Then Hygelac`s brave kinsman was mindful of his evening speech: he stood erect and grasped him tight,—his fingers burst. The monster was moving out; the chief stepped forward too. The infamous creature thought to slip further off, wheresoever he could, and to flee away thence to his fen-refuge; he knew the power of his fingers was in the foeman`s grip. That was a sorry journey which the baleful fiend had made to Heorot!
The warrior`s hall resounded, there was panic among all the Danes, the castle-dwellers, the nobles and the heroes every one. Both the raging wardens of the house were furious; the building rang again. Then was it a great wonder that the wine-hall was proof against the savage fighters,—that the fair earthly dwelling did not fall to the ground; yet it was (made) firm enough for it, inside and out, by means of iron clamps, forged with curious art. There, where the foemen fought, many a mead-bench adorned with gilding, started from the sill, as I have heard. Before that, veterans of the Scyldings weened that no man could shatter it, splendid and horn-bedecked, in any wise, or ruin it by craft, although the embrace of fire might swallow it in smoke.
A sound arose, startling enough; a horrible fear clung to the North Danes, to everyone who heard the shrieking from the wall—(heard) the adversary of God chant his grisly lay, his song of non-success,—t he prisoner of hell wailing over his wound. He held him fast who was strongest of men in might in this life`s day!
Ancestral weapon
The defender of nobles would not by any means let the murderous visitor escape alive,—he did not count his (Grendel`s) life (-days) of use to any of the people. There many a noble of Beowulf`s company brandished an old ancestral weapon—they wished to protect the life of their lord, of their famous chief, if so be they might. They did not know, brave-minded men of war, when they took part in the contest, and thought to hew at him on every side, and to hunt out his life, that no war-bill on earth, no best of sabers, could touch the cursed foe, for that he used enchantment against conquering weapons, every sort of blades.
In this life`s day his breaking-up was to be pitiable the alien spirit was to journey far into the power of fiends. Then he who of yore had accomplished much of the joy of his heart, of crime against mankind, he, the rebel against God, discovered this -that his bodily frame was no help to him, but that the bold kinsman of Hygelac had him by the hands. While he lived, each was abhorrent to the other. The horrible wretch suffered deadly hurt, on his shoulder gaped a wound past remedy, the sinews sprang asunder, the tendons burst. Glory in fight was granted to Beowulf; Grendel, sick to death, must needs flee thence under the fen fast nesses—seek out his joyless dwelling;—he knew too well that the end of his life had come, the number of his days. After that bloody contest, the desire of all the Danes had come to pass!
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