing the cup.
[638-39.] ęnde-ðæg ... mīnne. This unnatural separation of noun and possessive is frequent in O.E. poetry, but almost unknown in prose.
[641-42.] ēode ... sittan. The poet might have employed tō sittanne ([§ 108, (1)]); but in poetry the infinitive is often used for the gerund. Alfred himself uses the infinitive or the gerund to express purpose after gān, gǫngan, cuman, and sęndan.
[647-51.] wiste ... cwōman. A difficult passage, even with Thorpe’s inserted ne; but there is no need of putting a period after geþinged, or of translating oððe by and: He (Hrothgar) knew that battle was in store (geþinged) for the monster in the high hall, after [= as soon as] they could no longer see the sun’s light, or [= that is] after night came darkening over all, and shadowy figures stalking. The subject of cwōman [= cwōmon] is niht and gesceapu.
The student will note that the infinitive (scrīðan) is here employed as a present participle after a verb of motion (cwōman). This construction with cuman is frequent in prose and poetry. The infinitive expresses the kind of motion: ic cōm drīfan = I came driving.
[1] = hēo.