Paraphrase lines 125-131 in Book 2 of Beowulf.

For the length of twelve years, the ruler of the Scyldings endured this trouble. He had many sorrows and his cares were without limit. True news was openly revealed to men in their clans. They heard of Grendel's constant troubling of Hrothgar, of the great hatred that Grendel had for the sovereign, his killing and the destruction he wrought.

The author uses these few lines to bridge a large gap of time efficiently. He sets up the idea that Hrothgar and his people have been suffering for a long time because of Grendel's hatred, which gives the arrival of Beowulf and his victory a greater impact. A hero is more impressive if he is able to solve a problem that is large and enduring rather than one that just came up, so these lines help the author prepare his audience to experience Beowulf as a great hero.

Paraphrase of Beowulf Book II, Lines 125 - 131:

He endured the trouble for twelve years, did the sovran of Scyldings, with plentiful sorrow and ceaseless problems. The tribes of men then heard this news as it came to them in all it's truthfulness and was presented in songs of how Grendel unendingly harassed Hrothgar and of how Grendle hated him and wrought murder and massacre year after year.

One of the interesting things about this passage is that in Line 125, the usual English sentence order of Subject/Verb/Object is inverted. Line 125 is instead structured as Object/Verb/Subject. If written in the correct order of Subject/Verb/Object, Line 125 would read "He bore the trouble twelve years' tide...." Further, "sorrows in plenty, boundless cares" substitute a relative wh-clause, which, if written out, would read as: "which was sorrows in plenty and boundless cares." The full modified sentence would then read: "He, sovran of Scyldings, bore the trouble twelve years' tide, which was sorrows in plenty and boundless cares."

How would you paraphrase these lines?

taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms

Of him who of all the men on earth

Was the strongest.

That mighty protector of men

Meant to hold the monster till its life

Leaped out, knowing the fiend was no use

Put simply, the monster Grendel, who is "hell's captive", is in the powerful death-grip of Beowulf. His throat is "taut", that is to say stretched out as Beowulf slowly strangles him. Beowulf has no intention of letting go; he's determined to hold on to the monster until he dies. ("[T]ill its life leaped out.")

We learn a lot about Beowulf from this brief extract. He's strong and powerful, someone strong enough to protect other men as well as taking on and defeating the most powerful of monsters. Indeed, Beowulf, this mighty Geatish warrior, isn't just strong; he's the strongest man in the whole world. He's just the right man, then, for killing Grendel. For he, and he alone, is capable of ridding the Danes once and for all of this savage monster that has terrorized them for so many years.

Paraphrasing the phrases from Beowulf’s battle with the beast Grendel simply put them into an easier to understand format. The scene describes Grendel being defeated by strangulation from Beowulf. A good paraphrase is as follows:

Choking, the demon beast is trapped in the strong arms of the strongest of all mighty men on Earth. The strong warrior who protects others holds the beast until his life is done, knowing the monster is unable to escape his grasp.

This paraphrase shows the chokehold in which Beowulf holds Grendel. He holds him tight until the monster chokes to death, because he knows that he is stronger and has Grendel in a hold from which he can not escape, thus saving Hrothgar and the villagers.

These lines describe Beowulf's battle with Grendel. Though Grendel is a powerful foe, Beowulf is stronger. Beowulf is also favored by heaven in comparison to Grendel, who is not only evil but damned, as suggested by the author's calling him "hell's captive." Such a descriptor suggests Grendel's plans are doomed to failure and he himself is doomed to ultimate defeat by the forces of good.

In contrast, Beowulf is described as a strong protector of the weak. His victory over Grendel is assured too, when we see it proclaimed that Beowulf is "meant" to crush Grendel to death and save the lives of the innocent as a result.

Altogether, this passage highlights the battle between good and evil in the poem, particularly the inevitable triumph of good in the struggle (even if the last third of the poem muddies the waters a little with Beowulf's Pyrrhic victory over the dragon and his people's fears of annihilation without him there to protect them anymore).

Paraphrased, these lines might look something like this: "Grendel, hell's captive, was caught in the grip of Beowulf, the world's strongest man. Beowulf, the mighty protector of men, was destined to hold Grendel until he crushed him to death."

Could you help me paraphrase the following lines from Beowulf?

Nor will I. My lord Higlac

Might think less of me if I let my sword

Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid

Behind some broad linden shield: my hands

Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life

Against the monster. God must decide

Who will be given to death's cold grip.

Grendel's plan, I think, will be

What it has been before, to invade this hall

And gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can,

If he can. And I think if my time will have come.

There'll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare

For its grave: Grendel will carry our bloody

Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones

And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls

Of his den. No I expect no Danes ...

In the tradition of great tales handed down verbally from one generation to another, the heroic voice of the storyteller clearly provides the reader with the sense of the bravery and nobility in this great warrior.

Beowulf is written anonymously, having been passed through multiple generations. Our hero is bold and honorable. He speaks to his company with broad and noble words.

Beowulf basically explains that his feudal lord (and uncle, Higlac) would lose respect for Beowulf if he could only turn to battle behind a linden (wooden) shield with his sword, if his feet were afraid to go to war. He does not need the trappings of war (weapons) to do battle.

Beowulf says he will meet the beast with his bare hands. And then he honors God by saying that victory or defeat will not rest with Beowulf or the beat, but as God wishes it.

Beowulf expects that Grendel will attack as always, breaking into the mead hall, grabbing as many soldiers as possible, and eating them. If the monster is able to do so, and the warriors not able to stop him, the creature will be victorious.

Beowulf makes peace with his own possible end. If Beowulf dies in battle against the beast, he is resigned to this. No one will need to mourn his body or try to bury it, as Grendel will take the bodies of the dead to the fen (swamps, moors), to eat them. He will rub scraps of the bodies over the wall, and that will be the end of his life, if that is what is meant to occur.

Can you paraphrase these lines from Beowulf?

So dutiful thanes

in liege to their lord mourn him with lays

praising his peerless prowess in battle

as it is fitting when life leaves the flesh.

Heavy-hearted his hearth-companions

grieved for Beowulf, great among kings,

mild in his mien, most gentle of men,

kindest to kinfolk yet keenest for fame.

The writing of Beowulf has been problematic for many readers. That said, modern translations sometimes help readers cope with the words, phrases, and meaning of the story. Sometimes, by rephrasing pieces of a text, one can come to understand it better (although it does take a little longer).

A paraphrase is a restating of the original in other words. Therefore, the passage in question will be paralleled with the paraphrased meaning following in bold (line by line).

So dutiful thanes

(Then the motivated men)

in liege to their lord mourn him with lays

(in obligation to their leader showed sorrow with song)

praising his peerless prowess in battle

(telling of his matchless skill in conflicts)

as it is fitting when life leaves the flesh.

(which is expected when one dies

Heavy-hearted his hearth-companions

(Saddened his fellow warriors)

grieved for Beowulf, great among kings,

(felt the loss of Beowulf, the best of all kings)

mild in his mien, most gentle of men,

(gentle in his manner, the most tender of men)

kindest to kinfolk yet keenest for fame.

(friendly to family although eager for glory)

Typically, after a Scandinavian King has died, often in the service of his people (like Beowulf, who fought a dragon that was wasting his kingdom), his loyal retainers go into prolonged morning for their fallen leader.

As the poet indicates, the

dutiful thanes. . . mourn him with lays praising his peerless powers in battle as it is fitting when life leaves the flesh. . . .

In other words, these loyal retainers mourn his passing by creating poems (lays) about his strengths and victories in battle.  Notice the alliteration in the phrase "praising his peerless powers"--a hallmark of Anglo-Saxon or Old English poetry.  One problematical note needs consideration: just as Beowulf's retainers are properly performing his last rites, a pall hangs over Beowulf's death.  When Beowulf was in danger from the dragon, the only loyal retainer who came too his aid was Wiglaf, his young kinsman, but Beowulf's most experienced warriors were too afraid to assistance him.  

Beowulf, however, is described as the perfect Anglo-Saxon/Christian prince:

great among kings,
mild in his mien, most gentle of men,
kindest to kinfolk yet keenest for fame

The importance of the description is key to Beowulf's ideal character, which was highly sought after in leaders during the Viking Age of Exploration (as Viking's came into England) and, more important, looked for in a powerful king who wanted peace for his kingdom.  The greatness of Beowulf, therefore, was not just that he was a powerful warrior but also that he was "mild in his mien (behavior), most gentle of men,/kindest of kinfolk yet keenest for fame."  Beowulf was the ideal mixture of one who sought peace so that his people could prosper but never avoided a conflict that threatened the well-being of his people.  Again, notice the poet's use of alliteration in the line beginning with "Kindest."

Could you paraphrase lines 2795-2802 from Beowulf?

It doesn't really make sense to begin paraphrasing at line 2795, which is the second line of Beowulf's famous "hero on the beach" speech. Instead, I will begin at line 2794, ("Ic ðára frætwa fréan ealles ðanc") which is where Beowulf's speech begins. I will paraphrase directly from the Anglo-Saxon text and will not divide into lines, as I feel in order for a paraphrase to be of any use, it should make the text understandable, rather than attempting to retain the verse form.

To paraphrase these lines of Beowulf's speech, then:

"I give thanks to the Lord of Everything for my riches. To the king of wonders I speak these words, to the forever Lord, upon whom I am now gazing. I give thanks that I was able to gain such wealth for my people before the day of my death. Now, I pay for this treasure hoard with the span of my old life. Take care of the needs of my nation: I can not stay here any longer. Ask famous warriors to build a mound, bright after fire, at the edge of the ocean."

After this, Beowulf goes on to describe how people in the future will gaze upon his barrow and remember him. Both his own people and travelers from far afield will see Beowulf's legacy in this mound on the headland.

One version translates this passage as:

The Lord everlasting, that He let me such treasures
Gain for my people ere death overtook me.
Since I’ve bartered the agèd life to me granted
For treasure of jewels, attend ye henceforward
He desires to be held in memory by his people.
The wants of the war-thanes; I can wait here no longer.

King of Glories, eternal Ruler,
for the bright treasures I can see here,
that I might have gained such gifts as these
for the sake of my people before I died.
Now that I have given my old life-span
for this heap of treasures, you are to watch
the country's needs; I can stay no longer.

Paraphrase the following lines from Beowulf.

deeds of the dead. So dutiful thanes

in liege to their lord mourn him with lays

praising his peerless prowess in battle

as it is fitting when life leaves the flesh.

Heavy-hearted his hearth-companions

grieved for Beowulf, great among kings,

mild in his mien, most gentle of men.

To provide some background for the paraphrase, Beowulf has just succeeded in slaying the dragon and has died. His band of warriors are mounring his death. The bolded contains the original text, and the regular text contains the paraphrase.

deeds of the deed. So dutiful thanes

actions of the action. Then the obediant warriors

in liege to their lord mourn him with lays

in honor to their king grieve him with songs

praising his peerless prowess in battle

honoring his matchless skill in battle

as it is fitting when life leaves the flesh.

as it should be done when one dies

Heavey-hearted his hearth-companions

Woeful his fireside brothers

grieved for Beowulf, great among kings,

mourned for Beowulf, the greatest of kings,

mild in his mein, most gentle of men,

gentle in his death, most mild of men,

kindest to kinfolk, yet keenest for fame.

gracious to all people, yet intense for renown.