The worm o’er the wall, let the wave-currents take him,
The waters enwind the ward of the treasures.
There wounden gold on a wain was uploaded,
A mass unmeasured, the men-leader off then,
The hero hoary, to Whale’s-Ness was carried.
[1] For ‘gehýdde,’ B. suggests ‘gehýðde’: the passage would stand as above except the change of ‘hidden’ (v. 2) to ‘plundered.’ The reference, however, would be to the thief, not to the dragon.
[2] The passage ‘Wundur … búan’ (3063-3066), M. took to be a question asking whether it was strange that a man should die when his appointed time had come.—B. sees a corruption, and makes emendations introducing the idea that a brave man should not die from sickness or from old age, but should find death in the performance of some deed of daring.—S. sees an indirect question introduced by ‘hwár’ and dependent upon ‘wundur’: A secret is it when the hero is to die, etc.—Why may the two clauses not be parallel, and the whole passage an Old English cry of ‘How wonderful is death!’?—S.’s is the best yet offered, if ‘wundor’ means ‘mystery.’
[3] For ‘strude’ in H.-So., S. suggests ‘stride.’ This would require ‘ravage’ (v. 16) to be changed to ‘tread.’
[4] ‘He cared … sight of’ (17, 18), S. emends so as to read as follows: He (Beowulf) had not before seen the favor of the avaricious possessor.
[5] B. renders: That which drew the king thither (i.e. the treasure) was granted us, but in such a way that it overcomes us.