fashion. “Beowulf’s fame is wherever Beowulf is,” she said. “Go home, hero, with our thanks and blessings.”
Then the king saw by the tears in Beowulf’s eyes at the mere mention of the word “home” that he did indeed pine for his own country. So he took Beowulf’s hands between his own and blessed and thanked him as the queen had, his voice trembling with sincerity, and gave him twelve jewels—burning stones, the most precious things he owned.
“May your voyage be attended by white birds,” he said, tears trickling down his cheeks.
Beowulf was deeply moved. He saluted them both. “Thank you,” he said. “I shall not mind if the birds are black.” And he thought again of the raven that had tried to sing the dawn in.
The coastguard came to meet the marching men. “God bless you, Beowulf,” he said simply. “I am glad you did not take my advice and go home in the first place.”
Beowulf laid his hand on the coastguard’s shoulder. “Your advice was well meant,” he said, “and I like your simplicity.” He looked eagerly at the bay. “Is my ship prepared?”
“It is,” said the coastguard.
Room had to be made for the treasures Hrothgar had heaped on Beowulf, chiefly gold and horses. The coastguard helped with this. He was a huge man, with patient hands, and the horses trusted him even when their hooves were nervous of the tilting deck.
When all was ready Beowulf called the coastguard to him. “On a little hill to the west,” he said, “within sight of hall Heorot, you will find my sword. It is a good sword. Guard it well and it will guard you. I want you to have it.”
The coastguard thanked him. “One question,”he said. “Why did you go against Grendel without your sword?”
Beowulf smiled. “On your advice, my friend.”
“My advice?” The coastguard frowned.
Beowulf dipped his hands in the sea. He let the cold green water drip through his cupped palms. “It was you who told me that fighting Grendel was like fighting the sea itself,” he said. “Well, then, who ever took a sword to kill the ocean?”
The sails opened. The tall mast rang. The great curved prow cut clean and quick through scudding foam. In such a vessel, coming back so happy from such a venture, they soon reached home.
When they did, Beowulf knelt on the beach and gathered up shingle in his fists and kissed it. Then he stood up and let his feet sink deep into soft sand. Then he ran along the shore, kicking shells in all directions. At last he came back to his men, panting, his face flushed, still grinning, not in the least ashamed of his boyish behavior.
“It’s good to be back home,” he said.
And they all agreed, and cheered.
They dragged down the wide sails. They set about the ship’s unpacking.
The horses shivered on the new shore.
The gold was soon heaped so high, a man might not see over it to where the sun slipped into a sea flecked with black and white birds, the gulls that had followed them home.
XIII
K ING B EOWULF
ICing Hygelac’s heart grew big with pride when he heard what Beowulf had done. Beowulf had always been his favorite nephew, even when he was a weak and sickly youth and no one else had any time for him. In those days the wits at Hygelac’s court used to laugh at Beowulf: “A silly boy! Fancy getting himself stung by bees! And always mooning about, dreaming of adventures, when he’s not tall enough to win a tussle with a goat.… He’ll come to no good, you mark my words.” Beowulf
had
come to some good now, and those same court-wits had to eat their words when everyone learned what he had done against the monsters in the land of the Danes. King Hygelac ordered the most splendid feast his country had ever seen—and all in honor of brave Beowulf.
Beowulf was not greedy or ambitious. Thegifts that Hrothgar had given him, he passed on to Hygelac. “You are my king,” he said, “and I am your man. All that I won, I won as your retainer. Here are horses, here is more
Then the king saw by the tears in Beowulf’s eyes at the mere mention of the word “home” that he did indeed pine for his own country. So he took Beowulf’s hands between his own and blessed and thanked him as the queen had, his voice trembling with sincerity, and gave him twelve jewels—burning stones, the most precious things he owned.
“May your voyage be attended by white birds,” he said, tears trickling down his cheeks.
Beowulf was deeply moved. He saluted them both. “Thank you,” he said. “I shall not mind if the birds are black.” And he thought again of the raven that had tried to sing the dawn in.
The coastguard came to meet the marching men. “God bless you, Beowulf,” he said simply. “I am glad you did not take my advice and go home in the first place.”
Beowulf laid his hand on the coastguard’s shoulder. “Your advice was well meant,” he said, “and I like your simplicity.” He looked eagerly at the bay. “Is my ship prepared?”
“It is,” said the coastguard.
Room had to be made for the treasures Hrothgar had heaped on Beowulf, chiefly gold and horses. The coastguard helped with this. He was a huge man, with patient hands, and the horses trusted him even when their hooves were nervous of the tilting deck.
When all was ready Beowulf called the coastguard to him. “On a little hill to the west,” he said, “within sight of hall Heorot, you will find my sword. It is a good sword. Guard it well and it will guard you. I want you to have it.”
The coastguard thanked him. “One question,”he said. “Why did you go against Grendel without your sword?”
Beowulf smiled. “On your advice, my friend.”
“My advice?” The coastguard frowned.
Beowulf dipped his hands in the sea. He let the cold green water drip through his cupped palms. “It was you who told me that fighting Grendel was like fighting the sea itself,” he said. “Well, then, who ever took a sword to kill the ocean?”
The sails opened. The tall mast rang. The great curved prow cut clean and quick through scudding foam. In such a vessel, coming back so happy from such a venture, they soon reached home.
When they did, Beowulf knelt on the beach and gathered up shingle in his fists and kissed it. Then he stood up and let his feet sink deep into soft sand. Then he ran along the shore, kicking shells in all directions. At last he came back to his men, panting, his face flushed, still grinning, not in the least ashamed of his boyish behavior.
“It’s good to be back home,” he said.
And they all agreed, and cheered.
They dragged down the wide sails. They set about the ship’s unpacking.
The horses shivered on the new shore.
The gold was soon heaped so high, a man might not see over it to where the sun slipped into a sea flecked with black and white birds, the gulls that had followed them home.
XIII
K ING B EOWULF
ICing Hygelac’s heart grew big with pride when he heard what Beowulf had done. Beowulf had always been his favorite nephew, even when he was a weak and sickly youth and no one else had any time for him. In those days the wits at Hygelac’s court used to laugh at Beowulf: “A silly boy! Fancy getting himself stung by bees! And always mooning about, dreaming of adventures, when he’s not tall enough to win a tussle with a goat.… He’ll come to no good, you mark my words.” Beowulf
had
come to some good now, and those same court-wits had to eat their words when everyone learned what he had done against the monsters in the land of the Danes. King Hygelac ordered the most splendid feast his country had ever seen—and all in honor of brave Beowulf.
Beowulf was not greedy or ambitious. Thegifts that Hrothgar had given him, he passed on to Hygelac. “You are my king,” he said, “and I am your man. All that I won, I won as your retainer. Here are horses, here is more
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