[10] I have been strand-guard, standing as warden,
Lest enemies ever anywise ravage
Danish dominions with army of war-ships.
55 More boldly never have warriors ventured
Hither to come; of kinsmen's approval,
Word-leave of warriors, I ween that ye surely

{He is struck by Beowulf's appearance.}

Nothing have known. Never a greater one
Of earls o'er the earth have _I_ had a sight of
60 Than is one of your number, a hero in armor;
No low-ranking fellow[4] adorned with his weapons,
But launching them little, unless looks are deceiving,
And striking appearance. Ere ye pass on your journey
As treacherous spies to the land of the Scyldings
65 And farther fare, I fully must know now
What race ye belong to. Ye far-away dwellers,
Sea-faring sailors, my simple opinion
Hear ye and hearken: haste is most fitting
Plainly to tell me what place ye are come from."

[1] 'From hám' (194) is much disputed. One rendering is: _Beowulf,
being away from home, heard of Hrothgar's troubles, etc_. Another,
that adopted by S. and endorsed in the H.-So. notes, is: _B. heard
from his neighborhood (neighbors),_ i.e. _in his home, etc_. A third
is: _B., being at home, heard this as occurring away from home_. The
H.-So. glossary and notes conflict.

[2] 'Eoletes' (224) is marked with a (?) by H.-So.; our rendering