Elements Of Poetry

| PROLOGUEEarly History of the DanesListen:
You have heard of the Danish Kings
in the old days and how 
they were great warriors.
Shield, the son of Sheaf,
took many an enemy's chair,
terrified many a warrior,
after he was found an orphan.
He prospered under the sky
until people everywhere
listened when he spoke.
He was a good king!Shield had a son,
child for his yard,
sent by Godto comfort the people,
to keep them from fear--
Grain was his name;
he was famous 
throughout the North.
Young princes should do as he did--
give out treasures
while they're still young
so that when they're old
people will support them
in time of war.
A man prospers
by good deeds
in any nation.Shield died at his fated hour,
went to God still strong.
His people carried him to the sea,which was his last request.
In the harbor stood
a well-built ship,
icy but ready for the sea.
They laid Shield there,
propped him against the mast
surrounded by gold
and treasure from distant lands.
I've never heard
of a more beautiful ship,
filled with shields, swords,
and coats of mail, gifts 
to him for his long trip.
No doubt he had a little more
than he did as a child
when hewas sent out,
a naked orphan in an empty boat.
Now he had a golden banner
high over his head, was,
sadly by a rich people,
given to the sea.
The wisest alive can't tell 
where a death ship goes.Grain ruled the Danes
a long time after his father's death,
and to him was born
the great Healfdene, fierce in battle,
who ruled until he was old.
Healfdene had four children--
Heorogar,Hrothgar, Halga the Good,
and a daughter who married
Onela, King of the Swedes.Hrothgar Becomes King of the DanesAfter Hrothgar became king 
he won many battles:
his friends and family
willingly obeyed him;
his childhood friends
became famous soldiers.So Hrothgar decided 
he would build a mead-hall,
the greatest the world had 
ever seen, or even imagined.
There he would share out
to youngand old alike
all that God gave him
(except for public lands and men's lives).I have heard that orders 
went out far and wide;
tribes throughout the world
set to work on that building.
And it was built, the world's 
greatest mead-hall. 
And that great man
called the building 
"Herot," the hart.After it was built,
Hrothgar did what he said 
he would: handed out gold 
and treasure athuge feasts. 
That hall was high-towered,
tall and wide-gabled
(though destruction awaited,
fire and swords of family trouble;
and outside in the night waited 
a tortured spirit of hell).The words of the poet,
the sounds of the harp,
the joy of people echoed.
The poet told how the world 
came to be, how God made the earth
and the water surrounding,
how He set the sun and the moon
aslights for people
and adorned the earth
with limbs and leaves for everyone.
Hrothgar's people lived in joy, 
happy until that wanderer of the wasteland,
Grendel the demon, possessor of the moors,
began his crimes.He was of a race of monsters
exiled from mankind by God--
He was of the race of Cain, 
that man punished for 
murdering his brother.
From that family comes
all evil beings--monsters, elves, zombies.
Also the giants who 
fought with God and got 
repaid with the flood.end of episode one |

| PART ONE: GRENDELGrendel AttacksOne night, after a beer party,
the Danes settled in the hall
for sleep; they knew no sorrows.
The evil creature, grim and hungry,
grabbed thirty warriors
and went home laughing.At dawn, when the Danes learned 
of Grendel's strength, 
therewas great weeping. 
The old king sat sadly, 
crying for his men. Bloody 
footprints were found.That was bad enough,
but the following night
Grendel killed more--
blinded by sin, 
he felt no remorse.
(You can bet the survivors
started sleeping elsewhere.)
So Grendel ruled,
fighting right,
one against many,
and the greatest hall
in all the earth
stood empty at night.Twelve years...