I wanted to try to perform a little bit of Beowulf in the original, because it sounds so lovely. But I was coming at it knowing no Old English, and I knew the intended audience wouldn't understand a word and had a short attention span for things they did understand. So, a translation: I would read a line, my accomplice would read the translation. I read a few "official" translations, and none did quite what I wanted: this wasn't meant to stand alone, it was meant to bring out the meaning of the original words. So, this is me... I had a couple of weeks. I learnt enough Old English to get by, and did my own translation. Found a recording I liked, and played it in the car on repeat for the second week. Performed my part from memory.
1 Hwæt!
What!
Hark! (Or, "Oi, you! Sit up and listen!")
1 Wé Gárdena in géardagum
We Gar-dane-a in yar-dagum
We spear-Danes in days of yore
2 þéodcyninga þrym gefrúnon
Theod-coo-ninga thrim (ge) –froonon
Of nation-kings glory we heard
3 hú ðá æþelingas ellen fremedon
huu da aethelingas ellen fremedon
how the nobles did valourous deeds
4 Oft Scyld Scéfing sceaþena þréatum
oft Scild Scefing sceald-ena threatum
often Scild, Scef’s son from enemy shields
5 monegum maégþum meodosetla oftéah
monegum maegth-um meodo-setla of-te-ah
of many clans took their mead-throne
6 egsode Eorle syððan aérest wearð
eg-sode eorle si-than aer-rest wearth
He terrorised earls since he earliest was
7 féasceaft funden hé þæs frófre gebád
fea-sceaft fun-den he thaes fro-fre (ge)baad
destitute found: he experienced consolation for that.
8 wéox under wolcnum· weorðmyndum þáh
wax under wolcn-um weorth-mynd-um thah
He waxed under the sky, his worth in people’s minds throve
9 oð þæt him aéghwylc þára ymbsittendra
oth thaet him aeg-thuch thara imb-sitten-dra
until that each of those that surrounded him
10 ofer hronráde hýran scolde
over hron-rade hi-ran scol-de
over the whale-road had to submit
11 gomban gyldan· þæt wæs gód cyning
gomban gildan that was good cyning
and pay tribute: that was a good king!